Bulgaria Hall, Sofia, 25 December 2013
Musical Horizons Magazine, Issue 1/2014
Rostislav Yovchev
Absorbed in our daily concerns and occupied with preparing for the Christmas holidays, we seem to have become accustomed to overlooking the multitude of posters inviting us to concerts with festive Christmas programmes. Some of these events hardly merit attention; others become tiresome one-day occurrences or examples of the loudly advertised mediocrity that has become so widespread today. One artistic event, however, has withstood the challenges of our difficult cultural climate, consistently winning attention not only with its beautifully designed poster, but with its unfailingly high artistic level and its dedication to passing on the love of music-making from generation to generation. Those familiar with the cultural life of our capital will immediately recognise that we are speaking of The Sofia Boys Choir.
The invitation, accompanied by the charming smile of the ensemble’s long-time conductor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva, did not in the least attempt to grandly emphasise the fact that The Sofia Boys Choir was about to present its 25th annual Christmas concert. This came as a surprise to most of us, her colleagues. We were simply eager to discover what new features this year’s programme would offer, as its structure has always sought to avoid repeating what had been presented in previous years. Yet this concert proved to be truly unique.
Its title, Christmas with Friends, was not merely a pleasant invitation to musical enjoyment. We witnessed how the universal language of music and the luminous spirit of the Nativity transformed performers and audience alike into a circle of friends. Hosts of the celebration were the musicians of “Quarto Quartett” of the Sofia Philharmonic, while The Sofia Boys Choir appeared as their honoured guest — a guest that wholeheartedly celebrated a 25-year tradition which has become the choir’s hallmark.
The structure of the concert followed an ascending artistic trajectory that naturally reached its culmination at the end. The opening guided the audience into the serene atmosphere of Orthodox sacred music. The works of Dobri Hristov, Stoyan Babekov, and Pavel Chesnokov highlighted the power of Slavic spiritual purity and the solemn reverence inspired by the Nativity.
A logical “instrumental” transition to Western European Christmas music was provided by the performances of “Quarto Quartett.” The young musicians — Ivan Penchev and Ivan Vuglarov, violin; Tatyana Todorova, viola; Dimitar Tenchev, cello; together with Silvet Salieva, double bass — recreated familiar pages from Winter of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and the first movement of Mozart’s Divertimento in D major.
The mixed formation of the choir continued its performance “marathon” through the centuries together with “Quarto Quartett.” Three works, presented for the first time in Bulgaria, were performed: the 13th-century composition Santa Maria strela do dia, by King Alfonso X the Wise of Castile, and two works by Haydn and Mozart. Each of these compositions was characterised by an uncluttered, transparent musical line that united text and music into an inseparable whole — in the former, the ancient Castilian medieval chant, and in the latter, the clearly defined contours of Viennese Classicism’s architectural genius. The orchestral arrangements by Prof. Atanas Atanasov featured the special participation of flutist Hristo Pavlov and percussionist Yulian Zhekov.
A true surprise for the age-diverse audience in the hall was the performance of the Kyrie and Gloria from Franz Schubert’s exquisite Mass in G major. The transparent orchestral texture was confidently presented and supported by the discreet yet unmistakably present timbre of the organ part, performed by Prof. Atanas Atanasov. The splendid soloists — soprano Ralitsa Ralinova and baritone Vladimir Gegov — blended harmoniously with the beauty of the choral sound. We enjoyed a performance filled with enchanting lyricism, a refined and flexible Schubertian atmosphere, and a youthful, emotionally uplifting freshness.
This stylistic line was continued with the serene and heartfelt performance of Schubert’s renowned Ave Maria, sung by Ralitsa Ralinova with piano accompaniment by Zornitsa Getova. This was followed by the rarely-performed Concertante Duo for two violins by Louis Spohr, masterfully presented by Ivan Penchev and Ivan Vuglarov.
The audience naturally anticipated the final climactic section of the concert. Accompanied by organ, The Sofia Boys Choir performed the chorale from J. S. Bach’s Cantata No. 147 and the majestic Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The impression of shared joy and celebration of the Saviour’s birth was truly remarkable. Although the absence of a full orchestra was noticeable at certain moments, this in no way diminished the enthusiastic applause with which the audience honoured the inspired performance of The Sofia Boys Choir under the direction of Adriana Blagoeva.
