From Beethoven and Mozart to the festival in Autun (1989–1990)

Autumn 1989 was full of concerts. On 6 October the choir sang in its rehearsal hall for guests from France, West Germany and the USSR, and a few days later, together with the Dobrudzhanski Zvutsi choir and the Varna Symphony Orchestra under Andrey Andreev, it rehearsed Beethoven’s Mass in C major for the government concert of 12 October 1989 at the House of Amateur Arts. The soloists were Nikolina Pankova, Reni Penkova, Arseniy Arsov and Dimitar Stanchev.

Next came Mozart’s Mass in C major for the jubilee of the Varna Boys’ and Youth Choir: on 30 November the two choirs performed it at the Festival Complex under Marin Chonev, with Mariyana Grigorova at the organ. Work on Brahms’s German Requiem was interrupted for the Christmas matinee on 24 December, when Beethoven’s Mass was heard again with Dobrudzhanski Zvutsi and Andreev’s orchestra, this time with soloists Nikolina Pankova, Zhivka Markova, Tsvetan Mihaylov and Asen Vasilev.

On 18 January 1990 Bulgarian Television made a video and sound recording in the choir’s hall, and on 22 January, at the Pazardzhik ’90 Winter Music Evenings in the G. Stefanov Hall, the choir sang Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Pazardzhik orchestra under the Greek conductor Viron Fidzetis. Then it was time for the a cappella programme for the Europa Cantat festival in France. The preparation went well, but money was short: the municipal subsidy was small and the companies asked for sponsorship did not respond. Meanwhile, on 16 June 1990, the Ninth was heard again at Varna Summer ’90 – with the Dunavski Zvutsi choir from Ruse, the Varna Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hristo Hristov. At the last moment the choir’s chairman, Ivanov, obtained 1,000 dollars from the Shipbuilding Institute, and on 15 July two buses set off west – towards misadventures that, in the author’s words, are galling even to describe.

Despite everything the choir reached Autun on time. The all-day rehearsals of the German Requiem were led by Pierre Cao of Luxembourg, “with enviable stamina and the skill of a great conductor”, while Chonev had the honour of teaching choirs from many European countries a “Latvian Sailors’ Song” – in Latvian, which was new even for Morski Zvutsi. Concerts followed: on 19 July in Autun, on the 21st in Anou, on the 22nd in Kareletomb, on the 24th at the military school in Autun, on the 25th in the town theatre, on the 27th in the basilica at Vézelay and on the 28th in Autun Cathedral. Everywhere the choir was welcomed as an expected guest and seen off as a friend. With the help of the interpreter Delev, fuel was found for the journey back, and after more breakdowns the singers made it home.