Richard Clayderman: I owe everything to music and I've been on the road since I was 20, and now I've spent a whole year in the same country
The performances of the famous pianist on 29 and 31 May are eagerly awaited in Plovdiv and Sofia

Like many artists around the world, his life changed significantly because of Covid 19. Richard Clayderman, one of the most famous pianists of the last few decades, spent much of his life on stage, but the circumstances surrounding the global pandemic inevitably affected his intense concert schedule. The legendary musician tells about his daily life during the past months of restrictions. "I owe everything to the music and I've been on the road since I was 20 years old. It had never happened to me before to spend more than 3 weeks in France, and now I have stayed in the same country for a whole year ", says the musician with a smile.

Richard Clayderman arrives in Bulgaria for two concerts in front of the Bulgarian audience with the participation of the Classic FM Radio Orchestra. The virtuoso of the keys will visit for the first time in Plovdiv on 29 May at 20:00 h. in the "Kolodrum" hall, and the concert is realized with the financial support of the Municipality of Plovdiv. Richard Clayderman's second performance will take place on 31 May at 8 pm in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

For the concerts in both cities, a special grand piano with a length of 275 cm (9 feet) will be provided, according to the requirements of the artist. The magnificent instrument from the renowned brand Steingraeber & Söhne is brand new and will be delivered days before the events in Vienna.

Richard Clayderman first appeared on the Bulgarian stage in 2000. So far he has given a total of 14 concerts in Bulgaria - 8 in Sofia, 4 in Varna and one in Ruse and one in Veliko Tarnovo. In 2018, the documentary "Playing Adeline" was shot in Bulgaria, shot by a BNT team, in which the musician tells about his journey to the big stage and the price of success.

The artist shares about his life during the lockdown. "Like most people in the world, I watched a lot of television and too often newscasts discussed the coronavirus, the situation in hospitals, the vaccines, everyone was just talking about Covid." But the famous artist feels lucky that he can indulge in playing every day for hours without following the busy schedule of the tours. It is the piano that helps him overcome the initial stress surrounding the spread of the infection. His other main interests are the movies, books and training. "I was able to watch movies I hadn't had time for before, I listened to albums I never had time to listen to. So for a while, it was quite useful for me to be limited, because I was able to do things that my schedule wouldn't allow me to do. I spent a lot of time reading. I like to read biographies of famous musicians, actors, singers, TV presenters. I also used my cross trainer for training to stay in good physical shape."

Meetings with close people, which he can do after months of strict restrictions, are also very emotional for the performer. "When we were allowed to go out of Paris, I visited my mother at her home, which is about 100 km away. Usually, this is quite difficult for me as I am very busy. Now I was very happy to be able to talk to her and see her. During these months, I visited her as often as possible." said the pianist.

Richard Clayderman has been enjoying his pet for almost a year now. "My wife and I really wanted to have a cat. We took her last July and decided to name her Villanel. So, now this cat is close to me every time I play the piano. Sometimes it gets on the piano, on the keyboard or on the music stand. I think she likes living with my piano, with my performances. At the moment, she is my best audience" laughs the artist.

Clayderman actively used his time to prepare new plays and arrangements. He made his piano version of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers, as well as the famous Radetzky March by Johann Strauss. The singer is preparing new editions of some of his biggest hits - "Ballad of Adeline" and "Memories of Childhood", which the Bulgarian audience will be able to hear at the upcoming concerts. The pianist also made recordings to be released on CD in November 2021. "We all had to wear masks in the studio, but it's still a way to protect our health," says the famous musician.

Tickets for the two concerts of Richard Clayderman are available for online sale on TicketsBG.com, and Epay Go - links to Sofia and Plovdiv. The sale of the box office for Sofia is in the Ticket Center of the National Palace of Culture, and in Plovdiv - in the Ticket Center on Stefan Stambolov Square №1 (in front of Plovdiv Municipality), ticket office of the Ancient Theater, 2 Tsar Ivaylo Street and in Tourist Information Center, 1 Rayko Daskalov Str. (On Roman Stadium Square), as well as at the venue on the day of the concert.

About Cantus Firmus
Cantus Firmus AD is a leading Bulgarian music agency that organizes concerts and concert tours. It has existed since 1995, initially as part of Classic FM Radio. The agency is the creator and organizer of a large number of concerts and tours of Bulgarian and guest artists and ensembles, including Nigel Kennedy, Maxim Vengerov, Richard Clayderman, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Pinkas Zuckerman and many others.
www.cantusfirmusbg.com