The string quintet Wooden Elephant is coming to Bulgaria for two concerts as part of the new music season. After a performance in Sofia on September 11, the ensemble will present a musical program at the "Pomorie and Friends" festival on September 12. The visit is organized by the Sofia Art Institute.
The musicians are arriving in the country following their participation in the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. The ensemble includes Bulgarian cellist Stefan Hadjiev, a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. His stage partners are violist Ian Anderson, who is the author of the arrangements, violinists Aoife Ní Bhriain and Hulda Jónsdóttir, as well as double bassist Nikolai Matthews.
In Pomorie, the quintet will perform the project "Björk: Homogenic." The ensemble transforms the Icelandic singer's album of the same name into an entirely acoustic work, combining the energy of the original with the capabilities of string instruments. The program in Sofia also includes the piece "Electric Counterpoint" by Steve Reich, as well as an adaptation for string ensemble of the Radiohead album "Kid A."
According to the Sofia Art Institute, the visit offers the audience an opportunity to hear two distinct projects in which the musicians blur the lines between genres.