October 23, 2009
Opera Culture in Bulgaria
World-famous Bulgarian opera singers like Boris Hristov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Rayna Kabaivanska, Nikola Gyuzelev, Gena Dimitrova were born in the first half of the 20th century. They have made Bulgaria famous and have proved the world, that the Bulgarian nation gives birth to great people. And all that in hard times for the nation, times after a slavery that had lasted five centuries, which doomed the Bulgarians to poverty, ignorance. Several had known the art of the opera these days. The beginning was back in 1980, when three Bulgarian musicians organized the first opera group in Bulgaria, only 2 years after the Liberation. An edict was published in 1892 and the group was disbanded. Pros and cons arguments about the Bulgarian opera turned into a three decade “war”. And as if the prophetical words of Petko Naumov in the “Den” newspaper /1908/ could be heard – “More self-confidence, skeptical gentlemen, more respect to the figures of music, who devoted themselves to a deed, that is going to make Bulgaria proud. ”
In 1922, the enthusiastic singers succeeded and won the debate. A state opera had been built, named “The Nation’s Opera”. A fast opera boom had begun. And in spite of Bulgaria being behind the steel curtain of communism from 1944 till 1989, a time when Bulgarians were forbidden to go abroad to the capitalistic countries, the opera singers Boris Hristov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Rayna Kabaivanska, Nikola Gyuzelev, Gena Dimitrova became popular not only in Bulgaria, but worldwide. They had managed to impress the world with their art, skills and creativeness. Music does not oblige to separationism - that is what they proved to the world. All of them highlight their love to Bulgaria.
Boris Hristov (1914 – 1933), the great Bulgarian bass, was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, but had grown up in Sofia. He said: “All, that I have done, I have done in the name of my fatherland, Bulgaria!”.
Nikolay Gyaurov (1929 – 2005), a world-famous bass, was born in Velingrad, Bulgaria. He once said: “My art would matter, if it could show the foreigners, that our country has a respectable culture. That is why I always had the caption “Bulgaria” on the back of my clothes”.
Nikola Guyzelev was born in 1936 in Pavlikeni, Bulgaria. He has an artistic world-famous voice, which proves his Bulgarian identity.
Rayna Kabaivanska (1934) was born in Bourgas, Gena Dimitrova (1941 – 2005) was born in Beglej village, the region of Pleven, Bulgaria. Both of them have world-famous soprano voices. They held classes, where they taught young talented Bulgarian opera singers.
Professor Hristo Brumbarov, who discovered Gena Dimitrova’s talent, said: “That is a voice, that appears one time in hundred years.”
It is said, that Nikolay Gyaurov is a genius, whose voice comes from the depths of the Earth, from the depths of the soul.
Rayna Kabaivanska sings with an exemplary voice and taste, with elegant and exemplary interpretation, with the charisma of a great singer.
Nikola Guyzelev, a singer and an actor with aristocratic figure, possesses a voice with a beautiful and noble timber.
These legendary opera singers, inheritors of Orpheus, have helped to improve the spiritual and cultural development of nations. Nowadays, these names seem to be forgotten by the young ones, who are being affected by the new styles of music. These great names, pitifully, nowadays are only mentioned in some pages in art books or anniversaries. Despite the ignorance of the young ones, these names are going to stay eternal.
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