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Stefan Velkov Guitar Recital
2018-04-19

19 April 2018

Odeion

19:30

Bulgarian-born Stefan Velkov was introduced to music since earliest childhood. His official training in music theory, piano and guitar started at the age of seven.

Stefan received his first music degree as a guitar and light music performer from the Bulgarian State Conservatoire (later renamed to Bulgarian Academy of Music). At this stage (the late seventies of the 20th century) the guitar in Bulgaria was still regarded mostly as a light-music instrument. That is why it was included as a study subject only within the Light Music Department of the Conservatoire. The interest and the knowledge of the classical guitar was still at its infancy, but its popularity was growing fast. This made it necessary for the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture to make a historic decision: for the first time in Bulgarian music history, a decision was made to send a young Bulgarian guitarist to Germany to receive a proper music degree in classical guitar and to return to Bulgaria and introduce classical guitar as a subject at the Bulgarian Academy of Music.

After competing with all the most talented guitarists of the country, Stefan won the competition which enabled him to receive a master's degree in classical guitar from the Berliner Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler. He completed his studies in guitar, piano and composition with a special reward of the Hochshule as one of the five best students. During his studies he also won the competition for the best guitar composition.

During his studies abroad (1981 - 1988) Stefan met and had masterclasses with most of the best guitar professors and guitar maestros of our time: Maria-Livia Sao Marcos (Switzerland/ Brazil), Costas Cotsiolis (Greece), Dieter Kreidler (Germany) and Leo Brouwer (Cuba).

In 1986 he was appointed as the first classical guitar lecturer at the Bulgarian Academy of Music and chairperson of the guitar festivals and competitions. This was the time when his own active concert career began. Stefan's repertoire includes most of the great masterpieces ever written for this instrument, but he became more and more known for his own compositions for guitar which, according to critics, outshine the best known masterpieces created for classical guitar.

Stefan’s arrival in SA (1991), coincided with the search of the Free State Musicon for a qualified guitar lecturer in order to introduce the subject classical guitar as part of its music training programme. He was offered the position of senior guitar lecturer at the Musicon which he holds until present day. During this time he also taught at the University of the Free State (1992 - 1999).

Stefan has given concerts in Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, England and South Africa.

PROGRAMME

  • Velkov: Summer Dream
    From the golden heritage of the classical guitar:
    • Villa-Lobos: Prelude
  • Two Magnificent Arpeggios
    • Giuliani
    • Brower
  • Two Romantic Pieces:
    • Velkov: Serenade
    • Velkov: Adagio (The Magic Of Love)
  • Velkov: Bulgarian Suite for Guitar
    • I Bulgarian folk dance
    • II Bulgarian folk-singing
    • III Bulgarian folk dance in 7/8
    • IV Bulgarian folk-song
    • V Bulgarian folk dance in 9/8
  • Velkov: Tango
  • Velkov: Two Modern Dances
  • Velkov: The Wild Horse

ADMISSION

  • R120 (adults)
  • *R80 (pensioners)
  • *R70 (UFS staff)
  • *R50 (students, learners and block bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket or online at http://online.computicket.com/web/

*Please note that tickets for pensioners, students, learners and UFS staff can only be purchased at a Computicket outlet (Shoprite Checkers) or at the doors since a valid card or ID has to be presented to qualify for the above mentioned discount.

ENQUIRIES
Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504)


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ANDREY PISAREV piano recital

Friday, 14 November 2014

ODEION

19:30

 

In 1991, in the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, a young Russian pianist won the Grand Prize - which was the first time since 1956 that the Grand Prize had been awarded in this competition. It was won by Andrey Pisarev.  In 2006 the reviewer Gunilla Boström wrote in the Swedish newspaper Helsingborgs Dagblad: “In April 2004 I believed that Andrey Pisarev was the best pianist I have ever heard, and this opinion remains after his recital… The expression “World pianist” is not an exaggeration regarding him… “

 

Besides the Mozart Competition, Andrey Pisarev won 1st prize in the Rachmaninoff Piano Competition (Moscow, 1983) as well as 1st Prize in the UNISA TRANSNET International Piano Competition (1992).  The German newspaper Westdeutsche Algemeine Zeitung wrote about Andrey: “His performance cannot be forgotten. …The pianist presented such impressive music that is rarely heard.”

 

He began his musical education at the age of seven. In 1978 he moved to Moscow to study at the Music School and then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. He graduated in 1987 and received his MMus degree in 1989.

 

Andrey has already performed in of the most prestigious concert halls of the world and with the world’s best symphony orchestras such as the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, RAI Orchestra Milan, Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Both solo recitals and concerts with the orchestras were acclaimed by audience and critics in the USA, South and Central America, Europe, Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, besides all Russia. Critics wrote after his solo recital at one of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls (Gewandhaus, Leipzig): "… his thoroughly unquestionable and irreprehensible technical accomplishment and imaginative interpretations, which amply tell the story of the brilliant Lisztian piano in its epic moments, or that of Schumannesque intimist in the idyllic ones. His playing is remarkable for its composure as for its complete pianistic command. The faultless proportions, the air of rapt simplicity, the perfect sense of balance and phrase were often breathtaking."

 
Pisarev is professor of piano at the Moscow Conservatory and has held masterclasses in Japan, the USA, Yugoslavia, France and Brazil, to name but a few.

 

PROGRAMME

Mozart: Fantasie in D minor, K.397
Beethoven: Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Schumann: Novelette No 8 in F-sharp minor, Op. 21

Chopin: Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1

Chopin: 4 Scherzi

 

OSM INTERNATIONAL MASTERCLASS SERIES 2014

The OSM, in collaboration with ClassicSA, presents masterclasses with Andrey on Thursday afternoon, 13 November (14:00 – 18:00).  For enquiries or is you are interested in taking part, contact Ninette Pretorius (051 401 2504 / pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za)

 

ADMISSION

R130 (adults)

R90 (pensioners)

R70 (UFS staff)

R50 (students and learners)

R50 (group bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket.

 

ENQUIRIES

Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 – 401 2504)

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