A gala concert in Stockholm marked two important anniversaries - the 100th anniversary of great Bulgarian basso Boris Christoff and the centennial of Bulgaria-Sweden diplomatic relations. Starring on the program were three talented Bulgarian musicians - Vyara Trenda (mezzo-soprano), Elmira Darvarova (violin) and Antonina Boneva (piano). Appearing at Konserthuset, Stockholm's most prestigious music venue, the Bulgarians were applauded by hundreds of music lovers, diplomats and guests in the Swedish capital.

“At first, our idea was for some modest events to mark the occasion, but we gradually came to believe that the concert had the potential to turn into a big event. We are very proud of having succeeded”, Vyara Trenda says. The freelance singer has for some years been based in Sweden and is the founder of the Swedish society Operissimo International.

“We set up this society a year ago. Its objective is to present cultural achievements in different areas. One priority of the organization is the promotion of Bulgarian culture in Stockholm and across Sweden. The gala concert at Konserthuset was organized by Operissimo International jointly with the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and Bulgaria's Ambassador to Sweden, Svetlan Stoev, and his team. The only sponsor that has responded to our call was a Bulgarian pharmaceutical company that not only supported us financially but also bought tickets for its officials in Sweden. I am very happy that Bulgarian business people have sponsored this event. The program included works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mascagni, Massenet, Louis Spohr and Swedish composer Amanda Maier. The concert went on for an hour and a half without breaks. We were slightly anxious that the audience might lack patience, but we had a storm of applause in the end. This hall is the first choice of tourists wishing to attend a culture event in Stockholm, so along with the officially invited guests there were many people in the audience who had purchased tickets. We were lucky to have a full house and we have already made plans to present the same program in Bulgaria.”

We also talked to Antonina Boneva, a pianist and piano pedagogue:

"I feel so happy back from Stockholm! The concert was perfectly organized and our work received so much attention, which is key to inspiration to perform better. And I guess we were successful. The feedback we got and still receive is very positive. I remember that in my dressing room at Konserthuset there were posters of Luciano Pavarotti and other great singers who have appeared in the prestigious hall. It is also the home of the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.  I opened the concert with solo piano works. Together with Vyara we performed operatic arias and with Elmira Darvarova, a sonata by Amanda Maier. As a matter of interest, the famous Bulgarian violinist and the first ever woman-concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Elmira Darvarova, has herself discovered this sonata and the recording she made is now on the list of contenders for the Grammy Award nominations. This performance was followed by a storm of applause from the Swedish audience. At the end of the concert we performed works by Louis Spohr for violin, piano and voice. The audience was delighted and we received plenty of attention. Ambassador Stoev and his team were hailed for their excellent work, too. I think it is very important that the centenary of Bulgaria-Sweden diplomatic relations was marked with such a glamorous event and that it reminded audiences of Bulgaria's great basso and artist, Boris Christoff.“

English Daniela Konstantinova