The second solo album of prof. Atanas Karafezliev is available for streaming and download on all major music platforms. The title chosen is a message of time travel in contemporary Bulgarian brass music. Exactly 22 years separate the performing artist's first album from his second, with many of the pieces, included in the new project, written during this period. 

Prof. Atanas Karafezliev is one of the most prominent Bulgarian brass players. His mission, which he has set himself since the beginning of his performing career in 1990, is to promote contemporary Bulgarian music for trombone and chamber ensembles at a national and international level and to encourage Bulgarian composers to turn their attention to the composing of new works for brass instruments and especially for trombone and their performance by colleagues from other European countries.

The repertoire in the album The Bulgarian Trombone. 22 Years Later has been carefully selected to present all the glory of the instrument's capabilities in a variety of compositional solo and chamber forms. The central piece in the album performed by Atanas Karafezliev and Aneliya Gospodinova is the Sonata for Trombone and Piano by Vasil Kazandzhiev - one of the very few prominent contemporary Bulgarian composers well known both in the country and in Europe. The Sonata is accompanied by 3 exquisite emotional miniatures: Nocturne, Episode, and Rondo – previously unperformed pieces for trombone and piano composed in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s by composers Dimitar Hinkov, Naiden Gerov, and Lili Lesichkova. The handwritten sheet music was discovered by Atanas Karafezliev, restored and edited by him into contemporary sheet music, which began their stage life through the album The Bulgarian Trombone. 22 Years Later and a new sheet music edition.

Krasimir Taskov‘s two short pieces Impression and Dance were composed in 2011. Their premiere is entrusted to A. Karafezliev for the author's jubilee concert in 2021. One can also hear the new interpretation of Pancho Vladigerov's virtuoso piece Foxtrot for two pianos in the arrangement for trombone and piano by prof. Atanas Atanasov. 

The trombone as a solo instrument is a rare guest on Bulgarian music stages despite its remarkable attractiveness. The piece that highlights its almost unlimited capabilities is the Sonata for solo trombone by Dimitar Tapkov included in the album. The three-part piece is among the most spectacular in contemporary Bulgarian music for brass instruments. 

The album The Bulgarian Trombone. 22 Years Later also offers listeners a glimpse into contemporary brass chamber music with the premiere of two pieces composed especially for the project: Scherzo 2.0 for 4 Trombones by prof. Filip Pavlov and Triptych for 5 Voices and Solo Trombone by Konstantin Beykov and Yanko Yankov. 

🎶 Scherzo 2.0 by prof. Pavlov is inspired by his Scherzo for 4 French Horns. It is a new piece with spectacular trombone techniques and the use of mutes for dynamic and timbre contrasts. All the parts in the record are performed by prof. Karafezliev. 

🎶 Triptych for 5 Voices and Solo Trombone was composed especially for the project by the youngest Konstantin Beykov and Yanko Yankov with the support of the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria. Human voices accompany the solo trombone in this unusual piece with ethno-jazz elements. It was recorded in collaboration with the Spectrum Vocal Band.

The repertoire of the album The Bulgarian Trombone. 22 Years Later promotes contemporary Bulgarian trombone music nationally and internationally with a focus on Northern Europe – the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the Baltics. The pieces included in the record demonstrate the unfolding capabilities of the trombone as a solo and chamber instrument in genre, style, and emotional diversity, attractive not only to a specialized but also to a significantly wider audience at home and abroad.

Album cover artwork by Svetozar Kolev - Pitkin