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"...this collection of works by the talented young composer Roumi Petrova is a real find and a very pleasant surprise...the native elements [of Bulgarian music] are wielded with a fine-tipped brush, and Petrova's own melodic turns, fluent balancing of lines and structural economy are very impressive...[In the Passacaglia] Ivanov brings a finely differentiated array of expression to this music...Ivanov produces a big, rich tone, his idiomatic fruity timbre and astringent edge bringing exciting bravura to the tearaway coda...[In the Sonata No.1] Petrova displays deft and inventive writing for piano as well as cello...[The central movement] is compelling and beautifully crafted, artfully blending the folk essence and elegaic inspiration...Ivanov's dark, rich timbre is eminently well-suited to the dirge-like expression...[the coda is] magnificently played by Ivanov and Antimova...[The lullaby of the Second Sonata is] played with utmost tenderness...Possibly the most impressive work here is the Five Bulgarian Portraits. The number of memorable works written in recent years for solo cello is not expansive, but Petrova's delightful, ear-catching miniatures deserve to be added to that concise canon, gratefully written for the instrument and hugely communicative...Cellists looking for new recital material are strongly urged to investigate these new works, as are all with open ears who will find in Roumi Petrova an intriguing, distinctive and greatly gifted new voice on the music scene." - Gramophone, Awards Issue 2006

"Petrova ... demonstrates in her music her strong connection with the Bulgarian folk songs and rhythms of her home country. She is a friend of fellow Bulgarian cellist Ivanov and has written these works for him. The folk flavor is a major part of these pieces and though exotic in both melodic construction and rhythms, it is tonal and accessible music.  Pianist Antimova is also Bulgarian and the combined artistry of the three musicians results in some heartfelt exploration of the Bulgarian musical soul."
Audiophile Audition - March 2007

"...[a] most pleasant program...Petrova's music has a very natural sound, incorporating folk styles from her native country in a lively way...Ivanov and Antimova seem to be enjoying themselves very much and so did I"
American Record Guide - November/December 2006

"...the Adagio [from the Passacaglia] possesses a soulful legato line, played with singing tone by Ivanov...The first sonata starts with an opening movement...that has a palpable sense of flow about it, the thematic material affording richly sonorous playing from Ivanov. [In the slow movement] Petrova affords many opportunities for introspection to both instrumental parts: the cello contrasts nobility and pride with enigmatic pianissimo playing; the piano underlines the movement’s character by intoning repeated chords akin to a peal of bells...there is much to recommend the incisive playing of Elena Antimova...[In the second sonata] Ivanov [provides] bouncy and fleetingly inflected playing, spurred on by Antimova..."
MusicWeb International, October 2006

Bulgarian born ELENA ANTIMOVA began playing the piano at age of four, and gave her first solo recital at age of six. She has received honors from several national competitions, and was the Special Prize winner at the First National Piano Competition for Contemporary American Music. She studied piano at the Tanglewood Institute, and performed with the Young Artists Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival. As a solo and chamber musician, she gave performances at Weill Hall, Klavierhaus, National Arts Club and CAMI Hall. She studied with Gilbert Kalish among others, and her performances have been broadcast on radio and television, both in the United States and abroad.