The main event of the project is scheduled to take place on 30 September at 6:00 p.m. at the Jules Pascin Cultural Centre, bringing together the exhibition "Reinhardt – Vladigerov: Mutual Influences and Projections" and a live Klezmer concert performed by Alexander and Konstantin Vladigerov.
Project Concept
The project combines the realization of two interconnected cultural events:
– the presentation of the exhibition
"Reinhardt – Vladigerov: Mutual Influences and Projections", which explores a significant period in the life and creative development of the great Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov (Pantcho Wladigeroff), focusing on his years of work in the theatres of Max Reinhardt in Berlin and Vienna;
– a romantic Klezmer concert performed by his descendants, the brothers Alexander and Konstantin Vladigerov, who continue the musical legacy of their grandfather through a contemporary artistic language.
Together, these two events create a dialogue between historical memory and contemporary creativity, demonstrating how cultural heritage is preserved, transformed, and passed on through generations.
The central theme of the project is love as the foundation of heritage—love for family and ancestry, love for artistic expression, and love for the cultural traditions that shape personal and collective identity.
Project Partners
The project will be realized with the exceptional support of the Pancho Vladigerov House Museum – State Cultural Institute, Sofia, as well as with the cooperation and participation of brothers Konstantin and Alexander Vladigerov.
Exhibition Presentation
"Reinhardt – Vladigerov: Mutual Influences and Projections"
About Pancho Vladigerov:
Pancho Vladigerov was born on 13 March 1899 in Zurich, Switzerland. He spent his childhood in Shumen, Bulgaria, where his exceptional musical abilities became evident from an early age. His first public concert took place when he was seven years old, and at the age of ten he began composing his first musical works.
In 1912, Pancho and his twin brother Lyuben Vladigerov received a Bulgarian state scholarship to continue their education abroad. Together with their mother, Dr. Eliza Pasternak, they moved to Berlin, where Pancho created his first significant compositions.
His extraordinary talent was soon recognized by the European musical community. In 1918 and 1920, he was awarded the prestigious Mendelssohn Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts, becoming one of the youngest composers to receive this distinguished recognition.
Until 1932, Vladigerov lived and worked in Germany. During this period, far from his homeland, he created works that combined Bulgarian national elements with modern European musical language. His compositions, including "Vardar Rhapsody," "Bulgarian Suite," the First Violin Concerto, the Second Piano Concerto, and the Scandinavian Suite, were performed on major international concert stages and established his reputation as one of the most original voices in European music.
About the exhibition:
The exhibition presents lesser-known aspects of the creative biography of Pancho Vladigerov, revealing the early recognition of his extraordinary talent by the European intellectual and artistic community.
Through historical documents, musical manuscripts, theatre programmes, and visual materials, the exhibition explores the artistic dialogue between Vladigerov and the renowned theatre director and producer Max Reinhardt, placing their collaboration within the cultural context of Berlin and Sofia during the 1920s.
The exhibition highlights a period when European modernism, theatre, music, and visual arts were undergoing profound transformation, and when artistic exchange between countries created new forms of cultural expression.
The exhibition is unique in its approach, presenting this remarkable collaboration within the cultural context of Berlin and Sofia during the 1920s. The rise of fascism and the outbreak of war profoundly changed the lives and paths of both Reinhardt and Vladigerov—two artists of Jewish origin—causing many traces of their shared history to disappear and scattering much of the documentary evidence of their collaboration.
Exhibition Curators: Nadya Sotirova and Svetlana Avdala, Exhibition Design: Ivelina Velinova
Concert Presentation:
Klezmer Concert by the Wladigeroff Brothers (Vladigerov Brothers)
Klezmer music is one of the most distinctive and recognizable elements of the artistic identity of the Vladigerov Brothers—Alexander and Konstantin.
As grandsons of Pancho Vladigerov, they consciously explore and develop their Jewish heritage through their maternal family line, the Pasternak family. While their grandfather transformed these influences through the language of classical symphonic music, the twin brothers bring them into contemporary performance spaces, presenting them through an energetic, emotional, and expressive form of Klezmer jazz.
The music becomes a bridge between generations: from the Jewish musical traditions carried by their ancestors, through the classical European heritage of Pancho Vladigerov, to the contemporary world of jazz, improvisation, and global musical dialogue.
About Wladigeroff Brothers (Vladigerov Brothers):
Born on 17 August 1978 in Sofia, they are the grandsons of the legendary Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov (1899–1978) and the sons of composer and conductor Alexander Panchev Vladigerov and actress Velichka Chobanova-Vladigerova.
They grew up in a family with a rich musical tradition, which naturally shaped their early path toward professional artistic expression. They began their musical education at the Lyubomir Pipkov National School of Music in Sofia and later continued their studies at the prestigious University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, specializing in jazz and contemporary music.
Alexander Vladigerov is a virtuoso trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer, and arranger, while Konstantin Vladigerov is an outstanding pianist, clarinetist, composer, and arranger.
Together, they have developed a distinctive musical style in which classical traditions, jazz, Balkan rhythms, Bulgarian folklore, and world music meet in a unique artistic expression.
Their concerts are characterized by exceptional virtuosity, freedom of improvisation, and a profound emotional connection with audiences. Each performance becomes an unrepeatable musical experience, created through the dialogue between musicians and listeners.
Over the years, the Vladigerov Brothers have performed at prestigious concert halls and international festivals across Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and many other European countries. They have collaborated with leading jazz, classical, and symphonic musicians while developing numerous original artistic projects that reflect their distinctive musical identity.
Their most acclaimed albums include The Wanderer in Love, For the Greatest and Little Things, Dreaming of Dreams, Dedicated Sounds, and The Rag Waltz Time. These recordings feature original compositions inspired both by the rich musical legacy of the Vladigerov family and by contemporary musical trends, creating a unique dialogue between tradition and innovation.
A central place in their artistic work is dedicated to the legacy of their grandfather, Pancho Vladigerov. Rather than simply preserving his music, Alexander and Konstantin reinterpret it through a contemporary artistic language, building a bridge between tradition and modernity.
One of their most remarkable projects is the creation of live musical accompaniment for classic Charlie Chaplin silent films—a tribute to a tradition that Pancho Vladigerov himself embraced during the early twentieth century, when he improvised live music for silent film screenings in Berlin.
In this way, every screening becomes a unique artistic event in which music is created in real time, responding spontaneously to the emotions, rhythm, and dramatic action unfolding on screen.
Today, the Vladigerov Brothers are among the most successful Bulgarian musicians on the international stage. Through their extraordinary musicianship, creative freedom, and deep respect for their family's artistic heritage, they continue the legacy of one of Bulgaria's most distinguished musical dynasties, demonstrating that music transcends borders and possesses the power to connect generations, cultures, and historical eras.