07 july 2025 "The Violin in the Cinema" Opens The Burgas Music Festival
The first event of the program of this year's Burgas Music Festival "Emil Chakarov" organized for the eighteenth time by the State Opera - Burgas and the Municipality of Burgas, is the concert "The Violin in the Cinema" - on July 10 at 8:30 p.m. on the stage of the Summer Theater - Burgas. Under the baton of the renowned maestro Yordan Dafov, who recently received an award from the Municipality of Burgas for his overall contribution to the development of the Bulgarian conducting school, the soloist Chavdar Valkov, concertmaster of the Pleven Philharmonic, together with the orchestra of the Burgas Opera, will give the audience of the Summer Theater of the seaside city the warm emotion of the past with beautiful film melodies, with the halo of classics. The artistic director of the State Opera - Burgas Yordan Dafov was also awarded the "Golden Age" award - a necklace of the Ministry of Culture. The talented and respected Bulgarian conductor is among the prominent figures honored for their contribution to the development of culture and the affirmation of national identity.
The project "The Violin in the Cinema", which has remarkable stage longevity, combines exciting melodies from unforgettable films that have earned a worthy place in the treasury of the Seventh Art. The audience at the Summer Theater will experience the impactful power of the messages of music. The emblematic leitmotifs from beloved film music will be aesthetically and emotionally synchronized with exciting shots from the films. In a magical synthesis of music and visual impact, scenes from favorite movie screens will alternate, touching the emotional world of those present in an inimitable way.
The trend observed in recent decades — for film music to take on the dimensions of modern classics — has brought worldwide popularity and prestigious Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe awards to composers Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer, Nigel Hess, John Williams and others.
The exciting musical film evening on July 10, united by the title "The Violin in the Cinema", as a harmonious and emotionally gradating suite, will feature music from the films: "The Red Violin", "Schindler's List", "The Mission", "The Godfather", "Gladiator", "Harry Potter", "Feelings of a Woman", "Mission Impossible", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Mask of Zorro", "Doomed Souls", "Artificial Intelligence", "The Patriot", "Angels & Demons", "Hawaii 05", "James Bond - Skyfall" - the soundtrack from the famous Agent 007 series, etc. There will also be a tease for the youngest viewers, and for all of us who grew up with the inimitable in its original fun Pinko, the Pink Panther - the music with a humorous-grotesque sound from the popular animated series will sound.
The audience at the Summer Theater on July 10 will once again see that the soloist Chavdar Valkov is an undisputed professional, able to recreate and convey to the audience the emotional charge of film music. And in harmony with the orchestral scores and skillfully selected and compiled multimedia, the violin solos and orchestral performances will sound even more emotionally and aesthetically supported. The concertmaster of the Burgas Opera Orchestra on July 10 will be Vanya Zlateva, who recently received an award for high achievements in the field of musical art from the Union of Musicians and Dancers in Bulgaria. The voice of the host Katya Bozhikova - behind the scenes, with her beautiful timbre and skillfully selected phrases, will be an emotional and meaningful addition to the musical program.
Here is what violinist Chavdar Valkov says about the upcoming concert:
"The concert "The Violin in the Cinema" had its 10th anniversary four years ago. With my colleagues from the Burgas Opera, we have performed over 10 concerts over the years in various Bulgarian cities. The violin is like a gathering instrument through which almost all film themes pass. In many of the films, the violin is the leading instrument in the soundtrack - for example, the emblematic theme from "Schindler's List" by John Williams, "Ladies in Purple" and others. The violin can recreate the emotions that occur on the screen - from the lyrical beginning to the bravura ending. The viewer can feel the amplitudes in the moods. The concert program is rich - there are twenty pieces that we will perform with the Burgas Opera Orchestra - from "The Red Violin", through "Gladiator", "Angels and Demons", the famous arrangement by John Williams from the film "Feelings of a Woman", to "Skyfall", which is a wonderful timbre melody. For the children we have prepared the theme from "The Pink Panther", there is something for everyone and I am sure that it will be an unforgettable evening outdoors under the stars at the Summer Theater in Burgas".
Tickets for the opera for the concert "The Violin in the Cinema" can be found at the box office of the Opera, at the box office of "Chasovnika" /in front of the "Bulgaria" hotel/, at the box office of the Summer Theater - after 6 pm, on the date of the event, as well as on the Eventim networks - https://www.eventim.bg/bg/bileti/cigulkata-v-kinoto-burgas-leten-teatr-673129/event.html, and Grabo - https://share.google/7b66ui3H1rRnmVnRL.
About the Burgas Music Festival "Emil Chakarov":
The Burgas Music Festival named after the world-famous Bulgarian conductor, originally from Burgas - Emil Chakarov, is a highlight in the rich summer cultural program of our seaside city. The summer music festival will be held for the eighteenth time this year by the State Opera - Burgas in partnership with the Municipality of Burgas.
The prize named after Maestro Emil Chakarov was established in 2011, and the first recipient of the award was Mincho Minchev - a violinist with a world-class career, whom the Mayor of the Municipality - Mr. Dimitar Nikolov, awarded with the high distinction "The Key to the Tower of Burgas" on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the great Bulgarian musician - during his concert with Lyudmil Angelov - a prominent Bulgarian pianist, in the hall of the Burgas Opera - in October 2020. In each of the years - so far, the "Emil Chakarov" award has been awarded to deserving individuals in the field of musical and performing arts. The last winner of the prestigious prize is the director of the National Musical Theater "Stefan Makedonski," Edelina Kaneva - a frequent and welcome guest on the stage of the Burgas Opera, with her memorable participation in operetta productions, musicals, concerts, and chamber performances. In the period 2019 - 2022, she was also a soloist at the Burgas Cultural Institute.
The first winner of the award is Mincho Minchev. In 2012, the award was presented to Rumen Tsonev, and in 2013 - to Alexander Tekeliev. The following winners of the prestigious award are: Nayden Todorov – 2014, Dimitar Ivanov – 2015, Georgi Spasov – 2016, Dimitar Momchilov – 2017, Kamen Chanev – 2018, Grigor Palikarov – 2019, Ivaylo Krinchev – 2020, in 2021 the award will not be awarded – due to the pandemic situation and a canceled concert, Kiril Manolov – 2022, Mario Nikolov – 2023, Edelina Kaneva – 2024.
This year's edition of the Burgas Music Festival "Emil Chakarov" 2025 will be opened on July 10 with the concert spectacle "The Violin in the Cinema" under the baton of maestro Yordan Dafov.
The festival program of "Emil Chakarov" includes emblematic titles: the opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet - on July 14, as the large-scale production will also be presented on the picturesque stage of the "Tsarevets" fortress - on July 18 of this year, within the framework of the "Stage of the Ages" festival; the ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" to music by P. I. Tchaikovsky - on July 28; Verdi's masterpiece "La Traviata" - on July 31, "Max and Moritz" and "Pinocchio" - for the children's audience - on August 5, the Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" - on August 13, and the most famous operetta title - "The Queen of Csárdas" - on August 19, "The Ballet at the Opera" - on September 2, and "Zarzuela - Fire and Passion" - on September 4, when the Burgas Music Festival'25 will officially close. There are also surprises ahead in the summer program of the Burgas Cultural Institute, which will certainly be an aesthetic bonus for fans of classical music in our seaside city, as well as for the city's guests.