110th birth anniversary of Dimitar Nenov

published on 1/27/12 12:57 PM

110th birth anniversary of Dimitar Nenov

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Dimitar Nenov is one of the most interesting persons in Bulgarian music. A magnificent pianist and an original composer, he dared to go beyond the authentic folk themes, typical of the first decades of the 20th century.
Dimitar Nenov was a general's son, born in 1902 in Razgrad, a town that has given birth to great Bulgarian scholars, artists and poets. As early as a child, he did an impression of a telanted pianist. In his high school years, he was under the wing of renowned pianist Andrey Stoyanov. In 1920, Dimitar Nenov went to Dresden, Germany, to do polytechnic studies. His music aspirations got even stronger and so he started taking piano and composition classes. He found Dresden to be fascinating- it was the city of the epoch's great performers, conductors and bands. To earn a living, Dimitar Nenov worked as a pianist in a movie theatre and as an accompanist of a ballet company. It was while living in Dresden that he realized he was meant to play the piano and compose music. During his 7-year stay there, he composed several works, such as Sonata For Piano (1921) and Suite For Piano (1925).

After coming back to Bulgaria, Dimitar Nenov worked for a couple of years as an architect at the Ministry of Welfare and Railways. During that time, he created projects for several railway stations and for the music academy. However, after taking a course with then noted classical pianist Egon Petri, he set off for Bologna, Italy, where he graduated piano.

In the 1930s, Dimitar Nenov wrote Two Etudes, Opeta 11 (1931-1932), the remarkable Concert for Piano (1936) and Toccata For Piano (1939). Next here is a fragment of it under the orchestration of his student Lazar Nikolov and in the performance of Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Alipi Naydenov.

Works like this one outline the characteristic features of Nenov's style, which synthesizes brilliantly European traditions and national elements. It also powerfully combines a unique artistic expression and a Scriabin-like attitude to sounds. One of Nenov's most talented students Trifon Silyanovski describes him as a diverse composer. In his words, Nenov's aspirations to free expression, liberty and heightened sensibility, combined with a clear and solid construction and a strong logic, exist in his very person, life and creative works.

Along with writing piano compositions and giving concerts in Bulgaria and abroad, Nenov composed symphony. His first serious symphonic work was First Symphony (1922). Four Sketches for Large Orchestra, one of his popular works, was composed in the spirit of impressionism, imbued with rich imagery and spirit. We being you next a piece from Four Sketches called “Dance”, in the rendition of the Bulgarian National Radio's Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ivan Marinov.

From 1940 through 1946, Nenov worked on the magnificent Rhapsodic Fantasy. The work is based on antithetical emotional states, suggesting high skill. We offer you next a fragment from it, in the performance of Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Dobrin Petkov.

Dimitar Nenov was in the avant-garde of Bulgaria's school of composing. In 1933, he became one of the initiators of Bulgaria's first company of young and modern composers. Being a fervent patriot, he took part in the establishment of the National Radio in the period 1935-1937 and was the first to head Radio Sofia's music section. Thanks to his will, erudition and enthusiasm, a chamber orchestra was formed at the radio establishment, for which Nenov wrote a number of works. One of his great masterpieces was the oratorio Christmas for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra (1938-1939).

In the 1930s and 1940s, being a public figure, an innovative composer and a teacher, Dimitar Nenov gained wide recognition, paving the way for Bulgaria's music. He passed away in 1953 only to make an eternal mark on Bulgarian culture.

English version: Vyara Popova

По публикацията работи: Prof. Boyanka Arnaudova

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110th birth anniversary of Dimitar Nenov

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