Boris Christoff, one of the greatest operatic singers ever, was born on 18 May 1914 in Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria. Let us remind you that he is one of the personalities featuring on the 2014 Cultural Calendar of UNESCO. His 100^th anniversary is celebrated across the world with countless events, especially in the days surrounding 18 May.

For most of our compatriots Boris Christoff's voice is the one that blesses Bulgaria in the first minutes of the New Year, every year; the voice that makes a wish for prosperity and health, "the voice that prays to God for Bulgaria". The latter phrase is the title of the documentary film aired by the Bulgarian National Television on the night of 18 May. It includes a previously unknown interview with Boris Christoff made during the maestro’s last visit to Bulgaria by journalist Nevena Koralova. It represents a sincere account of the dramatic twists in his eventful life after the communist regime took over in this country, and the singer was denied access to his motherland for more than 20 years. The story goes about his return and the memorable recording session of Orthodox chants at St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Sofia that he made jointly with the church choir and the Bulgarian Chapel Choir.

Today the monument to Boris Christoff symbolically faces the cathedral. On the day of his birth flowers and wreaths were laid there and a liturgical service was held in the presence of Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte, state and government officials. The Gusla Choir in which the great singer had been chorister, performed his favorite song based on a Bulgarian folk melody. On the same day in Plovdiv, the hometown of Boris Christoff, his memory was honored with a unique choral concert, One Hundred Bulgarian Voices Sing for Boris Christoff. The day before, the Opera House in Stara Zagora dedicated to the anniversary its show of Don Carlos presented at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. The Gusla Choir conducted by Valentin Bobevski also appeared on stage the Sofia Opera & Ballet. The celebration there included soloists Martin Tsonev, Dimitar Stanchev, Svetozar Rangelov, Biser Georgiev, Petar Naydenov, Ivaylo Djurov, Plamen Beykov and Alexander Marulev, as well as the choir and orchestra of the Sofia Opera & Ballet, conductor Grigor Palikarov.

The 100^th birth anniversary of Boris Christoff was celebrated solemnly in his Sofia home, today a museum. This was one of the most exciting events related to the centennial. The hall and the courtyard of the Boris Christoff Music Center were packed for the concert titled Boris Christoff, the Ambassador of the Bulgarian Song. The Yulangelo Chamber choir led by Iosif Gerdjikov performed Orthodox chants and some favorite songs of Kiril Sovichanov – the father of Boris Christoff. Prepared with inspiration and professionalism, the program recounted of some unknown pages from the life of the great singer. Basso Plamen Beykov, one of the last students of the great Christoff, performed the memorable folk song that Boris Christoff himself as a young chorister at Gusla Choir sang to impress King Boris III who later provided the young man with a stipend to study operatic singing in Italy. Like most events marking the centennial, the concert closed with the Many Years Orthodox Chant by Dmitri Bortniansky.

You will listen to it in the rendition of the great basso, but first a recording from the Bulgarian National Radio Golden Archives made in 1977. Boris Christoff talked about the difference between a life performance and a recording and about the start of his career in music.

„Beyond doubt, there is a difference between what a vinyl record can offer on the one hand, and the concert or operatic hall, on the other. It is up to the mastery of the acting singer to take closer the mechanic recording to the live performance. I began my career in music in Bulgaria as a humble chorister. By a happy coincidence, I had the opportunity to tour the world’s operatic stages. But both while still very young, and later on, after I became famous, I have always strived to promote my name as a singer representing Bulgaria. And I have to tell you that with the years the responsibility has become greater.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio to this file includes the following recordings featuring Boris Christoff:

1.  An aria of Mephistopheles from the opera Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito

2.  Varlaam Song from Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky

3.  Many Years Orthodox Chant by Dmitri Bortniansky