Award-winning Bulgarian-American Pianist ANI GOGOVA will be bringing her program "Fantasies, Fairytales & Nightmares" - music by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Medtner, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ligeti and Kostov to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Friday, January 27, 2017 at 8pm. Ms. Gogova, acclaimed for her innovative approach to classical music has been hailed for her "dazzling artistic presence" and "masterful poetic expression."
Her CD, "Fantasies, Fairytales & Nightmares," released in October 2014, showcases her mastery over many styles and captured critical acclaim for hypnotic playing and "project (ing) a special magic," and for its "incisive accuracy." Gary Lemco reviewing for Audiophile Audition said of her performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, "Gogova certainly impresses in her applications of the Moonlight Sonata, coloring chords and eliciting nuances from the usually formulatic second movement Allegretto. The Presto agitato announces in bold terms the dynamic authority Gogova provides when required, pungent yet eminently clear in line."
Gogova's program also includes rarely heard Fairy Tales by Nikolai Medtner. Medtner composed 38 Fairy Tales that were performed often in the programs presented by Rachmaninoff and Horowitz. She will also be showcasing music by the Bulgarian composer Georgi Kostov, his "Obsessive Motion," a work that was written in 1992 and premiered by Gogova at the New Bulgarian Music Festival in Sofia as well recorded by her for the Bulgarian National Radio. Georgi Kostov is former Dean of the Bulgarian Conservatory and Minister of Culture.
The program includes:
Robert Schumann: Phantasiest?cke/Fantasy Pieces, Op. 12
Nikolai Medtner: Two Fairy Tales
Dmitri Shostakovich: Fantastic Dances, Op. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata quasi una Fantasia in C-sharp minor, Op.27 No. 2 "Moonlight"
György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata
Johannes Brahms: Fantasies, Op. 116
Sergei Prokofiev: Suggestion Diabolique, Op. 4 No. 4
Georgi Kostov: "Obsessive Motion"
Tickets, priced at $35 are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800.
About Ani Gogova
The Bulgarian-American Pianist Ani Gogova's "dazzling artistic presence," "masterful poetic expression," "ravishing colors," and "virtuoso technique beyond reproach" have been captivating audiences around the world for almost two decades. Her career begun at a young age in her native Bulgaria where she won all major competitions including the prestigious National Music Competition "Svetoslav Obretenov". She has appeared in solo recitals and with orchestras in Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, England, Slovenia, Romania, Portugal, Macedonia, France, Canada and throughout the United States. She has been heard on the Bulgarian National Radio, FM Classical Radio, Interlochen Public Radio and WFMT Chicago. Ms. Gogova has been featured artist and presenter at numerous festivals and conferences including Figueira da Foz Festival, The College Music Society, European Piano Teachers Association, Apollonia Festival of the Arts, Sofia Music Weeks, World Piano Conference, Isidor Bajic International Piano Memorial, and New Bulgarian Music Festival.
Acclaimed for her innovative approach to classical music, Ani Gogova appears in more than 40 performances each season. Her cutting-edge collaborations with artists of other media such as photography, film, live animation, poetry, fashion, and dance create fresh and memorable classical experiences. Highlights of the 2016-17 season include performances at Carnegie Hall, at Chicago Cultural Center and PianoForte Series in Chicago, tour of the East and West coasts with a music/poetry show, recitals in Canada, and artist residencies in Italy and France.
An avid chamber musician, Gogova performs regularly in iAN&Ani Duo with Russian cellists Ian Maksin. Their performances have been featured on NPR's Worldview, Bulgarian National Radio, WFMT Chicago, TED Talks, and have been selected as Critics' by Time Out Chicago magazine and the Chicago Tribune. Their multimedia concert "Tango Obsession" was sold out for five consecutive nights at Chicago's Chopin Theatre. The duo is frequently invited to perform at the Chicago Cultural Center, Mostly Music in Chicago, Unity Temple Concert series in Oak Park, Northeastern Illinois University's Jewel Box Series, Live on WFMT from PianoForte Studios, Southwest Michigan Symphony Music Series, Atlantic Classical Orchestra's Chamber Music Series and others.
Ani Gogova is the Executive Director of Anima Productions. In this capacity, she has been in charge of numerous productions, most notably the world premiere recording of music for baritone and string quartet by Ricky Ian Gordon presented at Lincoln Center last season, as well as productions at the most prestigious concert halls in New York and Chicago including Carnegie Hall, Harris Theatre, and Old Town School for Folk Music featuring artists such as GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Barbara Frittoli, Metropolitan star Elizabeth Norberg Schultz, and world-music phenomenon Theodosii Spasov, to name a few. She has also co-produced several music films directed by Russian director Sergei Kvitko, most notably "Moments" featuring her on piano in collaboration with Lucas Segovia of the Joffrey Ballet and "Strings Detached" featuring iAN&Ani duo and ballerina Abigail Simon.
Ani Gogova resides in Chicago where she has been living since 2003 when she was appointed as the youngest faculty member at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In addition, from 2003 - 2008 she taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp. She also serves as a frequent teacher of master classes and as an adjudicator at national and international piano competitions.
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