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Plamena Nikitassova (Violin)

Born: October 14, 1975 - Varna, Bulgaria

The Bulgarian violinist, Plamena Nikitassova, won at 16 years old a music scholarship that she spent in Switzerland. She then studied classical violin with M. Karafilova Piguet at the music high school of Geneva and with Professor M. Frischenschlager at the music high school of Vienna. She obtained her teaching and soloist diploma in 1999 in Geneva, with distinction, and then played in concerts within the romantic repertoire. She performed as a soloist and chamber musician at festivals in Leipzig, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Innsbruck and Paris. In 1999, she was honored with the coveted "Leenhards Foundation" award in Lausanne. After meeting the violinist Jaap Schröder (Amsterdam), she turned to early music and started studies in Renaissance and Baroque violin with Chiara Banchini at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, which she completed in 2005.

Since then, concerts and recordings have been leading Plamena Nikitassova to the scenes and podiums of the largest metropoles in Europe. As a duo partner, she performs concerts with the harpsichordist Thomas Leiniger, the organist Jörg-Andreas Bötticher and the French harpsichordist and pianist Aline Zylberajch. Her CD recordings, with "Violin sonatas by C. Zuccari" 2014 (Diapason d’Or Découverte), "Violin sonatas by Gaspard Fritz 1747" 2016 , "Violin sonatas by L.v. Beethoven, M. Ravel, C. Debussy" 2016 , "The Violin’s Delight - a garden of pleasure" 2017, as well as "Mozart und seine Zeitgenossen" 2018 were highly praised by the public and the press. Recently, was published "Johann Paul von Westhoff, suites for solo violin" 2020 (Diapason D'or) the most recent CD of the violinist, which reflects her particular interest in the - nowadays too little practiced - historical way of playing the violin (the so-called "low hold" of the instrument, which rests on the chest). Many new facets of the sound and expression palette are thus enabled, expressly supported and emphasized by the "thumb under" grip of the bow (thumb on the bow hair surface).

As concert master, Plamena Nikitassova played from 2009 to 2017 with the Orchester der J.S. Bach-Stiftung St. Gallen (Director: Rudolf Lutz), with whom she recorded about 40 cantatas as well as the Mass in B minor (BWV 232) by J.S. Bach. As of 2018, she also played/directed various ensembles in France and Germany, amongst others the Freiburger Barockorchester and La Pedrina.

Plamena Nikitassova relates to Eastern European folk music, which can express joy of life as well as melancholy, with passion, due to the connection with her own roots. She is also committed to the chamber music of the 20th century, which also belongs to the violinist’s repertoire focuses, alongside the works of the old classic and romantic styles.

Plamena Nikitassova plays on a violin of original scale by Sebastian Klotz (Mittenwald approx.1730) and one in a modern state by Pierre Dalphin (Geneva 1992). She currently lives in Basel, Switzerland.


Sources:
Plamena Nikitassova Website & Facebook profile
Contributed by
Aryeh Oron (February 2022)

Plamena Nikitassova: Short Biography | Bach Discography: Recordings of Instrumental Works

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Rudolf Lutz

Violin

Member of Orchester der J.S. Bach-Stiftung St. Gallen
[D-25] (2009, DVD)/ Bachkantaten N°2 [CD]: BWV 34
[D-29] (2009, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°5 [CD]: BWV 180
[D-32] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°24/CD]: BWV 156
[D-34] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°3 [CD]: BWV 1
[D-35] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°13 [CD]: BWV 103
[D-36] (2010, DVD): BWV 184
[D-37] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°14 [CD]: BWV 93
[D-38] (2010, DVD): BWV 137
[D-39] (2010, DVD): BWV 138
[D-40] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°23 [CD]: BWV 109
[D-41] (2010, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°19 [CD]: BWV 90
[D-47] (2011, DVD): BWV 108
[D-48] (2011, DVD): BWV 173
[D-49] (2011, DVD): BWV 136
[D-50] (2011, DVD): Bach im Fluss
[D-58] (2012, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°27 [CD]: BWV 59
[D-61] (2012, DVD): BWV 188
[D-65] (2013, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°15 [CD]: BWV 168
[D-67] (2013, DVD): BWV 12
[D-69] (2013, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°11 [CD]: BWV 170
[D-71] (2013, DVD)/Bach-Kantaten N°35 [CD]: BWV 47
[D-73] (2013, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°12 [CD]: BWV 70
[D-75] (2014, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°13 [CD]: BWV 13
[D-77] (2014, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°16 [CD]: BWV 9
[D-79] (2014, DVD): BWV 86
[D-81] (2014, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°26 [CD]: BWV 94
[D-83] (2014, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°22 [CD]: BWV 56
[D-85] (2014, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°20 [CD]: BWV 121
[D-86] (2015, DVD): BWV 58
[D-89] (2015, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°16 [CD]: BWV 158
[D-91] (2015, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°16 [CD]: BWV 30
[D-93] (2015, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°22 [CD]: BWV 95
[D-95] (2015, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°18 [CD]: BWV 116\
[D-97] (2016, DVD)/Bach-Kantaten N°34 [CD]: BWV 92
[D-99] (2016, DVD)/Bach-Kantaten N°34 [CD]: BWV 46
[D-102] (2016, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°21 [CD]: BWV 80
[D-104] (2016, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°29 [CD]: BWV 115
[D-106] (2016, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°25 [CD]: BWV 91
[D11-2] (2017, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°24 [CD]: BWV 127
[D11-4] (2017, DVD)/Bachkantaten N°21 [CD]: BWV 79
[V-2] (2016, 2-CD): BWV 232

Francesco Saverio Pedrini

Violin

Member of La Pedrina:
[BKO-3] (2018, Video): BWV 76

Links to other Sites

Plamena Nikitassova (Official Website) [German/English]
Pamela Nikitassova on Facebook


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Last update: Tuesday, February 08, 2022 06:03