PLOVDIV PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Biography | CD Highlights | Reviews | Chief Conductors

The origins of the Plovdiv State Philharmonic Orchestra date to 1945 and are rooted in the hundred-year-old orchestral traditions of the largest cultural center of legendary Thracia. Its more than 120 accomplished instrumentalists share a vast repertoire of classical and modern symphony music. The facts speak for themselves as many concertmasters have started their careers with the Plovdiv Philharmonic and now are working with such distinguished orchestras as Radio Hilversum (Micho Dimitrov), the Dresdener Staatskapelle (Gancho Ganchev), and the Metropolitan Opera (Elmira Darvarova). The succession of leading conductors includes such names as Vladi Simeonov, Rouslan Raychev, Mesrou Mehmedov, Dobrin Petkov, Dimiter Manolov, Vladimir Ghiaurov, Nayden Todorov and Georgi Dimitrov. Over more than a half-century of music-making, the PPO has also performed under the direction of Emil Tchakarov, Roumen Bairakov, Jean-Yves Gaudin, as well as under renowned Bulgarian composers Ivan Spassov and Vasil Kazandjiev. Among the many outstanding visiting conductors are Janos Ferenchek, Carlo Zecci, Enrique Batiz, Witold Rowicki, and Jan Krenz. Among the world-famous soloists to perform alongside the PPO have been Dmitri Shostakovich, Ruggiero Ricci, Henri Szeryng, Sviatoslav Richter, Mincho Minchev, Emma Tahmizyan, Liudmil Angelov, and Mstislav Rostropovich. The PPO's busy concert schedule has included guest performances in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Russia, Austria, France, Greece and Spain. The European prestige of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra has been supported by an impressive number of recorded LPs, audio and video recordings, and compact discs. In 2000 alone the orchestra recorded over thirty compact discs under the direction of Maestro Nayden Todorov!