The Piano Extravaganza Festival is one of the most exquisite music events in the Bulgarian capital. The programming of the forthcoming 10^th edition has undergone some changes, but in the current situation this is inevitable. Due to the unstable situation, the organizers have decided not to hold the traditional Open Day to prevent crowds.

There are eight concerts in the program, two of them in a chamber hall. What they have in common is the participation of pianist Lyudmil Angelov, artistic director of the event. On October 2, when the opening takes place, the audience will have the opportunity to hear Schumann’s vocal cycle "The Poet's Love" - one of the iconic works not only in the composer's work, but also for the whole era of Romanticism as a creative direction. The vocal part will be performed by the tenor Bülent Bezdüz from Turkey – one of the three foreign participants in the festival.

There will be a chamber concert on October 4^th, when famous Bulgarian violinist Mincho Minchev and Lyudmil Angelov will play together for the first time.

One of the ideas of the festival is to support the new generation of performers. This year the representative of the young talents is Maria-Desislava Stoycheva with a concert on October 13^th .

A piano recital by the Russian pianist Sergei Redkin is also planned for October 14^th .

At the very inception of the festival one of its main tasks was stated to be the promotion of piano works of high artistic value by composers who have not gained popularity or have remained in the shadow of already established names. A similar example is the work of Prof. Andrey Stoyanov (brother of the composer Veselin Stoyanov), known primarily for his huge contribution to piano instruction in Bulgaria. Little-known piano works of Andrey Stoyanov will be performed by Prof. Rostislav Yovchev in a concert on October 10^th.

The program line called "Continuity" continues, in which Piano Extravaganza presents teachers and students, affirming the integral connection between them. Three concerts are planned – of the famous Bulgarian pedagogue and pianist Rada Chomakova (October 6^th), of Prof. Antonio di Cristofano from Italy (October 21^st), and of their students (October 9^th).

The festival concerts will be held in several venues in Sofia, including the Sofia City Gallery, Bulgaria Chamber Hall and the Pancho Vladigerov National Music Academy.

Photos: piano-extravaganza.com, private library, Facebook /Antonio di Cristofano