Alexander Raytchev

His first tune, at six, was picked out on a toy harmonica. Born in Bulgaria in 1975, Raytchev studied from 1993 at Trossingen with Johannes van Beek and in Sofia with Jovtcho Krushev, and later in Hanover with Arie Vardi. Named musician of the year in Bulgaria, he appeared as soloist with the national orchestras. Since moving to Hamburg in 2005 the work has turned in another direction — multimedia programmes with the Hamburg Planetarium, music for theatre and film, and albums such as Seasons in which the piano is set against electronics. String quartet writing features in his subsequent EP Postclassicalelektro. He recorded Rachmaninov's Third Concerto with the Plovdiv Philharmonic under Nayden Todorov for the American Music Minus One series. Raytchev appeared as a piano soloist at the Thracia Summer Music Festival in Plovdiv in 1999 and 2000.