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Baritone Vladimir Stoyanov

Vladimir Stoyanov performing on stage (kneeling on the floor)
Photo: Архив

© Photo: BGNES

Vladimir Stoyanov is a Bulgarian baritone who is better known abroad than in his home country. One of the parts that he often presents on stage prestigious theaters is of Germont in Verdi’s La traviata. It was in fact his debut at the legendary Arena di Verona in Italy, in front of thousands of spectators that had come for the opening of the 89th season of the Arena. “Vladimir Stoyanov demonstrated confidence, nobility, technical brilliance and this subtle thing underlying the expression ‘high class’”, one of the reviews about him reads. And there are a few such reviews full of acclaim. Both on and off stage Vladimir Stoyanov stands out with his reserve and moderation.

Vladimir was born in the western Bulgarian town of Pernik in 1969. He says that no one in the family is a professional musician. His father is a lawyer and his mother, a nurse. He first started singing in the town’s choir led by Zoya Vidas. An important advancement in his career was the training at the Boris Christoff Academy in Rome, as well as his encounter with basso Nikola Gyuzeleff and work with him.

In the recent years baritone Vladimir Stoyanov has appeared in prestigious theaters in Paris, Valencia and Barcelona. He however admits that small, Italian opera theaters appeal to him much more as they offer a lovely atmosphere, great acoustics and marvelous interiors.

His debut in Italy was in Macbeth at the San Carlo Theater in Naples. “It was like a dream”, Vladimir recalls. “I had to replace the singer in the original cast. It was an incredible sensation! Macbeth is one of Verdi’s most macabre operas. I was so happy and proud of myself! Knowing who had sung on that stage before me, was so thrilling! On the next year I appeared at La Scala, in La forza del destino. The first moment in that opera house is incredible, a theater I hadn’t even dreamt of seeing as spectator! And all of a sudden, I am there singing on stage and I am given applause…”

Vladimir Stoyanov counts on live performances. But next we bring you a fragment from a filmed show of Sicilian Vespers by Verdi. Listen to the Bulgarian baritone cast as Guido de Monforte.

The Bulgarian baritone has sung with some of the greatest stars including Russian diva Anna Netrebko (in Vienna) and German soprano Diana Damaru (at Metropolitan).

At the outset of his career Stoyanov sometimes made five debuts in a single season. Now he tries to strike a balance between work and rest because the opera stage spells both creative and emotional exhaustion for its leading talents. “When your schedule is tight for years to come, everything is just fine”, Vladimir Stoyanov says. And we, in turn, wish him the best of success.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
По публикацията работи: Yuliana Alexieva


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