Radio Bulgaria

One of the Bulgarian cities with a sound operatic tradition is Burgas on the Black Sea. The first show given by an amateur group there was back in 1955. In 1972 the State Opera House of Burgas was founded. Today the city’s opera house and state philharmonic orchestra have been merged into a single institution. This season the premises of the theatre are undergoing a major reconstruction, however its company has not stopped presenting operatic shows including a few premieres. On 4 May Lehar’s operetta The Merry Widow had its first night on stage in Burgas. Listen next to an aria of Hanna Glavari from Act 2 from the Merry Widow in the rendition of Mariana Arsenova with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra:

Now more details about the premiere of The Merry Widow, from stage-director Darina Glavanakova:
“This is one of the best among Lehar’s works. It has been staged in Burgas for the fourth time. The operetta The Merry Widow is a pearl that invariably appeals to audiences. It is a work that requires good singers-actors, a good orchestra and a skilled conductor. In Burgas we have all this. Maestro Ivan Kozhuharov is a conductor known at home and abroad alike. We are very active, despite the ongoing reconstruction of the opera house. For six months we premiered six shows. Now we are looking forward to the Summer Music Days at an open-air stage. We have invited for the days internationally-acclaimed Bulgarian singers: Mariana Tsvetkova, Kamen Chanev and Boyko Tsvetanov. Singer Kostadin Andreev, a soloist of the Sofia Opera House who had his debut on stage in Buras in 1992 has always accepted our invitations with great pleasure. The opening of the Days is scheduled for 5 July with Verdi’s Macbeth.”

Following the success of The Merry Widow, the Burgas Opera House is now working on a new premiere, Othello by Verdi. The first night is on 13 June. Listen to an Act of Desdemona from Othello performed by Tzvetelina Vassileva with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Every success of Bulgarian singers in prestigious international appearances is a good reason for pride. 2012 brought acknowledgement at prestigious contests for soprano Alexandrina Pendachanska. The recording of Handel’s rarely performed opera Agrippina under the baton of Rene Jacobs snatched the CAECILIA Award in Belgium for an operatic CD made in 2011. The distinction is given by the Union of the Belgian Music Press. The part of Agrippina is performed by Pendachanska. The CD was given another prize, of the BBC Music Magazine. The beautiful music, the dramatic plot in which the stage-director looks for parallels with the present-day are among the assets of the show staged at Berlin Staatsoper that have been highlighted in the documentary Face to Face with Agrippina, the work of journalist Nayo Titsin, the husband of singer Alexandrina Pendachanska. Apart from Sofia the film was also screened at festivals in Rome, Munich and Toronto.

This year Alexandrina Pendachanska will make two appearances in Bulgaria. On 15 June the soprano will join the concert celebrating the 80th birthday of conductor Mihail Angelov that will be held at Bulgaria Hall in Sofia. In September she will take part in the Piano Extravaganza Festival. Listen to Alexandrina Pendachanska with an aria of Donna Anna from Don Juan by Mozart. The accompaniment is by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

On 7 May soprano Stefka Evstatieva celebrated her 65th birthday. Her debut was in the 1970s on stage the Rousse Opera House. She has appeared with success at La Scala, Arena di Verona and the Vienna Staatsoper and has sung with great stars such as Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. The Bulgarian singer has been living in New York for many years where she sings and trains young singers. Listen to Stefka Evstatieva’s rendition of an aria of Amelia from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball).

On 4 May the show Hello, Broadway closed this year’s edition of the European Music Festival in Varna. The concert show presented fragments from a few celebrated musicals including My Fair Lady, Westside Story, Hello, Dolly and Cabaret. Listen finally to a singer who is equally successful in both pop and opera, Orlin Goranov with an aria of Tony from Westside Story by Leonard Bernstein. The accompaniment is by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Translatd by Daniela Konstantinova