On Tuesday, September 16, at 7:00 PM, in the Grand Hall of the Dohodno Zdanie, the State Opera Ruse will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Austrian composer Johann Strauss with a special concert.
We will immerse ourselves in an era filled with glamour and romance, which, carried along the flow of the Danube for decades, has continued to illuminate us as well.
Viennese-trained Maestro Dimitar Kosev leads the soloists, choir, and orchestra of the Ruse Opera Theatre to pay tribute to the man who transformed the waltz from a simple folk dance into pure magic!
Here’s what he shared with Diana Dimitrova on the eve of the event:
Maestro, this Tuesday, September 16, an inspiring concert-performance dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss’s birth is coming up. Whose idea was this event?
We cannot fail to honor the so-called “King of the Waltz.” He is closely linked to the development of Viennese music, the waltz as a style, and its popularization worldwide. Ruse has a deep connection to this music and, more broadly, to Vienna and Austria. I, too, personally, as a Viennese-trained musician, feel this connection. Every time I am asked who my favorite composer to conduct is, I answer: Johann Strauss and his waltzes.
But Strauss also composed in other genres…
Of course! He composed polkas, galops, and marches. That’s why I decided to gather some of his most popular works, highlighting one in particular that, I believe, has never been performed in Ruse before. This is the “Festmarsch,” composed in 1893 for the wedding of Tsar Ferdinand and Princess Maria Louise of Bulgaria, as a gift for the occasion. Through this piece, we also have a Bulgarian connection. Naturally, there will be other Strauss works that have never been performed here. We will also play the “Champagne Polka,” during which I will personally be serving champagne.
Johann Strauss II is also extremely famous for his operettas. Are there any plans to perform excerpts from them in the concert program?
Of course! This great Austrian composer is also renowned for his operettas. Perhaps the most famous of them is Die Fledermaus (The Bat). But besides that, he composed several others that are performed less frequently, such as Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron), for example.
As a Viennese-trained musician, have you ever conducted Strauss on Viennese soil?
Not only have I conducted Strauss on Austrian soil, but I have also performed his works there. I would say it’s like performing folk music in Bulgaria. This is music steeped in rich traditions, which should not only be respected but are essential to follow. After all, it is the traditional elements that give the waltz its charm and meaning.
Do you yourself enjoy dancing the waltz?
Being able to dance and enjoying it are two different things, but I prefer to conduct it. And conducting involves a bit of dancing, so by conducting, I am certainly dancing it as well.
Do you remember the first time you heard Johann Strauss’s music, Maestro?
I certainly remember the first time I heard Strauss performed live – as it should be – and that was in Vienna. I was struck by the huge difference between how it is performed in other countries and how it is performed by Austrians.
And what is the difference?
In the lightness and sense of rhythm that an Austrian carries in their very DNA. They perform the waltz in a completely different way. In fact, the first time I heard Strauss live in Vienna was when I went to see the operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat).
You’ve probably heard that some people consider Strauss’s music to be somewhat light and not very serious… Would you agree with that?
I love that statement! And I have fun with the people who hold it. I greatly enjoy when someone underestimates operetta and the waltz, while simultaneously failing to recognize and understand this music. Anyone who has stood on the other side – as an instrumentalist, performing waltzes and operettas – realizes the incredible difficulty and detail inherent in this genre. That’s why I always take it with a grain of salt when someone claims this is a light or frivolous type of music. It insults everyone who works professionally with operetta, it insults the National Musical Theatre in Sofia, and it insults anyone who truly appreciates this music. Join us at our concert-performance to see for yourself that Johann Strauss’s works bring such joy and vitality – qualities that can only belong to music of deep value.
Photo: Archive of State Opera Ruse
