Swiss filmmakers to make film about world-famous Bulgarian choir

Swiss filmmakers to make film about world-famous Bulgarian choir

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Оn Radio Bulgaria, you are with our regular program Timeout for Music featuring today world-famous Bulgarian folk choir The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices. What’s new about the choir and what can we expect – stay with us in the next 20 minutes or so to find out.

You have just heard the song Ergen Deda (The Old Bachelor), one of the most famous songs of the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices.
The choir has long made the name of Bulgaria popular around the world. It was established back in 1952 as a vocal ensemble at the Bulgarian National Radio and Television. Its world-famous name was invented by French music producer Marcel Cellier who is also the owner of the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices brand. Marcel Cellier earned the prestigious Grammy Award as producer for the album entitled Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares, Volume 2, released in 1990. “I received this award only because of this choir, so this is also their award!”, Marcel Cellier stated at a concert of the choir.
The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices has sang in the most prestigious concert halls in Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. They captivate audiences everywhere with their magnificent voices as well as with their repertoire –authentic Bulgarian folklore adapted for a female choir.
We offer you next one of the most popular Bulgarian folk songs, Dilmano, Dilbero, performed by the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices.

The popularity of the Bulgarian female choir has stirred the interest of a Swiss team of filmmakers who have decided to make a film about the choir as a co-production of Switzerland, Germany, and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian partners to the project are Agitprop Production Company, the Bulgarian National Television, and the National Film Center. Swiss director Stephan Schweiger will be in charge of the making. The film will come out in 2011. Here is what the choir’s conductor, Dora Hristova, told a radio Bulgaria reporter in an exclusive interview:

“The preparation for the film started last year. The film crew had meetings in Switzerland with Marcel Cellier, and made preliminary shooting with us. In October, we started work. We sang in the Kremikovski Monastery, we were also filmed in a television studio and during rehearsal. The idea is to make a large-scale film about this Bulgarian phenomenon that is also an achievement of the Bulgarian musical culture in general. We are happy that we have such voices in Bulgaria and we need to cherish and preserve them”.

The repertoire of the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices includes not only adaptations of Bulgarian folklore, but also Orthodox works. The crew chose to film their performances in the Kremikovski Monastery to Saint George, dating back to the medieval period and situated near Sofia, at the foot of the Balkan Range.

Let us listen next to the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices performing the Orthodox chant “Bogoroditse Devo” (Virgin Theotokos, Rejoice), with composer Tsenko Minkin.

“The Balkans have always been at the crossroads of various cultures. Everyone contributed and thus a unique cultural heritage was accumulated”, says the choir’s conductor Dora Hristova. The magic of the voices of the 24 female singers in the group, the long-standing traditions of Bulgarian choral music and the splendid adaptations of authentic folklore made by Bulgarian composers – this is at the heart of the choir’s success. Printed and electronic media all around the world keeps heaping lavish praises on the choir, describing at as “the most wonderful music on the planet”.

You have just heard the song Sedenkarska from the repertoire of the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices choir. The group has been nominated by the EU Federation of Choirs as Ambassador of European Culture. For three years now, the singers have received invitations from the organization. More details from Mrs. Dora Hristova, choir’s conductor:

“We are invited to concerts each year, which is a huge responsibility. This Christmas we will be touring European countries once again. In addition to the concerts, we hold seminars and tell people about the Bulgarian voices and about our repertoire. In Belgium, for example, we will make a concert of not only Bulgarian, but also French, German, and Danish Christmas songs. In this way, the songs of different nations will be united in one artistic event. This is our task as ambassadors of culture”, Mrs. Dora Hristova explains.

Last in today’s program, we offer you yet another performance of the world-famous Bulgarian choir, the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices - the song Christmas Triptych” with music composed by Ivan Valev.

Translated by: Rossitsa Petcova

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Swiss filmmakers to make film about world-famous Bulgarian choir

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