Prof. Emilia Kolarova, Musicologist
June 24, 2019, Concert Hall of the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”
Prof. Emilia Kolarova, Musicologist
The Discography of the Sofia Boys Choir Marks the Development of a Stable Choral Ensemble
Emilia Kolarova is a Professor of Music History at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” and possesses unparalleled knowledge of music in Bulgaria. Almost all professional musicians in the country have attended or continue to attend her lectures. Prof. Kolarova is pragmatic and extremely rational, radiating the optimism and serenity of someone confident that goodness prevails. On June 24, 2019, in the concert hall of the National Academy of Music in Sofia, she presented an analysis of the event highlighting the significant discography of the Sofia Boys Choir.
Bulgarian artistic culture has always taken pride in the achievements of our choral ensembles. With a centuries-old tradition of pioneers—beginning in 1868 with the establishment of the first mixed choir in Svishtov—these ensembles have fulfilled a mission to develop, promote, and advance musical art. Recognized immediately after Bulgaria’s Liberation and implemented in all major Bulgarian cities, choirs have long been a representative part of our cultural history. One such beloved and highly respected ensemble is the Sofia Boys Choir.
Today, I have the important task of presenting its fifty-year history from a different perspective. We all remember the many magnificent performances of the Choir, admiring the emotional depth and professional dedication that have consistently conveyed the cause of “Bulgarian Musical Culture.” We celebrate the high national and international awards that mark the ensemble’s achievements in choral art. The most recent award, received just recently, confirms the Choir’s leading position on the international stage.
I will briefly present another essential aspect of the Choir’s activity—its recording work and discography. The discography comprises eleven albums recorded from 1991 to the present, all conducted by the Choir’s principal conductor for the past thirty years of its fifty-year history—Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva. I would add that this milestone marks another, albeit shorter, anniversary—thirty years for the Choir under this conductor. The Choir’s impressive recording output captures the most interesting, acclaimed, and award-winning highlights of its concert programs over the last three decades.
The thematic structure of this discography reflects both the development of a stable choral ensemble and the natural formation of its internal groups. From its founding in 1968 until 1997, the principal performing ensemble was the boys’ choir. In 1997, a second formation—the youth choir—was established to allow former choristers to continue performing. This subsequently enabled the creation of a mixed ensemble, visibly expanding the Choir’s repertoire possibilities—a “3-in-1” configuration, so to speak. The discography accurately reflects this prolonged and complex process of formation and performance, best recounted by former and current choristers.
A strong focus in the Choir’s repertoire is liturgical music. Church Slavonic chants were recorded by the boys’ choir in 1998 and 2003. The boys’ choir also participated in the 1999 album Laudate Dominum Omnes Gentes—music for choir and organ. This album (No. 3) marked the first inclusion of the youth choir. Gradually, the youth formation became an integral part of performances, for instance, in the fourth album, Magnificat (2003), featuring music by Brixi, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart, as well as through its own productions, such as album No. 8, Sounds and Colours (2008).
The third, mixed formation made its premiere appearance in album No. 7 (2007), also performing Church Slavonic music, Praise the Lord in Heavens. It is featured in album No. 10 (2017), It’s Christmas!, which includes Bulgarian and international Christmas songs. A similar program appears on album No. 6, Christmas Songs (2005), performed by the boys’ and youth choirs.
Another central element in the Choir’s repertoire and recordings is Bulgarian composition. This is the focus of the 2011 album Folk Impressions, which brings together folk arrangements performed by all three formations. Numerous Bulgarian composers have dedicated exquisite works to the Choir, collected in the most recent release, album No. 11, Songs for Us (2018), commemorating the Choir’s anniversary year.
While it is easy for me to list years, albums, and recordings, I am aware that such enumeration represents only a dry statistic—it informs but does not capture the joy, excitement, and profound emotion that the Sofia Boys Choir brings to its audience, past, present, and, I hope, future.
I wish the Choir and its conductor, Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva, new realized ideas, potential new formations, premieres, awards, and… new albums.
Good luck and continued success!
