Spring 1977: a new chairman and the May Competition

On 2 March 1977 Prof. Georgi Dimitrov wrote in Narodno Delo, under the headline “The Morski Zvutsi choir – a measure of mastery”, that its part in the Panorama, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution and the Third Congress of Bulgarian Culture, had been an outstanding success, and that at the discussion after the concert the specialists had given the choir glowing marks. Soon afterwards the singers heard the women’s chamber choir from Targovishte, and the chairman of the arts council in Tervel invited Morski Zvutsi to the town’s festivities on 15 May; these never took place, because Tervel’s House of Culture had been damaged in the Vrancea (Romania) earthquake of 4 March. A letter to the town of Boa in France proposing exchange visits went unanswered. On 23 February the women’s choir sang in a concert in memory of the choral figure, teacher, conductor and composer Vasil Popov.

On 1 March, the Day of the Amateur Artist, the men had a rehearsal, so chairman Nino Ninov came to congratulate them there; the two oldest singers, Nikola Yanev and Yanko Uzunov, received the Committee for Art and Culture badge for long service. The earthquake also complicated the concert in Targovishte on 11 March – working Saturdays were ordered to repair the damage, and some singers travelled back overnight to be at work in the morning. The hall of the Youth House was packed, including singers from Omurtag and Popovo, and the choir sang songs beyond the programme. Lyuba Lipova covered the concert in Narodno Delo under the headline “Lively concert activity”.

At the annual general meeting on 31 March 1977 the choir parted with its long-serving chairman Nino Ninov, who for years had lived with the choir’s needs; the author records the choir’s deep gratitude to him. The new chairman was Rayko Kolemanov, head of the Arts and Culture department of the City People’s Council. On 14 April, after a long time without a full concert of its own, the choir expected a half-empty hall and found a packed one: Viadana, Al. Tanev, St. Mutafchiev and G. Dimitrov were sung with confidence, and Tchaikovsky’s “Blessed is he whom Thou hast chosen” drew stormy applause – a concert that long remained the benchmark. Then came the city assembly for the 107th anniversary of Lenin’s birth and preparations for Beethoven’s Ninth to close the Sofia Music Weeks under Jansons of Leningrad, but the Sofia engagement fell through and the choir was instead booked for the opening of Varna Summer with Al. Raychev’s oratorio “Friendship”.

At the May Choral Competition Chonev sat on the jury, while Morski Zvutsi hosted a choir from Kyrgyzstan and gave a concert of its own for the participants. Jury members Father Pio Capone (Italy) and Vuk Dragović (Yugoslavia) attended its last rehearsal; on 14 May the board met the jury at Golden Sands, where Ninov saw old acquaintances such as Capone, Roy Bohana, Michaelides, Fleischmann, Dragović and Košler. The choir’s concert on the closing day was sent off with ovations: Dragović called it “a pride not only for Bulgaria but for all Europe”, and Capone said that when he died the angels would sing to him up above, but he would be sorry not to hear Morski Zvutsi.

The new board also revived group outings – on 22 May to Orlov Kamak in the Kodzha Balkan, then to Ropotamo. On 18 June the choir opened the Varna Summer International Music Festival with the oratorio “Friendship”, with the Varna Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Emil Glavanakov and soloists Todor Kostov, People’s Artist (tenor), and Ranko Dyulgerov (baritone); despite the poor acoustics of the Drama Theatre, the exacting Chonev rated the performance brilliant. The next day the composer Tikhon Khrennikov, a guest of the festival, heard a short programme and invited the choir to tour the USSR. The season ended with a break until 1 September.