Dobrin Petkov
Encyclopedia
Dobrin Petkov was a Bulgarian conductor
.
, Germany
, Petkov was the son of a famous violin pedagogue, whose students were leading musicians in Bulgaria and abroad. His mother, Tsvetana Zografova, studied singing in Vienna
, Austria
. She was a soloist of the Bulgarian Operetta Theatre, singing teacher and performer of chamber music.
Since his earliest childhood Dobrin Petkov demonstrated indisputable musical talents. He was only 5 years old when he started lessons with his father. He studied the violin with a persistence and interest that were unusual for a child, and at the age of 8 he played a sonata
by Mozart before an audience. At 9 he had his first real concert in Sofia
. At 11, he played Édouard Lalo
's Symphonie espagnole
with an orchestra. At 12, he conducted two musical works of a Children's Theatrical School in Belgrade and in Bulgaria, he also gave 20 violin concerts and one with Pancho Vladigerov
in Belgrade. In 1937 on the insistence of the British Ambassador in Sofia, H.E. Mr. Charles Bentinck, a scholarship was granted for the first time to a Bulgarian to study violin and conducting at the Royal College of Music
in London
. The war brought him back to Bulgaria in 1939, where one after another followed high school, university, mobilisation, war, wounding... In 1946, after graduating the Musical Academy in Sofia
with honours, he started working in the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist and conductor-trainee. In September 1950 he was appointed in Ruse. He had extremely intensive activity there, both as opera and symphony orchestra conductor. As a pedagogue he constantly worked with each member of the orchestra and with each singer. He was first violin in the then newly formed quartet and was several times soloist in the regular concerts. There were young and fervent years, during which his remarkable personality was built with incredible work, precision and love of art. During the 5 years in Rousse he conducted 143 opera performances and more than 100 concerts.
In 1956, he was appointed Chief Conductor in Plovdiv
. In 1962, he was invited to become Chief Conductor of the Sofia National Opera
. He made Mozart's Don Giovanni
- a performance that is spoken about to this day. He was with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra from 1963 till 1969, and together they had tours in Beirut
and Damascus
, in Greece
, Italy
, France
, the USSR, Germany
etc. For personal and ethical reasons, he resigned and remained only part-time professor of conducting at the Musical Academy for four years. He had guest tours in Hungary
, Poland
, Czechoslovakia
, Cuba
, USSR, the DDR
etc. In Plovdiv he staged The Magic Flute
in 1971.
Maestro Petkov returned to Plovdiv for a second time as Chief Conductor, and remained there until his last days in 1987. In addition to the orchestra's very busy regular schedule, they had tours in the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Spain
, Italy, USSR and elsewhere, always with great enthusiasm and superlative critic reviews (Venezuela
, Romania
, Greece, Cuba etc.). In France they were invited in 1981 in the Théâtre du Châtelet
together with the Chicago, Lyon, Berlin and Boston philharmonic orchestras.
In 1986 he made another opera in Plovdiv - Verdi's Otello
- whose premiere won the admiration of music critics. He has also conducted numerous educational concerts before schoolchildren, university students, soldiers and ordinary people, as well as many concerts with young musicians-beginners. He also conducted many works by Bulgarian and foreign composers for the first time, devoting special attention to the Bulgarian authors: "There is always someone to take care about foreign authors. We should take care about ours."
For Dobrin Petkov, Sofia, 1994, "Five plus"
Homepage: http://www.dobrinpetkov.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dobrin-Petkov-Dobrin-Petkov/163938053618748
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Life and career
Born in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Petkov was the son of a famous violin pedagogue, whose students were leading musicians in Bulgaria and abroad. His mother, Tsvetana Zografova, studied singing in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. She was a soloist of the Bulgarian Operetta Theatre, singing teacher and performer of chamber music.
Since his earliest childhood Dobrin Petkov demonstrated indisputable musical talents. He was only 5 years old when he started lessons with his father. He studied the violin with a persistence and interest that were unusual for a child, and at the age of 8 he played a sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
by Mozart before an audience. At 9 he had his first real concert in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. At 11, he played Édouard Lalo
Édouard Lalo
Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo was a French composer.-Biography:Lalo was born in Lille , in northernmost France. He attended that city's music conservatory in his youth. Then, beginning at age 16, Lalo studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Berlioz's old enemy François Antoine Habeneck...
's Symphonie espagnole
Symphonie Espagnole
The Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op. 21, is a work for violin and orchestra by Édouard Lalo.-History:The work was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, and premiered in Paris in February 1875....
with an orchestra. At 12, he conducted two musical works of a Children's Theatrical School in Belgrade and in Bulgaria, he also gave 20 violin concerts and one with Pancho Vladigerov
Pancho Vladigerov
Pancho Haralanov Vladigerov was a Bulgarian composer, pedagogue, and pianist....
in Belgrade. In 1937 on the insistence of the British Ambassador in Sofia, H.E. Mr. Charles Bentinck, a scholarship was granted for the first time to a Bulgarian to study violin and conducting at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The war brought him back to Bulgaria in 1939, where one after another followed high school, university, mobilisation, war, wounding... In 1946, after graduating the Musical Academy in Sofia
National Academy of Music (Bulgaria)
The Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music , also known under its former name, the Bulgarian State Conservatoire , is a university of music in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria....
with honours, he started working in the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist and conductor-trainee. In September 1950 he was appointed in Ruse. He had extremely intensive activity there, both as opera and symphony orchestra conductor. As a pedagogue he constantly worked with each member of the orchestra and with each singer. He was first violin in the then newly formed quartet and was several times soloist in the regular concerts. There were young and fervent years, during which his remarkable personality was built with incredible work, precision and love of art. During the 5 years in Rousse he conducted 143 opera performances and more than 100 concerts.
In 1956, he was appointed Chief Conductor in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
. In 1962, he was invited to become Chief Conductor of the Sofia National Opera
National Opera and Ballet
The National Opera and Ballet is a national cultural institution in Bulgaria that covers opera and ballet. It is based in an imposing building in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria....
. He made Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
- a performance that is spoken about to this day. He was with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra from 1963 till 1969, and together they had tours in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the USSR, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
etc. For personal and ethical reasons, he resigned and remained only part-time professor of conducting at the Musical Academy for four years. He had guest tours in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, USSR, the DDR
DDR
DDR may refer to:In entertainment:*Dance Dance Revolution, a music video game series by Konami*DDR , a Norwegian rock band singing in German.*DDR , a Greenlandic punk band singing in Danish.In organizations:...
etc. In Plovdiv he staged The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
in 1971.
Maestro Petkov returned to Plovdiv for a second time as Chief Conductor, and remained there until his last days in 1987. In addition to the orchestra's very busy regular schedule, they had tours in the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy, USSR and elsewhere, always with great enthusiasm and superlative critic reviews (Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Greece, Cuba etc.). In France they were invited in 1981 in the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
together with the Chicago, Lyon, Berlin and Boston philharmonic orchestras.
In 1986 he made another opera in Plovdiv - Verdi's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
- whose premiere won the admiration of music critics. He has also conducted numerous educational concerts before schoolchildren, university students, soldiers and ordinary people, as well as many concerts with young musicians-beginners. He also conducted many works by Bulgarian and foreign composers for the first time, devoting special attention to the Bulgarian authors: "There is always someone to take care about foreign authors. We should take care about ours."
Sources
For Dobrin Petkov, Sofia, 1994, "Five plus"
Homepage: http://www.dobrinpetkov.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dobrin-Petkov-Dobrin-Petkov/163938053618748