Nikolai Badinski (b. 1937) was born in Sofia, Bulgaria on 19 December 1937 and began violin lessons at the age of five. His attempts at composition also date from an early age (including an opera in which the orchestra consists of violins and percussion). He completed the Academy of Music, Sofia in 1961. From 1962 until 1976, he lived in East-Berlin, where he attended Masterclass for Composition at the Academy of Arts (1967-70). Also Masterclasses at the Acca¬de¬mia Musicale, Siena, Italy 1975 and 1976. Badinski founded and directed the Chamber Ensemble „G.F.Haendel“ and a String Quartet in East Germany and worked as composer, docent, soloist, concertmaster, special advisor for musical education. In 1976, he escaped to the West. Participated actively in the Darmstadt International Courses for New Music (working with Ligeti, Halffter, Stockhausen, Xenakis and Kagel) also giving lectures and several of his compositions were performed there. He has been guest professor at the Universities of Stockholm and Copenhagen, and lectured in several European countries, also visiting professor in Stanford University,USA. For many years he has worked intensively with various groups, seeking new ways to activate music listeners. He is a mem¬ber of International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) German Section, German Composer’s Union, International Haendel Society, International Richard Wagner Union and since 1983 Member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities in Paris. He is co founder of the ‚Initiative Neue Musik’ Berlin. Performances of his works and composer portraits of him had been broadcasts throughout Europe, the USA and Asia.
His works have been/are performed by ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, Symphony Orchestra of the Südwestfunk in Baden-Baden, the Philharmonic Octet Berlin, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Ural Philharmonic Orchestra Yekaterinburg, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Academica Salzburg, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Arditti Quartet London, the Choir of Radio France, Soloists Ensemble of the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Ens. L’instant donné Paris, Philharmonia Hungarica, the Nederland Vocaal Ensemble in Hilversum… He is author of articles, chiefly in contemporary music.
Badinski uses a richly varied palette of compositional devices in his music, without associating himself with any particular school, method or trend in composition. Among others in his works he stylises or changes (verfremdet) elements or micro-elements from Bulgarian and other Balkan folk music from various historical strata, as well as from sacred music. He sees in every folk music a rich source for research and inspiration. The composer’s musical creative work – above 230 pieces – also embraces new sound possibilities and their apperception, as seen for example, in his electroacoustic work „H2O (Water) Music“. Among his compositions are ballets, three violin concertos, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Concerto for Harpsichord „Omaggio a Bach“, „Klavieriada“ – Concerto for Piano and „Piano-orchestra“, First Amekdil (Symphony) with Soprano, Second Amekdil (Symphony)„AaAaN“, „Reflections of the Wisdom” for S., Bar., Choir and Orch., „The Intoxicated Bat”, „Seven Memorial Stones” (Requiem), etc.