Anatoli Krastev
Anatoli Kratsev - (Bulgarian: Анато́ли Кръс́тев (born September 6, 1947) is a prominent Bulgarian cellist and pedagogue. He is widely considered to be one of the most important Bulgarian performers. Since 2008, he has been Vice-rector of the National Academy of Music Pancho Vladigerov in Sofia. Biography. Krastev graduated from the National Conservatory in Tunis in the cello class of professor Gvido Evraet, and from the National Academy of Music Pancho Vladigerov in Sofia, in the cello class of Professor Velko Karastoyanov. Subsequently, he specialized with the Hungarian cellist professor János Starker, the French professor André Navarra as  well as with Professor Zdravko Yordanov. Since 1972 he has been a teacher at the National Academy of Music Pancho Vladigerov, from 1989 as Assistant professor and since 1995 as Professor. Kratsev is Honorary President of the Academy for Young Talents in Marseille. He is a permanent soloist with several Bulgarian, European and American orchestras as well as leader of masterclasses im Europe, the US, and Brasil. Recordings. He recorded on CD the cello concertos by Camille Saint-Saëns, Robert Schumann, the "Variations on a Rococo Theme" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and music by Bulgarian composers such as Petar  Hristoskov, Milcho Leviev, Emil Tabakov, and Gheorghi Arnaoudov. A CD release by St.Clair - Classics Collection "Forever Gold" features Anatoli Krastev as soloist in Dvořák's Cello Concerto together with Andre Navarra's recording of the Edward Elgar cello concerto.