“My idea on the festival was related to different contemporary arts with the usage of video, modern dance and music in an alternative and modern manner. Actually my brother Stefan Hadjiev was the one, who suggested the forum. I took the challenge, but under one condition: contemporary chamber music to be included. Violinist Elitsa Bogdanova joined us in terms of organization. I think we got along really well. Together we decided to name it 180°, i.e. we turned upside down the image of the audience on this genre. In the course of several months we prepared the program. As each concert is related to a certain topic, it was pretty hard to combine the respective work with the rest of the arts: video, dances and electronic sound and then with the performers.”

“The entire festival consists of three events and a workshop,” Alexander Hadjiev goes on to say. “We selected scenes, not typical for classical music in the concept. That was how we picked up the Dr. Long Church for the first concert on August 7. The theme there is related to the Mother Goose impressionist keyboard suite for four hands my Maurice Ravel. The stories of fairytale characters are told across the different parts of the suite. The interesting thing here is that we have a storyteller: actor Kamen Marin. On the same day there will be a workshop at the Kristal Garden, headed by Nikolay Tabakov, where designer’s lamps will be made. The concert spot will be decorated with them later.”

Alexander Hadjiev has graduated the Pina Bausch Theatre in Essen, Germany. In the university of world famous German ballet dancer Pina Bausch he met lots of very talented dancers. Thus he came up with the idea for each of the ballet dancers selected to record a video on a piece, played by the musicians at the respective concert. Veneta Neinska /piano/, Sarah Smith /clarinet/, Gergana Petrova /violin/ and Alexander Hadjiev /bassoon/ are only some of the talented names on the list. The performance will take place on August 8 – the second day of the festival, at the Storehouse – a place for innovative ideas.

On August 9 180° will continue at Fabrics 126. It will be the third and final evening, when the most alternative part of the program will be shown. The guests will see an experiment, which links acoustic with electronic art. That is why Alexander has invited his colleague from Ensemble Modern – sound designer Dominic Kleiknecht. He will perform along with the others a piece by Norwegian composer Åke Parmerud. Its sound is electronic and acoustic at the same time, coming out through 5 audio channels. The festival will end up with an improvisation, composed and performed by Alexander Hadjiev.

One can learn more on the event on www.180-degrees.org.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

The audio file contains the following compositions:

1.  Prelludio-Fantasia for cello and piano by Gaspar Cassado in the rendition of Stefan Hadjiev /cello/ and Martin Stoyanov /piano/:

2.  Meditation, Dimitar Nenov – Lili Ivanova

3.  Vetrove /Winds/ by Alexander Hadjiev