Lyubomir Pipkov - Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 (Dobromir Tsenov)

Information

Composer: Lyubomir Pipkov

• Ancient Dance, Op. 26
• Spring Caprices, Op. 78
• From 1 to 15, Op. 81

Dobromir Tsenov, piano

Date: 2022

Label: Toccata Classics

https://toccataclassics.com/product/lubomir-pipkov-complete-piano-music-volume-one/

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Review

Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-74) belongs to what is called the ‘Second Generation’ of Bulgarian composers, Pancho Vladigerov undoubtedly being the best known, and Toccata Classics is performing a tremendous service to Bulgarian music in making his output more widely available. The first composer who will come to mind on listening to Pipkov is certainly Bartók, as pianist Dobromir Tsenov’s own highly detailed booklet notes do not shy away from saying. But that does not mean that the music sounds like an imitation of that of the Hungarian composer; Pipkov’s sources in the music of his native Bulgaria, together with what he absorbed in Paris from, among others, Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger, mean that his work has its own distinctive lyricism as well as an unpredictable rhythmic vivaciousness.

The music on this programme is presented in chronological order, beginning with the striking Ancient Dance from 1946 and continuing with two sets of short pieces, Spring Caprices (1971-72) and From 1 to 15 (1973). The two sets comprise character pieces, all shot through with characteristic Bulgarian rhythms, as detailed by Tsenov. While this is the foundation of Pipkov’s vocabulary, there is no sense of merely going through the motions and there is a tremendous variety of atmosphere in these works, which, in spite of not a little technical difficulty, would, I imagine, be a great success as teaching material.

Tsenov really has the measure of this music, and the recording is crystal-clear. The decision to render the composer’s first name, Lyubomir, as ‘Lubomir’ is bizarre, merely inducing as it does mispronunciation.

-- Ivan Moody, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 7

https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Nov/Pipkov-piano-vol1-tocc0656.htm

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Lyubomir Pipkov (September 6, 1904 – May 9, 1974) was a Bulgarian composer, pianist, and music educator. He is considered among the founders of Bulgaria's modern professional musical establishment and one of its most important composers. Pupil of Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger, Pipkov composed in a diverse array of genres, including three operas, four symphonies, and three string quartets, as well as various chamber music and piano works, oratorios, mass songs, and film scores. Aside from his work as a composer and teacher, Pipkov was also active as a poet, critic and representative for Bulgaria at international conferences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyubomir_Pipkov

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Dobromir Tsenov (born 1996) is a Bulgarian pianist. He graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019, and is currently completing his master's degree at the Royal Northern College of Music. Tsenov has also taken part in master-classes with such musicians as Ludmil Angelov, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Peter Donohoe and Matthew Schellhorn. During his studies he developed a strong interest in the Bulgarian classical repertoire by the composers Pancho Vladigerov and his son Alexander. Tsenov's debut album, Bulgarian Classics, received high acclaim in Bulgaria, as well as in the United Kingdom.

https://www.facebook.com/dobromirtsenovpianist/

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