New British, French, Asian, Russian, Italian and a Bulgarian film, as well as the best from the off-Hollywood US production, documentaries and series on Barcelona and tango - all in the remaining two weeks of the annual Kinopanorama event. Venues include NDK, Lumiere Cinema, House of Cinema, Euro-Bulgarian Cultural Centre and Odeon. For the programme in English, go to programata.bg
How do you wind off on Fridays? The Czech Centre has an idea for this weekend’s start - a jazz gig. The band comprises a female vocalist and four more musicians playing the clarinet, the piano, banjo and tuba and the setting is superb - a brightly coloured and dimly lit space in the centre of town. Friday, 14 November, 9pm, Violet Salon, Czech Cultural Centre, 100 Rakovski St
If on the northern Black Sea shore, don’t miss this unusual exhibition in the town of Shabla. Participants include Reiner Ausserer, Stephan Soble, Gerhard Flora, Philipp Oberthaler, Karine Fauchard, Agnes Wächter, Michael Weidhofer, Andrea Witzmann, Nick Oberthaler, and Lazar Lyutakov. What does an Obraztsov dom mean and what do these artists have to do with it? Check it out.
16-22 August, Maritza 22 St, Shabla
The Merry Poppins, a band from Austria are playing at the International Bansko Jazz Festival next week. Hailing from Salzburg, the six musicians do a mixture of 50s cabaret and reggae, Balkans pop, hip-hop and jazz. Having sewed up the show at the EURO 08 opening, the band are staging two gigs in Bansko.
10 Aug 2008 5 pm Royal Towers Hotel
11 Aug 2008 9,30 pm Main stage, town square
For those of you interested in local art, the exhibit currently on display at the National Art Gallery, the former king’s palace, could catch you by surprise. Artist Dimitar “Neron” Kazakov (1933-1992), one of the few authors popular outside Bulgaria, is famous for his oil paintings, sketches and wood carvings besides his bitter irony and strong personality. However, at the end of his career he had to swap oils for clay due to his health condition. Hence a large collection of ceramics which he did in the summer of 1989 and later donated to a gallery in Lovech, northern Bulgaria. It’s the first time these works have been exhibited in Sofia.
Until 3 August at 1 Alexander Battenberg Sq.
Ani
The Descendance Aboriginal and Torres Straight Dance Theatre have postponed their shows in Bulgaria. The events scheduled for Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna on 20-22 June will not take place, the organisers say. No new dates have been specified either. VAGABOND reported on the Descendance tour in Bulgaria in its May issue.
Ani Ivanova
Dig deep house? Then tune in to Miguel Migs in Sofia’s Yalta Club. The house DJ from San Francisco, California, will play on 27 June. For more information, log on to: www.yaltaclub.com.
Yekaterina
Tchaikovsky’s first finished ballet, Swan Lake, is considered to be world’s most beloved romantic fable. Its making is wrapped up in mystery. One of the theories suggests that the libretto was written by Vladimir Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres during the 1880s. Enjoy Tchaikovsky’s glorious score in Sofia National Opera and Ballet on 7 June 2008. For more information, log on to: www.operasofia.bg.
Yekaterina
Enjoy genuine country & blues music? Then go see the first Bulgarian country & blues band „Lilly of the West“ performing live. Lili Drumeva, Rayko Pepelanov, Rosen Hristov, Mihail Barok and Roman Sikora have earned huge popularity at home and performed at numerous festivals in Europe and US since the band’s foundation in 1998. The country & blues quintet will perform on 11 May, at 16.00 pm, in the Tea House, located on 11 Benkovski St.
Why was Titanic dubbed unsinkable? What was the last song the ship orchestra played? Is Titanic going to stay on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean forever? You’ll find answers to these and many other questions if you visit “Titanic: From Drawing Board Till Today” exhibition in the Mall of Sofia. Organised by Мtel IMAX, the exhibition commemorates both the 96th anniversary of the world’s most famous sea catastrophe and premiere of James Cameron’s new documentary movie “The Mysteries of Titanic 3D”. Visitors of the exhibition will also be able to see the complete list of Bulgarian passengers on board of the famous ship. The exhibit is open till 30 May.
Yekaterina
