The proposed book is the first monograph devoted to the music of the composer Bojidar Spassov - one of the most prominent Bulgarian artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It was this paradoxical, multinational and multicultural phenomenon, taking shape in three geographical areas and three national cultures that inspired me to write it: the Bulgarian, where Spassov grew up - the Russian, where his professional personality was formed; and the Western European, where he found his own way among the countless aesthetic and compositional trends. The title of the research work “Bojidar Spassov’s Musical Creation as a Reflexion of the Eastern and Western European Traditions” intends to present his oeuvre in the ‘double-double’ perspective: of the Eastern and Western European musical traditions, on the one hand, and of the Bulgarian musical culture and the New Music in general, on the other hand. This study is also the first attempt to shed light on a culture little known to English readers - contemporary Bulgarian music. It is presented in the context of the political history of the country, as well as of the other cultures of the Balkans: these are some of the new insights offered by the book. There is so far no other research in English investigating the oppressive atmosphere in which the Bulgarian New Music, parallel to the avant-garde in Western Europe, began its development.

This is a book that takes a closer look at the multiple identities of human beings - individual and collective, old and new, historical, national or socio-political. On the other hand, it explores the connection between 'own' and 'foreign' in the subjective mind of the artist. From all this, two further areas of questioning emerge - first, the relationship between cultural and national belonging, and second, and most importantly, the identity of the creative artist as a political being. This question is all the more important in relation to Spassov, whose creative path began in communist Bulgaria, then founded on the Soviet model of an autocratic dictatorship. So-called 'socialist realism', a propaganda postulate of proletarian culture, was for many years a strong instrument of power and control over artists in all the satellite countries of the Soviet zone.

Distancing himself through the prism of postmodern irony, Spassov avoids falling into ideological traps. Allusions, quotations and pseudo-quotations from different times and cultures appear in his music like ‘carnival masks’. Behind Spassov's ironic distance from tradition lies the gaze of an attentive observer. This gaze is critical. Significant political, ecological, civilizational and philosophical massages are spread through his ‘musical masks’.His 'sound landscapes' conceal other sound 'histories' (epochs, works of art and cultural traditions), long past or overlooked. Memories of childhood and dreams are interwoven in them. All this points to Spassov's specific polyvalent method, which is expressed in the variety of contexts in his work, in his aim to merge different languages, sounds and cultural spaces, Eastern and Western traditions, archaic and modern worlds, as well as in the ironic juxtaposition of the incompatible and the unpredictable, reality and dream.

This paradoxical thinking and post-ironic distance from tradition allow him to 'play' with times and places, with ancient myths and legends, with political and historical events, bridging the ages and different art forms. Through the polyvalence, this "world-making" approach, which is evident in all of his creations (and particularly perceptible in his video compositions), his music becomes an expression of the relationship between music, art and life; it becomes a synthetic whole, perceived by eyes and ears, soul and spirit, by the entire human body, in relation to the environment and nature.

The selected material is thematically organised in five chapters, with the Preface and Epilogue reflecting from different perspectives the most important features of the composer's oeuvre in the context of European culture. In addition to his method of polyvalence as a conceptual principle of composing, such a general problem as the dualism between the folk idea and the aesthetics of a modern author comes to the fore. Special attention is given to the appearance of theatrical-acoustic ‘doubles’ and ‘mirrors’ in his music, through the involvement of electronics, computer technology and multimedia. A wide range of his instrumental, vocal-instrumental and operatic works as well as his video and film compositions are explored in the individual analyses. The full spectrum of topics covered in each chapter is supported by concrete musical examples and tables from Spassov's major works, as well as a variety of illustrations and authentic materials.

Representing various interdisciplinary aspects - aesthetic, political, historical and analytical - the book is intended for a wide-ranging readership - academics, lecturers, students and the general public interested in contemporary problems of art and music. It can be particularly helpful for researchers as a source of material about the specifics of the Bulgarian music culture, as well as for all scholars who want to learn more about such original artistic personalities as B. Spassov. Getting to know more about his life and work in the context of the various culture spaces in Eastern and Western Europe, where he chose to live – can broaden the horizons for a deeper appreciation of Eastern European contemporary music. This, in turn, opens up new and valuable perspectives for communication and rapprochement between cultures.