Konstantin Iliev (Iliev, Konstantin) |

Iliev, Konstantin

The orchestral culture in Bulgaria is very young. The first professional ensembles, followed by conductors, appeared in this country only a few decades ago. But under the conditions of popular power, the musical art of small Bulgaria took a truly gigantic step forward. And today among its famous musicians there are also conductors who were brought up already in the post-war years and won world recognition. The first of them can rightly be called Konstantin Iliev – a musician of high culture, versatile interests.

In 1946, Iliev graduated from the Sofia Academy of Music in three faculties at once: as a violinist, composer and conductor. His teachers were famous musicians – V. Avramov, P. Vladigerov, M. Goleminov. Iliev spent the next two years in Prague, where he improved under the guidance of Talikh, and also graduated from the school of higher skill as a composer with A. Khaba, as a conductor with P. Dedechek.

After returning to his homeland, the young conductor becomes the head of the symphony orchestra in Ruse, and then for four years he leads one of the largest orchestras in the country – Varna. Already during this period, he is gaining recognition as one of the most gifted young Bulgarian musicians. Iliev harmoniously combines two specialties – conducting and composing. In his writings, he seeks to seek new ways, means of expression. He wrote several symphonies, the opera “Boyansky Master”, chamber ensembles, orchestral pieces. The same bold searches are characteristic of the creative aspirations of Iliev the conductor. A significant place in his extensive repertoire is occupied by contemporary music, including works by Bulgarian authors.

In 1957, Iliev became the head of the symphony orchestra of the Sofia Philharmonic, the best orchestra in the country. (He was then only thirty-three years old – an extremely rare case!) The bright talent of a performer and teacher flourishes here. From year to year, the repertoire of the conductor and his orchestra is expanding, they acquaint Sofia listeners with newer and newer works. The increased skill of the team and Iliev himself receives high reviews during the conductor’s numerous tours in Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, Poland, East Germany, Yugoslavia, France, Italy.

Repeatedly visited Iliev in our country. For the first time, Soviet listeners got to know him in 1953, when L. Pipkov’s opera “Momchil” performed by the artists of the Sofia People’s Opera was in Moscow under his direction. In 1955 the Bulgarian conductor gave concerts in Moscow and other cities. “Konstantin Iliev is a musician of great talent. He combines a powerful artistic temperament with a clear thoughtfulness of the performing plan, a subtle understanding of the spirit of the works, ”composer V. Kryukov wrote in the Soviet Music magazine. The reviewers noted the masculinity of Iliev’s conducting style, the plastic and embossed conduct of the melodic line, emphasizing the melodiousness of classical music, for example, in the symphonies of Dvorak and Beethoven. On his last visit to the USSR with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (1968), Iliev again confirmed his high reputation.

L. Grigoriev, J. Platek, 1969