Georgi Robev

They say lucky people are those who meet great personalities along the Way. Georgi Robev was one of them - an outstanding musician, a broad-minded person with a bright soul and a warm heart. His emblematic name crowns an entire era in the art of the National Philharmonic Choir (known in retrospect as the Svetoslav Obretenov Bulgarian Choral Chapel and the Svetoslav Obretenov National Philharmonic Choir). Even today, many remember his astonishing interpretations on Bulgarian and world stages - a subduing magical experience for his choristers, musicians and audience alike. His radiant gift for bringing beauty and profound impact to every work he brought to life - from the diverse song treasury, the prayerful Church Slavonic chants, the remarkable opera choruses to the colossal oratorios. His valedictory was with three Songs in Praise of St. Cyril and Methodius on the concert stage - then he was 10 years old and conducted the choir of the primary school "St. Angelarius" in his hometown Varna. In the family of Robev, music was held in high esteem; his father played in the once-famous Chop Orchestra. Even before he learned the letters, at the age of four Georgi Robev already knew how to read... the notes. He started playing the violin, then the clarinet and saxophone. At the age of 14, as conductor of a choir in Varna, he received his first salary, which he used to buy strings for his violin. Both as a pupil and later as a student he played to support himself. His attraction to choral art led him to the Academy of Music in Sofia, where he was admitted to the class of the famous prof. Georgi Dimitrov - the founder of the Bulgarian school of choral conducting. In this class, together with Robev, grew up a host of famous conductors such as Vasil Arnaudov, Marin Chonev, Hristo Nedyalkov, Veneta Vicheva, Samuil Vidas, Lilia Giuleva, Valentin Bobevsky and others. After graduating with honours from the Academy of Music, the young conductor began to lead successively the Choir of Sofia Teachers, the Kaval Choir, the Choir of Sofia Girls, the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Ministry of the Interior in Sofia. "The brightest moment in my life was when I entered the Bulgarian Choir Chapel" - Georgi Robev remembers. This first professional choir in the country was founded in 1944 as the State Radio Choir, the idea of Svetoslav Obretenov, who remained its conductor until his death (1955). The 26-year-old musician joined the Chapel when Dimitar Ruskov was its chief conductor. From 1960 to 1966 he was conductor, and from 1966 until the end of his earthly life in 2002 he was the chief conductor of the ensemble. 37 years! - these are the golden years of the Bulgarian Choir Chapel "Svetoslav Obretenov", which in 1981 became part of the Sofia Philharmonic. Georgi Robev turned the choir into a first-class artistic ensemble. Every concert is a bright event not only in Bulgarian musical life. Critics have noted the Cappella's tours to various parts of the world with the most enthusiastic reviews of the conductor's and his choir's great skill: "One of the best we have ever heard", "Magnificent professionalism combined with deep emotionality", "A world-class choir for which nothing is impossible". The maestro and his vocal choristers take part in prestigious festivals at home and abroad, make over 70 tours in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. They are welcome partners in the performance of major oratorio works by Verdi, Mozart, Prokofiev, Orff and others on major European stages. As well as in productions of Puccini's Turandot, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Bellini's Norma, Verdi's Macbeth and Nabucco, Shostakovich's Katerina Izmailova ... They have worked with world conductors such as Hermann Abendroth, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Michel Plasson, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Emil Tchakarov, Mstislav Rostropovich, etc. With tireless musicianship, Georgi Robev has expanded the choir's repertoire with a-cappella programs and cantata-oratorio works from the Renaissance to the 20^th century. Many of them were presented for the first time in Bulgaria by him: "Messiah" by Georg Friedrich Handel, "Missa Solemnis" by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Canticum" by Antonio Arena, "German Requiem" by Johannes Brahms, "Missa Choralis" by Franz Liszt, "Carmina Burana" and "Katuli Carmina" by Carl Orff, "Our Father" by Leoš Janáček, "Hungarian Psalms" by Zoltan Kodály, "Requiem" by Alfred Schnittke, "Missa Sciolla" by Ariel Ramirez, "Sealed Angel" by Rodion Shchedrin and many more. The packed Bulgaria Hall, the frenetic applause accompanying these performances - celebrations of music - are the reward for the conductor and his aspirations to broaden the taste and sensitivity of both the musicians he works with and the audience to wider artistic horizons. Georgi Robev connected his mission as a conductor with dedication and responsibility to the support of Bulgarian sound creation. He has been the "godfather" of dozens of new works by Bulgarian composers such as Lyubomir Pipkov, Marin Goleminov, Georgi Dimitrov, Veselin Stoyanov, Todor Popov, Krasimir Kurkchiiski, Alexander Raichev, Alexander Tanev. In the stagnant years of socialism, the conductor was the first to dare to perform publicly with the Chapel and to record Church Slavonic music. With his authority, without fear or caution, he managed to convince the higher state party leadership of the timeless value of Orthodox sacred music, which would be well received in the "West" and together with authentic Bulgarian folklore was the "calling card" of the national musical culture. The first album of Orthodox chants, recorded back in 1970 caused a furore. The Chapel under the baton of Georgi Robev made the first recording in the country of the "Liturgy" by Dobri Hristov, the "All-Night Vigil" by Sergei Rachmaninoff (later performed many times in concert), the Tchaikovsky‘s "Liturgy". Мemorable is the first Bulgarian recording of "Liturgy Domestique" by Alexander Grechaninov, made with the world-famous bass Boris Hristov. Georgi Robev also recorded and performed with the chapel chants from Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian church classics. This sacred repertoire became a performance tradition for the National Philharmonic Choir, which is maintained and developed today. The Maestro's art, inextricably linked with the Bulgarian Choral Chapel, has been fortunately captured in magnificent recordings for Bulgarian National Radio and Bulgarian National Television, and on radio stations in Paris, Moscow, London and Brussels. For the famous record companies "DECCA", "EMI", "Harmonia Mundi", "Pathé-Marconi", "Columbia". Through them we can get in touch with the high conducting creativity of Georgi Robev, admire the subtle insights in the construction of the musical work, its precise conductor's reading, the rich palette of expressive means and sound colors. And on top of all this, vivid memories of encounters with him always evoke his incredible charismatic radiance on stage, the swirling energy gushing from his whole being. In an interview, the Maestro professes his creed: "There is a lot of logic and thought in the art of music. It's meant to excite the listener, but it's also meant to make them think, and excitement and thought are mutually conditioned. I am deeply convinced that in every work, along with his thoughts, aesthetic, ideological and constructive intentions, the composer leaves a piece of heart. This is what a conductor and performers must realize and feel in order to present the musical work to the listener in the brightest, most sparkling way. Only in this way will the work overcome the "armor" behind which each carries his innermost, most intimate spiritual peace. Thus the musical work with the power of art reveals to the listener a piece of the beauty of the world, enriches him spiritually. Resonance between performers and listeners is achieved when a piece of music is approached with the excitement of one in love! The sonic realization of the music is approached with an open heart and a lot of love!" Georgi Robev's talent also shines through the musical opuses he has created - wonderful choral songs based on poems by famous Bulgarian poets (some based on his own poems) and masterful arrangements. For many years he has been the favourite professor of choral conducting at the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia. Among his gifted pupils are Hristo Krotev, Deyan Pavlov, Valeri Vachev, Ljubka Biagioni, Vasil Dimitrov, Neli Trosheva, Galina Lukanova and others. He has adjudicated at some of the most prestigious world choral competitions. In his life on "full speed" Georgi Robev reconciled bright positions as a public figure who passionately loved for the cause and welfare of Bulgarian musicianship. He was Chairman of the Union of Music and Dance Artists in Bulgaria (1984 -1990), Chairman of the Committee for Culture (with the rank of Minister), deputy in the Ninth National Assembly. He has been awarded many prizes and honours such as the Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria 1st degree, the St. Cyril and St. Methodius order, the Crystal Lyre of the UBMDA, etc.