Bulgarian Folklore Meets Cuban Jazz in New Project of Cuban Pianist Roberto Fonseca
NW 15:02:31 18-05-2021
LN1502NW.117
117 CULTURE - BULGARIA - FOLK MUSIC - CUBAN JAZZ -ROBERTO FONSECA
Bulgarian Folklore Meets Cuban Jazz in
New Project of Cuban Pianist
Roberto Fonseca
Sofia, May 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian folk music meets Cuban jazz in the new project of world-famous Cuban piano player Roberto Fonseca. Fonseca is coming to Sofia in July to premiere the project in concert.
Entitled "Beyond the Notes", the project is a collaboration with the Grammy-winning women's choir New Bulgarian Voices.
"It will be terrific," says Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus, which are the project's producers together with Montuno Productions. Her company already has experience with producing such collaborative projects. One of them, Estruna, of flamenco singer Arcangel and the New Bulgarian Voices choir, won a Latin Grammy for best flamenco album in 2018.
Borissova told BTA that Fonseca has long wanted to do something with Bulgarian folk music. He has already been in Bulgaria four times, first playing for the Sofia gig of the legendary Ibrahim Ferrer in 2004. Fonseca was immediately captivated by the Bulgarian folk rhythm and wrote a piece he entitled "Bulgarian" right after his second time here - and first as a lead musician.
At his previous concert here, at Sofia Live Club in 2018, the pianist had in the audience the conductor of the New Bulgarian Voices choir, Georgi Petkov, and some of the choir singers. There Fonseca made a promise to be back only after he has composed more Bulgaria-inspired pieces.
Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus says they felt that as a pledge they needed to work to materialize.
"Beyond the Notes" is still in the pipeline. Two pieces of it premiered online in December 2020. Borissova says that work was difficult in 2020 because it was impossible to bring together the musicians and everything was done online.
Fonseca and New Bulgarian Voices will be meeting for the first time in person, post-pandemic, this summer when he comes for the Sofia stint on July 8.
Fonseca is bringing to Bulgaria with him drummer Raul Herrera and longtime double bass player Yandy Martinez-Rodriguez.
Created in the New Bulgarian University (NBU), the New Bulgarian Voices choir is composed of current and former NBU students who studied Bulgarian folk singing under the guidance of Nelka Petkova. All singers are also members of NBU's Folk Jazz Band. The choir was established and is conducted by Petkov, a professor in NBU's Music Department.
The concert in Sofia will feature a new vocal arrangement by Petkov of Fonseca's first Bulgaria piece, "Bulgarian".
Having seen Petkov's notation, the Cuban pianist reportedly said it convinced him of the existence of God.
The project in Sofia is implemented with financial support from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.
Tickets for the July 8 concert are on sale online. LN/ZH
//
LN1502NW.117
117 CULTURE - BULGARIA - FOLK MUSIC - CUBAN JAZZ -ROBERTO FONSECA
Bulgarian Folklore Meets Cuban Jazz in
New Project of Cuban Pianist
Roberto Fonseca
Sofia, May 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian folk music meets Cuban jazz in the new project of world-famous Cuban piano player Roberto Fonseca. Fonseca is coming to Sofia in July to premiere the project in concert.
Entitled "Beyond the Notes", the project is a collaboration with the Grammy-winning women's choir New Bulgarian Voices.
"It will be terrific," says Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus, which are the project's producers together with Montuno Productions. Her company already has experience with producing such collaborative projects. One of them, Estruna, of flamenco singer Arcangel and the New Bulgarian Voices choir, won a Latin Grammy for best flamenco album in 2018.
Borissova told BTA that Fonseca has long wanted to do something with Bulgarian folk music. He has already been in Bulgaria four times, first playing for the Sofia gig of the legendary Ibrahim Ferrer in 2004. Fonseca was immediately captivated by the Bulgarian folk rhythm and wrote a piece he entitled "Bulgarian" right after his second time here - and first as a lead musician.
At his previous concert here, at Sofia Live Club in 2018, the pianist had in the audience the conductor of the New Bulgarian Voices choir, Georgi Petkov, and some of the choir singers. There Fonseca made a promise to be back only after he has composed more Bulgaria-inspired pieces.
Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus says they felt that as a pledge they needed to work to materialize.
"Beyond the Notes" is still in the pipeline. Two pieces of it premiered online in December 2020. Borissova says that work was difficult in 2020 because it was impossible to bring together the musicians and everything was done online.
Fonseca and New Bulgarian Voices will be meeting for the first time in person, post-pandemic, this summer when he comes for the Sofia stint on July 8.
Fonseca is bringing to Bulgaria with him drummer Raul Herrera and longtime double bass player Yandy Martinez-Rodriguez.
Created in the New Bulgarian University (NBU), the New Bulgarian Voices choir is composed of current and former NBU students who studied Bulgarian folk singing under the guidance of Nelka Petkova. All singers are also members of NBU's Folk Jazz Band. The choir was established and is conducted by Petkov, a professor in NBU's Music Department.
The concert in Sofia will feature a new vocal arrangement by Petkov of Fonseca's first Bulgaria piece, "Bulgarian".
Having seen Petkov's notation, the Cuban pianist reportedly said it convinced him of the existence of God.
The project in Sofia is implemented with financial support from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.
Tickets for the July 8 concert are on sale online. LN/ZH
//
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