The program the Big Band of the Bulgarian National Radio is to present in the next months is new, exciting and even a little bit unexpected. The first appearance of the band on stage will be during the concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the media. In the National Palace of Culture in Sofia guests will hear a work created for all the bands of the BNR. We learn more about the upcoming concert from conductor Antony Donchev:

“We are part of a bigger program that includes our colleagues from other bands in the radio. We have prepared three specially selected titles. The first is Birdland by Joe Zawinul - one of the landmark jazz works for the past decades. We are also to perform “Mish Mash” – a piece I wrote, which became very popular some time ago. In order to recall the name of Vili Kazasyan - the longtime conductor of the orchestra, we decided to include his song "Detstvo Moe," performed together with the Radio Children Choir.”

In February there will be a concert including works by Maria Schneider. Composer, arranger and conductor of large jazz orchestras, she has won several Grammy awards and is one of the biggest names in world music history. In 1994 she presented the program “Evanescence.” This title is related to the very nature of music, Antony Donchev says. Music is here and now as some perform and others listen to it.  After that it flies away. “I called the concert 21 Years Evanescence. We are the first musicians in Bulgaria who present this beautiful, exciting and complex music. We have also invited Yildiz Ibrahimova and a trio from Turkey to perform in mid-March. In April, there will be a big surprise for the audience, but I will not reveal everything and will just tell you that world-famous names will be soloists of the Big Band.”

It is no secret that in recent years the Big Band of the Radio has been joined by a number of young musicians. Their average age is 35 years and most of them take part in other bands and have their own projects that they present in Bulgaria and abroad. Conductor Antoni Donchev also continues his active career of jazz pianist and composer. A few days ago he paid a visit to Vienna in order to perform in a program dedicated to great Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, called "Mussorgsky Dis-Covered". Anthony Donchev will be performing with Arkady Shilkloper (horn), Staatsoper star mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Kulman, as well as two Austrian musicians – Tscho Theissing (violin) and Georg Breinschmid (bass).

“Anything is possible when it is properly planned. I learned that during the time I was a free artist - until 2011, when I took over the leadership of this wonderful orchestra,” Antoni Donchev says. “Working in different formations gives experience to the musician. The Big Band includes some of the best jazz musicians of Bulgaria. Their presence is an honor for any professional band. When you combine the energy of such talented performers, things turn out great.”

English: Alexander Markov