Pancho Vladigerov up close

On March 13, 1899, the composer Pancho Vladigerov was born – a person with an invaluable contribution to Bulgarian culture. His works are comparable to the greatest achievements in classical music. The date is an occasion to remember the great artist together with Nadya Sotirova - a prominent Bulgarian musicologist and cultural figure, creator and director for two decades of the State Cultural Institute House Museum "Pancho Vladigerov", located in the composer's home on Yakubitsa Street in Sofia’s Lozenets.

Sotirova is grateful for the exceptional opportunity to know Pancho Vladigerov's second wife - Elka, who donated her share of the house with the wish that it becomes a museum. "My daily communication with her gave me the opportunity to really get to know him purely as a person. His favourite activities outside of his work... Walks in nature, activities with pets, despite the strict work routine that he had.

Elka was a person who knew how to create cosiness, as she was an exceptional housewife and culinary master. Undoubtedly, he appreciated this very highly. He addressed her as "Mother" - this is an ancient Bulgarian tradition for a husband to address his wife in this way. Even though she was much younger than him, he infinitely valued her as his companion.

Nadya Sotirova speaks in captivating way about the family of Elka and Pancho Vladigerov. Every great musician – conductor, instrumentalist or composer, who visited Sofia in the 1960s and 1970s, was welcomed into this home. These were celebrities such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrakh, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Dinu Lipatti, Emil Gilels , Emil Chakarov, Mincho Minchev, Raina Kabaivanska, Anna Tomova-Sintova.

We also talk about the terrible years of the Holocaust, World War II. The composer obviously felt threatened because of his Jewish origin, and then, in 1944, another regime came to power in Bulgaria:

"First of all, I must emphasize that Vladigerov bore an exceptional burden from the facts surrounding the fate of his father – Haralan Vladigerov. Haralan Vladigerov was a lawyer, prosecutor, and for a short time a diplomat at the Bulgarian embassy in Bucharest. A man involved in politics, he was also MP in the National Assembly for a year. This is the reason why he was interned after the Stambolov regime from Shumen to Vidin. It is assumed that he was mistreated there in some way, because he had tuberculosis and died at the age of 41 in Vidin in 1908. At that time, his children were just 9 years old. Eliza Pasternak-Vladigerova was left alone with her sons and took care of their upbringing and education. I assume that this is the reason that forced Vladigerov to be extremely distant from politics and from political battles.

By 1945-46, he was already very highly appreciated at international level. By then, he had twice won the Mendelssohn Prize of the University of Berlin and was the only representative of Bulgaria in the Permanent Council for International Cooperation of Composers, chaired by Richard Strauss, in the period 1936-1942. He was invited to the most famous European stages both until 1944 and after that, despite the Iron Curtain.”

Nadya Sotirova told us about Pancho Vladigerov's creative pursuits and his compositional principles, as well as his way of working as a teacher, who wanted his students to have exceptional skills in order to develop invention and interpretation.

"Of course, there were years when he was perhaps pressured by some conjuncture, but that did not prevent him, when in 1946 he received the title of ‘People's Artist’, from saying: ‘Well, until now I was an international artists, now I have become people’s artist.' He did not have fear of the consequences that such a statement could bring. He simply knew his worth. He had the self-confidence of a person who was already highly valued throughout Europe and I think he did not have such serious concerns. Most of his colleagues felt awe and respect - that's what I think. Maybe there was also envy. He was always very distant, always very absorbed in his work. He did not chase positions. Simply a person completely devoted to his work, to his teaching activities and perhaps that is why he created such an impressive, truly respectful school for composers. All his students are big names in our musical culture and they all say that becoming a student of Vladigerov was already a very high honour."