Stoyan Babekov, a much respected choir conductor and composer, believes a possible explanation for this is the immense sense of respect and reverence people feel for the Apostle, feelings with which we have all grown up. “The immaculate personality of the Apostle of Freedom instills awe and admiration and it is a very delicate topic to touch upon”, he says. Several years ago, Stoyan Babekov wrote “An Oath of Allegiance to Levski” - the only cantata dedicated to the Apostle. “He sacrificed his life for his country”, writes poet Rossen Vasilev in the text on which the work is based.

“An Oath of Allegiance to Levski” is also one of the few works with a similar dedication which are imbued with solemnity, brightness and festivity. Most of the works dedicated to the Apostle depict the grief following the tragic death of the hero and elaborate on the sanctity of his deed. There was even a public initiative for canonizing Levski – a proposal that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church did not accept. Regardless of this, some people keep calling him a “saint”.  Several months ago, another work of Stoyan Babekov was recorded for the Golden Fund of the BNR: Troparion to Saint Hierodeacon Ignatius Levski.

“All Bulgarians, no matter where they live in their native land or at any other place around the world, carry the image of Levski deep in their hearts”, the composer believes. “Just as the national poet Ivan Vazov wrote: “The ordinary peasants named him a saint…”. In An Oath of Allegiance to Levski, I laid the emphasis on the heroism of the Apostle.  In the Troparion, I tried to recreate the significance of the ideas of this big revolutionary, the sanctity of his heroic deeds, the intransience of his achievement. Whether I have been successful as a composer, we can leave this to the listeners to decide. What has always deeply moved me is Levski’s devotion, his humanity and self-sacrifice, and the fact that he dedicated all to one cause – Bulgaria’s Freedom”, contends Stoyan Babekov.

English version: Rossitsa Petcova

An Oath of Allegiance to Levski, by Stoyan Babekov is performed by the Mixed Choir and Symphony Orchestra of the BNR, conducted by Mihail Milkov

Troparion to Saint Hierodeacon Ignatius Levski, by Stoyan Babekov is performed by the male section of the Mixed Choir of the BNR, conducted by Rumen Raichev