For more than two years, I have been working with Frank Fischer ( operfrank@aol.com ) to develop this comprehensive overview of Opera from Bulgaria. Thanks to The Values Foundation, Bulgarian National Radio and many other institutions and individuals, we have been able to cover far more than any previous disc. In addition to performances of many individual artists, it includes complete operas both from the standard repertoire and from Bulgarian composers; histories of the development of Bulgarian opera and of Bulgarian National Radio and Balkanton recordings; and information on the Boris Christoff International Competition and on Bulgarian composers and opera houses.
Many of the artists heard on the disc will be familiar, from sopranos such as Ghena Dimitrova, Stefka Evstatieva, Raina Kabaivanska, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, and Ljuba Welitsch; through basses including Rafael Arie, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Nicola Ghiuselev. Comparably fine voices will be heard from artists whose careers were largely confined to Bulgaria and who are therefore little known in the world at large. In addition to Un ballo in maschera and Lohengrin recordings, the disc offers three Bulgarian national operas almost certain to be new to you. A more extensive cast listing is provided here.
Opera from Bulgaria is distributed through certain Bulgarian cultural and diplomatic institutions as well as through the distributor, http://www.operamogul.com/ and from dealers.
The photographs below shows Frank Fischer presenting copies of the disc to Ambassador Dimitrov in Washington and to Renata Scotto in Pittsburgh.
Mail me at operas@mrichter.com