Episode 07: Valentina Seferinova

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Valentina Seferinova is an award-winning Bulgarian concert pianist, recording artist and teacher both at the University of Southampton and Havant & South Downs College. She was hailed as a young prodigy, giving her first concerto performance of Haydn's Concerto for Piano & Orchestra in D major at 12 years old.

She studied piano under Dr. Lubomir Dinoiov at the Bulgarian State Conservatory. She is also a frequent artist on Bulgarian National Radio and Television, building a reputation from her interpretations of Romantic music. This led to a 1999 invitation to give an annual anniversary recital, with pianist Emilia Mihaylova, at the Claude Debussy House in St Germain-en-Laye.

She was subsequently invited to perform at the International Rachmaninoff Society, giving a total of four performances there - one of them was in London in the presence of two of Rachmaninoff's great-grandchildren! I've had the pleasure of being under her musical guidance several times. One of the most memorable was working on Mozart's Concerto for two pianos in E flat major that was performed at Portsmouth Cathedral when I was still in Sixth Form college.

Timestamps:

(0:45) Piano as a career

(5:24) Musical analysis & Theory

(11:31) Demonstrating usefulness of analysis (Rachmaninoff Elegie)

(15:45) Pantcho Vladigerov National Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria

(19:09) Analysis & Theory Improving memory

(26:16) Attempts at composition

(30:28) Maturity in young artists

(34:54) Meeting French Composer, Corentin Boissier

(40:26) Playing contemporary works

(46:01) Discovering lesser-known composers

(53:02) Studying lesser-known contemporaries in musical history to influence mainstream perspective

(58:00) Future music projects

\\LINKS\\

Valentina Seferinova's website: https://valentinaseferinova.com/Home....

2021 CD collaboration with French composer, Corentin Boissier: https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...

\\MY SOCIALS\\

Instagram: @anthonycheng_photography & @fortepodcast

Twitter: @AnthonyKaChun

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Episode 08: Dan Mar-Molinero

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Episode 06: James Kirby