A Platform for Arts Institute of Art Studies, BAS
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A Platform for Arts Institute of Art Studies, BAS DEUTSCHES THEATER’S WAITING FOR GODOT IN SOFIA Kamelia Nikolova page: 26 IF PROFESSORS WERE GAMERS Emmanuel Moutafov page: 31 A LETTER TO GOD Tereza Bacheva page: 11 SYMPHONY AND CHAMBER MUSIC AT VARNA SUMMER Milena Bozhikova page: 13 1 Content FESTIVAL PRACTICES AND SPATIAL, TIME AND 04 HISTORICAL DISTANCES THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TYPOGRAPHY 17 & VISUAL COMMUNICATION (ICTVC) FESTIVALS MUSIC FESTIVAL PRACTICES AND SPATIAL, TIME AND HISTORICAL DISTANCES Milena Bozhikova page: 04 TOPICAL A LETTER TO GOD Tereza Bacheva page: 11 FESTIVALS MUSIC SYMPHONY AND CHAMBER MUSIC AT VARNA SUMMER Milena Bozhikova page: 13 DEUTSCHES THEATER’S 26 WAITING FOR GODOT IN SOFIA DEUTSCHESIF PROFESSORS THEATER’S WERE 2631 WAITINGGAMERS FOR GODOT IN SOFIA ARCHITECTURE THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TYPOGRAPHY & VISUAL COMMUNICATION (ICTVC) Stela Tasheva, Sasha Lozanova page: 17 FESTIVALS MUSIC VARNA SUMMER Milena Bozhikova page: 22 THEATRE DEUTSCHES THEATER’S WAITING FOR GODOT IN SOFIA Kamelia Nikolova page: 26 TOPICAL IF PROFESSORS WERE GAMERS Emmanuel Moutafov page: 31 FESTIVALS MUSIC Festival Practices and Spatial, Time and Historical Distances Milena Bozhikova of social control. According to Bakhtin’s concept of ‘the carni- valesque’, such events are so- cially induced and determined, ‘suspending social hierarchies’, ‘linking’ and uniting people. The practice shows though that fes- tival policies impose restrictions, establishing social, spatial, time Festivals as a strategic tool are a and artistic distances. In his book much-discussed subject by many on urban festivals, Australian researchers varying from philos- Professor of Human Geography ophers to anthropologists to so- Gordon Waitt (Waitt G. Urban Fes- ciologists to historians to tourism tivals: Geographies of Hype, Help- and political analysts to urban lessness and Hope // Geography developers. Varna Summer In- Compass. 2008. Vol. 2. No. 2. pp. ternational Music Festival, which 513-537) has described the above traditionally and historically may ‘as a contemporary urban regen- well be bracketed with Europe’s eration tool of neoliberal govern- earliest festivals such as that held ance through the conjunction of in Bayreuth, opened in 1876, and business, play and fantasy’. All that in Salzburg (1920), is closer authors, quoted by Gordon Waitt, to Bakhtin’s idea (Mikhail Bakhtin. share the view that art festivals Rabelais and His World. Indiana demonstrate predominantly af- University Press. Bloomington) of fluence, nationalistic, military or ‘consolidation’ and ‘universalism’, monarchic mindsets (Bob Jarvis), retaining though the triumph of striving that the European social the elites and the mechanisms elites should draw distinct social 4 lines using high art (Kate Bassett). its historical role, structures and Comparing the festivals held in public response. The book is a East and West Europe in terms of record of the festival, featuring concepts and purposes, the differ- events and facts, made and en- ences become apparent and the riched by the author’s remarkable inferences drawn by our Western experience in fieldwork, in cover- colleagues would prove typical ing mass and popular melodizing only of certain geographical and in her capacity of an anthropolo- economic structures. These dif- gist and sociologist of music and ferences stem from social stere- culture. She was embedded in otypes, economic standards and the festival’s atmosphere for dec- to a large extent, from the educa- ades, being its living partner ever tional traditions shaped including since the 1960s as a profession- under Socialism: East-European ally engaged audience, an author music festivals are not commer- of reviews of current events and a cially oriented being intended for competent selector of factual ma- audiences belonging to a wider terial. range of social groups; Western Rosemary Statelova’s book pre- festivals, even though adhering to sents Varna Summer as a logo- the same artistic standards, are type, as a brand changing over meant for affluent elitist audienc- the years, as a set of notions, es. A fleeting comparison between suggesting values, standards and the music festivals in Lucerne and ideas. The book contains histori- George Enescu in Bucharest, for cal information, characteristics of instance, featuring identical per- the popular mentality; it features formers agree with what was ear- figures that have shaped the form lier said and is far from being an of the Festival and have been isolated case either. identified with it in certain peri- The presentation of the second ods as well as various stages in enlarged edition of Rosemary professional music activities. The Statelova’s book, The Summer of book is an invaluable record of Bulgarian Culture, in the auditori- the sociocultural changes in this um of the University of Econom- country and in Varna respective- ics, Varna brought festival forms ly. In this sense, Milko Dimitrov’s up for discussion and particularly metaphor that Varna Summer is that of Varna Summer in its his- a branch of life rather than of cul- torical mobility and analyses of ture has been proved right. And 5 the second edition of the book rey County, where he was born, occasioned by the Festival’s 90th intending initially to present new anniversary is rather well-timed, music. Later his festival evolved as it covers the biological frontier into a major summer event in the of a living and adaptive ‘spectacle UK. Edinburgh International Fes- form’ (after Bakhtin). tival was also put into a context, The festival identity of Varna i.e. the post-war situation. Unlike Summer was in fact prompted by such festival centres as Salzburg Bulgarian existentialists’ quest and Munich, Edinburgh remained for national identity in the 1920s, intact in WW2. Since its first edi- by the transformation of ama- tion in 1947, the festival has set teurism into professionalism, by on the path towards high culture the establishment and the de- in defiance of the post-war cul- velopment of Bulgaria’s institu- ture. tions and the striving for making International Summer Music art. The festival was launched to Academy and Varna Summer Mu- champion the national authori- sic Lab have been developed also al music. It is worth mentioning as a form of distancing from the that Benjamin Britten launched festival practices, ‘distancing’ in in 1948 Aldeburgh Festival in Sur- terms both of time and space: 6 the former bridges a genera- post-totalitarian period, in the of- tion gap, imparting and bringing fered free opportunity to migrate knowledge up to date, while the in a quest for a successful career. latter overcomes the spatial dif- Careers differ from performer ferences, synchronising to an ex- to performer of those included tent the parallel processes in glo- in the programme and the same balisation and the dispora. Varna holds true for their responsibility Summer Music Lab presents the for their particular performance. Bulgarian music dispora; most In the chamber music duo Ves- of them come from Varna. The selin Stanev (piano) and Ekaterina Lab has its historical roots in the Frolova (violin), Stanev definitely 7 evinces brighter individuality and the symbolism, tonal semantics, artistry, fine expressivity, perfect structure and texture is a marked pianism, attesting to his active trend in contemporary musician- international concert career. It ship. Stambolov develops the tra- has been Vesko Stambolov’s (pi- ditions of Bachian interpreters of ano) fourth participation at Var- the past: unadorned and unclut- na Summer since 2003, follow- tered, without pretence or false- ing the recital of Bulgarian music hood, paying special attention to as the Bulgarian National Radio note subtext. The recital of Swiss- Symphony Orchestra’s soloist un- based Plamena Nikitassova, a vio- der Emil Tabakov and in a cham- linist exuding an air of congenial- ber concert with Tsvetana Ban- ity, claiming authenticity of the dalovska. The interpretation of baroque richness of sound, per- Bachian music through reading forming true to her capacity, also 8 Photos by Rosen Donev dealt with Bachian music and the contributed to the above the Bul- reflections of time. garian premiere of The American Varna Summer Music Lab is im- Four Seasons, concerto for violin, portant to Varna Summer Festival synthesizer and string orchestra for its tradition to stage premieres No. 2 by Philip Glass performed of pieces by Bulgarian and foreign by Dimitar Burov (violin) Yana composers: particularly mem- Burova (violin) and the Festival orable were the two pieces by Chamber Orchestra under the Nicolas Bacri, Krassimir Taskov’s baton of Plamen Djurov. Dream for Cello and Piano; Geor- Milko Kolarov’s latest Para- gi Arnaudov’s song cycle Whisper- phrase, concertante for piano ing Along (lyrics by Peyo Yavorov); and orchestra having its world Martin Georgiev’s London Songs; premiere at the festival, sound- Kiril Lambov’s three pieces for ed as a recapitulation, an intel- four pianos and string orchestra lectual anthology, and a journey among others. This year’s edition across time. The piece was quite 9 affective, bringing intimacy, mel- championship, through the en- ancholy, narrative, and memories lightening mission and the inces- into focus; perfect in terms of sant effort to draw a distinction the course of time, of aesthetics, between high art and claptrap. being a symbiosis of styles, tech- The initially proclaimed identity niques and contrasts. ‘Harmoni- of the festivities to