CLASSIC IMPRO TRIO

Bringing together some of Europe’s most compelling musicians, the trio features Benjamin Schmid on violin, Antoni Donchev on piano, and Georg Breinschmid on double bass for the first time in Sofia at CULTURAMA.

Benjamin Schmid—one of the world’s leading classical violinists and a professor at the Mozarteum University Salzburg—is also an outstanding improviser and jazz performer. Antoni Donchev is a brilliant, versatile pianist, improviser, and composer, while Georg Breinschmid is a unique double-bass virtuoso and composer.

Their repertoire consists primarily of compositions by Breinschmid and Donchev, but also includes works by composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Fritz Kreisler, Kurt Weill, and others. The three musicians possess a remarkable ability to perform at the threshold between composed music and improvisation, creating a distinctive, original, fresh, and often playful musical language that draws audiences into an unforgettable journey.

“Familiar elements and fresh grooves flow seamlessly into one another; classical violin artistry gives way to inspired improvisation, while a jazz standard suddenly emerges as a perfectly crafted composition. Something musically ‘simple’ can possess extraordinary refinement, while something ‘complex’ becomes effortless and spontaneous.

Whether exploring the classical ideal of sound, a jazz groove, or an original composition, these three musicians—each of whom has already created a musical universe of his own—come together as a virtuoso triumvirate, displaying boundless playfulness within this harmonious blend.

Their repertoire is broad and guided by a single essential criterion: it must be good music that invites improvisation. Thus, compositions ranging from Breinschmid and Donchev to Bach, and from Grappelli to Weill, once again provide the expansive framework within which these three exceptional musicians improvise with remarkable melodic inventiveness.”