Emil Tchakarov

Life and career

Tchakarov began violin lessons at the age of six, entering the Sofia High School of Music in 1962 (violin). From 1967 to 1971 he was a student at the Sofia State Conservatoire where he also conducted the orchestra. In 1971 he won third prize in the 2nd International Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in Berlin, acting as Karajan’s assistant in Berlin and Salzburg and continuing his conducting studies in Hilversum and Tanglewood. From 1974 to 1978 he was Chief Conductor of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1979 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and other American cities with Eugene Onegin (1979-1980), returning for Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1982–83) and Boris Godunov (1990). Following this he guest conducted many orchestras around the world including the Leningrad Philharmonic, with whom he made several recordings and became guest conductor in the 1989/90 season.

Among operatic engagements for Covent Garden he conducted Eugene Onegin in 1979, in Nice in November 1985 he conducted Simon Boccanegra with Wilhelmenia Fernandez and Piero Cappuccilli, returning in January 1987 for Tosca with Olivia Stapp, Nicolai Gedda and Theo Adam and in Houston in October 1986 he conducted Boris Godunov with Nicolai Ghiaurov in the title role, and in January 1990 Rigoletto with Maureen O'Flynn, Marcello Giordani and Leo Nucci. In 1983 he conducted Tannhäuser at the Florence Festival.

Between 1983 and 1986 he was the Chief Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Antwerp. He conducted the premiere of Michel Decoust's 'Hommage a Maurice Ravel' at the Festival de Radio-France et de Montpellier in July 1987.

In 1986 Tchakarov founded the Sofia Festival Orchestra with the support of prominent of Bulgarian musicians. He conducted the Verdi Requiem at the Lucerne Festival in 1989 and in Sofia. At the end of the 1980s his international renown led CBS Records, Sony to engage him to record a series of six Russian Operas, which he did over four years with the Sofia Festival Orchestra.

Tchakarov was the conductor for the Maurice Béjart 1981 TV film Six personnages en quête d'un chanteur starring Ruggero Raimondi.

He gave his last concert on 22 March 1991 with the French National Orchestra in Paris.

The concert hall and summer classical music festival in Burgas bears his name.

Selected discography