Ivan Yanakov is one of the most famous Bulgarian pianists with a brilliant international career, awarded many times for his talented performances. He has played in over 30 countries and performed in the most prestigious concert halls around the world. He was a soloist in several Bulgarian orchestras, led master classes for teenagers and co-founded the "Four Pianists" project.
In an exclusive interview with Palms Music production company, which supports his activities, Yanakov talks about the last recordings he made around the world, as well as about the albums that are about to be released.
- Will you share what you have planned for classical music fans shortly?
Ivan Yanakov: Very soon, on September 13th, an album will be released, which includes recordings of works by Caesar Frank, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Joseph Haydn. Their recording took place last year in the Netherlands.
Especially for our audience, before the release of the album we have planned to release three singles from it. The first single will be released on July 19th and will feature a Prelude, Fugue and Variation by Caesar Frank. The second single will be released on August 2nd and will feature one of the variations on Rachmaninov's Corelli theme. The third single will be released on August 23rd and will feature the third movement of Haydn's Piano Sonata in A flat major. It is important to add that the Rachmaninoff and Haydn singles will also have video clips. They will be available to watch on my YouTube channel.
- Tell us about your new album. What inspired you to include these particular works in it?
Ivan Yanakov: Usually, artists and musicians find it difficult to recreate their inspirations in words, because they are connected with feelings and aspirations. The three works featured on the album are lyrical and carry contrasting moods that reflect the different periods in which they were written. They are part of my current concert repertoire and the decision to include them in the new album was easy.
- What was the most interesting in the process of work during the recording of the album?
Ivan Yanakov: The recording was made in August 2023 in Hilversum, the Netherlands. The hall in which we performed the project was specially built for classical music recordings. It is large and has all kinds of acoustic applications on the walls – spirals, sails, resonators, and hanging resonating ladders.
The feeling of recording there was different compared to the feeling I get from recording in other studios, as there was resonance but no echo. The resonance could be heard from across the vast room. In other similar halls, the sound is usually "dead" and so resonance is added when processing the recording. There, the acoustics were natural and did not need any additions when finalizing the recording.
The grand piano I played was a special one by the Italian company Fazioli. While the standard lengths of concert grand pianos are between 278 and 288 centimetres, this one was 308, which contributed to a deeper bass and resonant overtones to the sound.
- Tell us a little more about the team of professionals behind this album.
Ivan Yanakov: The team was specially selected. Produced by Michael Fine, former vice president of Deutsche Grammophon and winner of the Grammy Award for Best Music Producer. He was literally the director of the recording. He guided me on the clarity and technical accuracy of the performance, listened for extraneous noises, and then edited and finalized the entire album. With him, there was also a sound engineer, a music editor and an accordionist who was always on hand to tune the grand piano.
The partner who supported me for the whole project is Palms Music. We have completed many projects with the production house in the last three years. In most of my musical projects, I have been helped by them.
- How and where can classical music fans listen to the upcoming album?
Ivan Yanakov: The album will be available on digital platforms and can be heard mostly online. And because there are still enthusiasts who prefer to hold physical copies of albums in their hands and listen to them on their dedicated high-quality audio systems, we've also envisioned a CD series that will be sold in the biggest music stores of all continents.
- What is your message to the listeners?
Ivan Yanakov: In short, I hope the listeners will listen to the recordings and enjoy them, as I enjoyed them during their creation. | BGNES
