History
Choir
The State Opera Ruse Choir is a significant part of the history of Bulgarian choral art. With its memorable performances of works from various genres, the choir participates in international festivals and tours, boasting a rich and varied repertoire.
Beginning and formation of the Ruse State Opera Choir
The choir of the State Opera Ruse dates back to 1949 - the year in which the Ruse Opera Theatre was founded. In the previous opera and operetta performances, the choral parts were performed by various choral formations from the city of Ruse, known for its great traditions in choral art. It is no coincidence that in the mid-twentieth century there were 28 choirs functioning in Ruse, and even today some of the most famous Bulgarian choral formations are the Ruse mixed choirs "Danube Sounds" and "Professor Vasil Arnaudov".
During its long existence, the Choir of the Ruse Opera has accumulated a great professional experience, building and maintaining a very diverse repertoire in different genres.
In 1995 the choir and ballet of the State Opera Ruse made a recording for the French TV Antenne 2 in Paris of the triumphant scene from Verdi's opera Aida. After that, the chor members participated in Madrid and the Spanish TVE with a recording of "Va pensiero", the famous chorus from the opera "Nabucco".
International performances of the Ruse Opera Choir
In the period 2002 - 2003, the Ruse Opera Choir performed in the super production of the Belgian company Opera Hall in the operas Nabucco in Spain and La Traviata in Belgium in front of about 10 000 thousand people.
In 2005 the State Opera Ruse Choir was invited by the Wagner Society in Minden, Germany to participate in the performance of the opera Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner. After participating in the 2012 Solothurn-Switzerland Festival, the local press wrote: "...with its performance of Verdi's Requiem, the Ruse Opera Choir is the star of this year's festival".
Opera repertoire of the State Opera Ruse Choir
The ensemble boasts an opera repertoire of more than 40 titles, including: Rossini (The Italian Girl in Algiers, Wilhelm Tell, The Barber of Seville, The Thieving Magpie); Donizetti (Love Potion, Viva la Mamma); Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Women are like that); Beethoven (Fidelio); Verdi (Nabucco, Aida, Don Carlos, Macbeth, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, A Masked Ball, Otello); Puccini (La Boheme, Turandot, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, The Nutcracker); Mascagni (Cavalleria rusticana); Gounod (Faust); Bizet (Carmen, The Pearl Fishers); Wagner (Tannhäuser, The Flying Dutchman), Glinka (Ivan Susanin); Mussorgsky (Boris Godunov), Tchaikovsky (Eugene Onegin); Smetana (The Bartered Bride); Gershwin (Sad Monday); Shostakovich (Katerina Izmailova, The Nose); Saint-Saëns (Samson and Delilah); Parashkev Hadzhiev (Maria Desislava, Anno 893, The Madcap); operas by Alexander Raychev, Simeon Pironkov, Maestro Georgi Atanasov.
Cantata-oratorio repertoire of the State Opera Ruse Choir
In the cantata-oratorio genre the choir of the Ruse Opera has achieved no less success. Some of the emblematic titles in the repertoire of the ensemble are Alexander Nevsky by Prokofiev, Stabat Mater by Rossini, Requiems by Verdi, Mozart, Dvořák and Fauré, Ninth Symphony by Beethoven, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins.
Conductors of the State Opera Ruse Choir and achievements in Europe
The choir owes its high professional level to the long-standing work of the choir conductors Atanas Dimitrov, Tomina Sidova, Hristo Stoev and Steliyana Dimitrova - Hernani. Under the expert leadership of these professionals, the Opera Choir has won the applause and brought audiences to their feet almost all over Europe - Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Romania and Russia.
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