Vassil Valchev

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Biography

   Graduate of the Sofia Musical School and the Bulgarian State Conservatory, speciality - violins. Leader of proffesional string quartet (1969 - 1990).

From 1969 to 1971 Vassil Valchev is the first violin player in  Plovdiv's stringed quartet "Orpheus", with which he realizes the first in Bulgaria integral performance of the stringed quartets of Beethoven. From 1973 to 1981 he is the first violin player of the stringed quartet "Valchev", with which he made concerts in Bulgaria and some foreign countries. From 1981 to 1991 he is the first violin polayer of the National stringed quartet of the Bulgarian National Radio.

He has specialization for one year in Vienna, in the class of Franz Samohil, in Budapest in the class of Vilmosh Tatrai and in Niza in the class of Josef Kalve. His international awards did not come much later after that.

During his quartet activity Vassil Valchev realizes several sound recordings to a vinyl plates and compact discs. Through all these recordings he plays his own made violins.

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 Awards

• Second Prize at the "Carlo Jachino" International Competition, Rome, 1974
• Third Prize at the "Leo Weiner" Competition, Budapest, 1978

   Since 1973 works parallelly as a violin maker. Studies violin-making with the Bulgarian violin-maker Ivan Metodiev and with French master Pier Gadjini (Nice, France).

   Since 1990 works only in the field of violin-making and establishes an own form for producing of string instruments.

   Famous musicians playing Mr. Vassil Valchev's instruments:

• Mr. Georgi Badev - a famous Bulgarian violist of the Orchestra of the Cologne Radio and a viola Professor in Dusseldorf
• Mrs. Vania Milanova - artist-violinist and professor in violin in London

   CD Recordings with Mr. Valchev's instruments:

   - CD 127, 1992, Borodin (string quartet)
   - CD 168, 1994, Dimitry Shostakovich (string quartet)
   - CD 172, 1995, Shubert, Brahms (viola and piano)
   GEGA NEU Ltd.

   Participant in the 8th International "Antonio Stradivari" Competition (1997 - Cremona, Italy)
   Participant in the 2nd International Competition "Ville de Paris" 1999

The famous violin player Vanya Milanova plays using instruments manufactured by Vassil Valchev

Vassil Valchev & Vanya Milanova

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Biography of Vanya Milanova

Living in London, Vanya Milanova plays with the major British orchestras, broadcasts for BBC and appears at the South Bank and many of our Music Festivals to great critical acclaim. The Daily Telegraph has called her a player of "magisterial confidence... a vital artist for whom problems seemed not to exist" whilst in the Times "A dazzling firework display thrown off by Vanya Milanova with nonchalant mastery... she can make music of anything she touches."

Each year Miss Milanova returns to her native Bulgaria to give masterclasses and to play at the major Festivals of the country.

In 1999 she received the "Freedom of the city" of her home town Razgrad. She also serves as a Jury member for various International Competitions including the "Tchaikovsky" in Moscow.

Reviews

"A dazzling firework display thrown of f by Vanya Milanova with nonchalent mastery... can make music of anything she touches."

The Times

"A vital artist for whom technical problems seemed not to exist."

Daily Telegraph

"This was magnificent Beethoven playing in which commitment, imagination and a heartwarming sense of enjoyment were served by a time of fine presence and carrying power."

The Strad

"Deep sensitivity and lovely tone. This was a performance of stature and refinement that give enormous pleasure."

Belfast Telegraph

"We were just amazed at Vanya Milanova's mastery. She has to total command of the bow, a brilliant technique, extremely fine intonation, perfect confidence."

Le Soir - Brussels

"Ms Milanova's playing of the Walton concerto was superb - brilliantly virtuoso, introspectively warm, attractively skittish in the Napolitana movement with harmonics accurately tuned in the finale."

The Irish Times

"Vanya Milanova and Einar Henning Smebye played Grieg's 3rd Sonata on such a high level as giving the composer completely new dimension."

Dagbladet - Oslo

"Here special inner tranquility and stability stunned us as did her maturity and profoundness. These qualities usually take a lifetime to achieve; Vanya Milanova has them now."

Narodna Kultura - Sofia

"Vanya Milanova give brilliant performances of the Tchaikovsky and Paganini concertos."

David Oistrakh - Pravda - Moscow

"Vanya Milanova's Mendelssohn  was sensationally good and her platform-presence very striking, she is a player of magisterial confidence."

Daily Telegraph