Lit up in music and light, on September 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the “Philharmonia” Hall, the new season of State Opera Ruse will begin.
The audiovisual concert-performance “Music and Light”, which the people of Ruse will have the opportunity to experience, is a journey of the Bulgarian spirit through time, featuring the special participation of the virtuoso kaval player Theodosii Spassov. The performance also includes the renowned opera prima Tsvetelina Vassileva, the two remarkable baritones Aleksandar Krunev and Dobromir Momekov, as well as the folk singer Tsvetina Marinova and Nikolay Kruchmarov (zurna). The chorus of the State Opera Ruse will be conducted by Stelyana Dimitrova-Hernani.
The conductor of the concert-performance “Music and Light” is Maestro Vladimir Boshnakov, who shared more about his idea and the content of this festive event with Diana Dimitrova:
Why is it you, Maestro, who is conducting this event?
In addition to the fact that this concert-performance is dedicated to September 6, in Veliko Tarnovo we will also mark several other important anniversaries with it. Forty years ago, a number of significant events took place in the cultural life of the Old Capital. That was when the oldest open-air opera festival in Bulgaria – Stage of the Ages – was founded. At the same time, the audiovisual spectacle “Sound and Light” was launched. The concert we will perform here under the title “Music and Light”, featuring the special participation of Theodosii Spassov and several soloists of State Opera Ruse, will also be presented in Veliko Tarnovo on September 5. On that day, for the very first time, the people of Tarnovo and the city’s guests will experience “Sound and Light” performed live. We managed to find the score of this music, and for the first time in the 40-year history of the event, it will be performed by the orchestra and chorus of State Opera Ruse. The visual spectacle itself will unfold on the Tsarevets Hill, just as it has been presented for the past 40 years. By chance, we discovered that this music actually had a score and orchestral parts, which we obtained, listened through, and arranged.
In this regard – who composed the music for “Music and Light”?
The story is a bit unusual, because the music was initially composed by the Bulgarian composer Simeon Pironkov, but at that time the spectacle lasted only 8 minutes. Later, the Czech team that worked on the lighting with the great Bulgarian director Vulo Radev – and in particular one musician from that team, Jiří Stejskal – expanded Simeon Pironkov’s composition to 16 minutes. He, of course, incorporated the iconic Mnogaya Leta, the anthem of Veliko Tarnovo, as well as Dobri Chintulov’s song “Rise, Rise, Balkan Hero”, creating a kind of compilation. Currently, he is officially credited as the author of this music. Jiří Stejskal is still alive and has been invited to attend the event. In fact, our concert will conclude with his music, which for 40 years has only been performed from a studio recording. For the first time, we will face the challenge of coordinating the timing of the visual spectacle and synchronizing it with the live performance.
As far as I know, the selection of the works to be performed at the concert was made by you?
Yes. I selected composers whose works are connected to the history of Veliko Tarnovo, and in particular to the Tsarevets Fortress. I chose pieces by Pancho Vladigerov. In addition to his iconic rhapsody “Vardar”, we will perform music from the opera “Tsar Kaloyan”, which was very recently staged at Stage of the Ages by the State Opera Stara Zagora. We will also perform the aria of Kremena from Marin Goleminov’s opera “Ivaylo”, which is likewise connected to the history of Tarnovo and Tsarevets. Fragments from the opera “Maria Desislava” will also be heard – the duet of Tsar Ivan Shishman and Ivan Stratsimir, as well as the emblematic aria of Maria Desislava. The concert-performance features the remarkable soloists Tsvetelina Vassileva, Aleksandar Krunev, and Dobromir Momekov, the chorus of State Opera Ruse, the folk singer Tsvetina Marinova, and my colleague performing the zurna part, Nikolay Kruchmarov.
Have you ever conducted the zurna before?
No, this is my first time. It was very difficult to find someone willing to play with the orchestra. These musicians usually perform quite freely, without strict measures, and I barely found a player who could start and stop according to the conductor’s cue. I should add that, to pay tribute to the great Bulgarian composer Marin Goleminov, I chose Kremena’s aria from the opera “Ivaylo”, as well as two very powerful and moving pieces from his ballet “Nestinarka” – “Village Festival” and “Nestinari Dance”.
I heard very distinctive and challenging Bulgarian rhythms during your first rehearsal, Maestro. It is well known that Bulgarian irregular meters can be quite confusing for many foreign musicians. There are quite a few foreigners in the State Opera Ruse orchestra. How are they managing this task?
The foreign musicians are doing wonderfully, although not quite as well as our local players. But they are true professionals, and there is hardly any music that could be too difficult for them. After all, our music is classical – only our rhythms are somewhat unusual. Any skilled musician should be able to handle it. It just takes a little more time to get into the material, and fortunately, we have that time.
Bulgarian music is unfortunately not performed very often in Bulgaria. What do you think is the reason for this, Maestro?
I think that in recent years we have been catering too much to the audience’s preferences in order to sell tickets and survive within our budget constraints and funding system. We are forced, instead of educating the audience, to let them dictate our repertoire. That’s why Bulgarian music often takes a back seat. But in my creative path and in my programs, I always strive to include at least one Bulgarian work. Here in Ruse, I staged the opera “Maria Desislava” and premiered “Leto 893”. I make every effort to ensure that Bulgarian music is performed. This concert is yet another wonderful opportunity to hear and enjoy it.
Where does the light in your life come from, Maestro? We already know about the music…
The light comes from my family. My wife and my children – they are the most important to me. I wish for us to be healthy and happy! Thank you for your attention!
Photo: Archive of State Opera Ruse
