VESELIN STOYANOV

VESELIN STOYANOV

Veselin Stoyanov was born on April 20, 1902 in town of Shumen, one of the cultural centers in northeastern Bulgaria, where the first Bulgarian chamber orchestra was formed in 1851. Another great Bulgarian artist, Pancho Vladigerov, is also connected with this town. The two brothers, Andrei and Veselin Stoyanov, turn to music and it becomes their destiny. The older, Andrei, leaved a strong trail in the Bulgarian piano school, and Veselin has made successful composer attempts since his school years. At the Music Academy in Sofia, he studied at the most prominent professors of that time – Dobri Hristov, Stoyan Brashovanov, Nikola Atanasov. Like most Bulgarian composers from the so-called “Second generation”, Veselin Stoyanov continued his studies abroad. He graduated in composition class of Prof. Franz Schmidt at the Vienna Academy. In the 1930s, Austria was the venue for world-renowned artists such as Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg. Studying the experience of modern and classical authors, Stoyanov succeeded in combining the modern means of expression of the twentieth century with the original melody and rhythm of Bulgarian folklore. Already with his first opuses he and his contemporaries Vladigerov, Staynov, Pipkov and Goleminov managed to lay the foundations of a strong national school. Their works attracted interest not only in Bulgaria. Separate works of Veselin Stoyanov were performed shortly after their premiere in Austria, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. In 1930 Vesselin Stoyanov returned to his homeland and was among the founders of the Union of Bulgarian Composers. Talent, principality, honesty, and creative productivity – the combination of all produced a remarkable works: the operas ‘Zhensko Tsarstvo’, ‘Salambo’, ‘Hitar Petar’, the ballet ‘Pappas Ioanna’, two symphonies, Rhapsody for Symphony Orchestra. The three piano concerts, as well as the violin and cello concerts of Veselin Stoyanov, are very popularq as well as the three string quartets and a few cantatas. Besides scores, Vesselin Stoyanov has also written a brilliant journalism. Until his death in 1969, Veselin Stoyanov is a professor of composition at the Music Academy in Sofia. Several generations of artists have been educated, among them Alexander Tekeliev, Viktor Chuchkov and others.