The beginning
Born in Varna, Borislav Ivanov graduated from the First Men’s High School, and at the same time he was an extraordinary student at the newly formed Music School in the beach city. Having found for himself once forever the world of classical music, he played the violin, but his real vocation turned out to be the fate of the conductor. His debut was in 1949, when still as a student in the 7th class of the First Men’s High School he was entrusted the conducting of the school’s choir and orchestra. After his secondary school graduation, during one year, he earned on his own means for his studies at the Academy of Music, where he enrolled in 1951 with an exam in violin and piano (on which moreover he learned to play on his own). Professor Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, a composer and pedagogue at the Bulgarian Academy of Music and at the Vienna Conservatoire, noticed Borislav Ivanov’s talent and enrolled him in the newly formed first Bulgarian Choral conducting class of the future Professor Georgi Dimitrov, known as the Professor’s class. This way Borislav Ivanov, together with Vassil Arnaudov, Kiril Stefanov, Hristo Nedyalkov, Alipi Naydenov, Georgi Robev and others, entered in the constellation of exceptional Bulgarian names, which formed the image of the Bulgarian music culture and made it famous all over the world.
A headlong career
Borislav Ivanov’s artistic way was a headlong ascent towards world glory. After his graduation from the Conservatoire with major Orchestra conducting by Vladi Simeonov, he worked at the Stefan Makedonski State Music Theatre, directed choirs, orchestras and opera houses in different cities, in tandem with the most prolific Bulgarian opera composer Parashkev Hadjiev, performed the premieres of his most famous operas. Also in Varna his debut as conductor was connected with Parashkev Hadjiev and his opera “There was once upon a time”. There he gained a rich conductor’s, organizational and impresario’s experience, including as Director of the Varna Opera and of the Varna Summer International Music Festival. About his mastery spoke favourably world music authorities like the composer Aram Khachaturian and the conductor Kurt Masur, and the director Walter Felsenstein invited him to a training at Komische Oper Berlin (1963). Then followed the first concerts in Erfurt and Meiningen, participation at the Liverpool International Conductor’s Competition (1964), where Borislav Ivanov was the only participant beyond the “iron curtain” and the only one who conducted without scores. The 32-year old Bulgarian deserved the highest evaluation of the British music critique.
Student of Herbert von Karajan
The second impressive impetus in the artistic development and the international career of Borislav Ivanov came after his meeting with the great Herbert von Karajan, who characterized the gift of the young Bulgarian with the words: “Borislav Ivanov possesses a great musicality. His manual technique is distinguished with precision, clearness, certitude and routine and this allows him to interpret with a great power of expression”. One of the few happy men, Borislav Ivanov was admitted to the creative laboratory of perhaps the greatest conductor of the XX century, by whom he improved his mastery, deserving the recognition Student of Herbert von Karajan. At Karajan’s recommendation, Borislav Ivanov was invited to conduct the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, of which he later became General music director – a prestigious position, on which he stayed whole 40 seasons.
Repertoire
Borislav Ivanov’s huge and varied repertoire covers a big part of the world and Bulgarian music heritage, as well as the entire opera classic: “I Pagliacci” and “Cavalleria rusticana”, “La traviata”, “Aida”, “Don Carlos”, “Ernani”, “Nabucco”, “Un ballo in maschera”, “Il trovatore” “Rigoletto”, “Otello”, “Carmen”, “Prince Igor”, “Eugene Onegin”, “Boris Godunov”, “Madama Butterfly”, “Carmina Burana” and others.
Manager
Regardless of his international engagements, Borislav Ivanov has never lost touch with Bulgaria and has been continuously working for popularization of the Bulgarian music culture and of the Bulgarian operatic voices in the world. As Director during a total of 30 years of the opera theatres in Varna, Plovdiv and Sofia, he has cultivated high aesthetic criteria, thanks to which the symphonic and opera teams have conquered the applauses of the Bulgarian, as well as of the foreign audience. Hundreds are the tours, organized by Borislav Ivanov, during which for the first time sounded Bulgarian music and for the first time presented themselves Bulgarian instrumentalists and singers on different stages in different countries of the world: Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Egypt, Spain, China, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, Malta and others.
Huge is his contribution in the recognition of the Bulgarian music culture (his favourite if the Vardar Rhapsody by Pancho Vladigerov) and of the great Bulgarian operatic voices on the world stage. He presented and supported the international career of opera singers like Julia Wiener, Nikola Nikolov, Ghena Dimitrova, Dimitar Petkov, Alexandrina Milcheva, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Sofia Ivanova, Orlin Goranov and others. Together with them and with other outstanding Bulgarian soloists and musical casts he gave guest-performances many times in Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Russia, Egypt, France, Belgium, Turkey and others.
Founder of opera festivals
Remarkable and unrivalled by another Bulgarian musician are the achievements and merits of Borislav Ivanov as founder, manager and art director of opera festivals. In Bulgaria he initiated the tradition of the Verdi Festival at the Plovdiv Antique theatre. During 30 years he has been art director of the opera festival in Palma de Mallorca, he directed the opera festival in Seville, he was the head of the opera festival on the Rhodos Island, Greece. He took also part in the opera festivals in Solothurn, Cartuja, Estepona and others. He was jury at international competitions in Italy, Germany, Greece.
In all opera theatres and symphonic teams with which he has been working, Borislav Ivanov left his sign of professionalism. The epoch Borislav Ivanov is an invariable part of the history of the Berlin symphony orchestra, as well as of the opera theatres in Varna, Plovdiv and Sofia and also of the Kassel Staatsoper, Germany and of the Ankara State Opera, Turkey. The high estimations of the world press for the depth of his penetrating music interpretations, for his high conducting mastery, as well as for his qualities of talented manager, who knows how to consolidate the creative energy of big music teams, are recognition not only for Borislav Ivanov, but also for Bulgaria.
Today
At the moment, Maestro Borislav Ivanov is Honoured Chief conductor of the Istanbul National Opera and Artistic director of the State Opera in his native city. In good health and with never stopping creative spirit, he continues to give his high artistic contribution to the Bulgarian music life – not only with his stage appearances, but also by granting his experience and knowledges to the younger generations. Namely he directs at the Varna Opera the new conductor’s replacement Svetoslav Borisov and Viliana Valcheva, as well as many new soloists. Thanks to his activity and competence in summer 2010 was set the beginning of Opera at the Summer theatre, in which for the seventh time guests-performers were leading Bulgarian and foreign operatic voices and conductors from the world stages. In the autumn of this year, Maestro Borislav Ivanov will lead the team of the Varna Opera for participation in the next edition of the International Festival in Aspendos, one of the biggest antique theatres in the world.
The balance of one worthy life
Maestro Borislav Ivanov has conducted over 3500 spectacles on 4 continents and already 65 seasons he has been standing with invariable success on the conductor’s stand. Proved artist of a world rank, he is a doyen of the Bulgarian conductors with most of all appearances on the world stages. A leader, recognized and respected by everybody, Borislav Ivanov has directed and managed the activity of many musical institutions in Bulgaria and abroad, he organized countless guest-performances abroad for the Bulgarian opera theatres, at which just with the Varna Opera he has been on 36 guest-performances abroad. His contribution to the Bulgarian and the world music culture is undeniable.
Maestro Borislav Ivanov was awarded many Bulgarian and international prizes, among which the greatest distinction of the Germany Order of merits First class, bestowed to him in 1992 personally by the President of Germany Richard von Weizsäker. He is laureate of Golden medal for propaganda of the Italian music all over the world. He was awarded the Auditorium’s Golden Badge in Palma de Mallorca, Golden Lyre of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers for exceptional contribution in the development and the popularization of the Bulgarian music art. The city of Plovdiv distinguished him with two awards and Honorary citizenship, and for his 85-year Jubilee in 2016
An initiative committee proposed his nomination for Honorary citizenship of Varna.
Violeta Toncheva