The names of a number of young composers have won recognition during the last years of the 20th century. Their works bring a new trend to contemporary Bulgarian music. They introduce new ideas, interesting creative concepts and a variety of expressive means. A musician that is prominent for that period is Krassimir Taskov. He is a composer, a brilliant piano performer and a pedagogue (since 2002 he has been a professor at the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov State Music Academy in Sofia).
He concertized extensively as a student and received prizes at international piano competitions in Moscow (Tchaikovsky, 1978) and Spain (Santander, 1978). After completing degrees in piano (1981) and composition (1984), he participated in a series of international seminars for composers organized by UNESCO in Bulgaria and Holland and attended the composition classes of Ton de Leeuw and Theo Loevendie (Holland), Anatol Vieru (Romania), Andrei Eshpai (Russia), Marin Goleminov and Dimiter Hristov (Bulgaria).
His ongoing performance activity includes collaborations with chamber ensembles and distinguished Bulgarian musicians as Lydia Oshavkova, Anatoli Krastev, Lyubomir Dinolov, Dimiter Tsanev, Ani Atanassova, etc. His musical partnership of over fifteen years with pianist Velislava Georgieva has been especially intensive.
Along with his performing and teaching activity, Krassimir Taskov has also composed a large number of works: for symphonic orchestra, chamber music, concertos for different instruments, piano pieces, works for two pianos, various vocal and choral works, an opera-musical. A great number of his works have won awards at prestigious international and national competitions and are being performed in Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Russia, the USA, etc. The great Bulgarian composer and conductor Vassil Kazandjiev refers to his music as being “particularly expressive and strongly impacting”.