Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978)
Orchestral Songs
Bulgarian Folk Songs for bass and orchestra
Six Lyric Songs, Op. 5 for high voice and orchestra
Four Songs, Op. 67 for high voice and orchestra
Six Bulgarian Folk Songs, Op. 56 for high voice and orchestra
Lud Gdyia
Song for the Beloved
Roumiana Valcheva-Evrova, Maria Ventsislavova, Evelina Stoitseva (soprano), Pavel Gerdjikov (bass)
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Vladigerov
rec. 1970-1975, Sofia, Bulgaria
Texts (German & English) included
CAPRICCIO C8070 [2 CDs: 88]
This is the fifth set of CDs in Capriccio’s Pancho Vladigerov Edition. It addresses, apparently comprehensively, the Bulgarian composer’s immersion in orchestral songs, which may well have been a virus that he caught during his prentice years in Berlin and Vienna. Rather than setting the greats from German poetry he was attracted to poetry and folk writings of his fellow Bulgarians. The orchestra is conducted by Pancho’s son, Alexander (1933-1983) who continued as an eloquent and dedicated advocate for his father’s legacy. These stereo analogue recordings were made during the LP age in the first half of the 1970s.
In total the listener is offered 29 songs grouped into two isolated songs and four multi-song collections. Vladigerov wrote the multiples as sets rather than fixed-order cycles. The voices, with one exception, are forwardly balanced but not to the detriment of the orchestra so far as the listener is concerned.
Bulgarian Folk Songs are rendered by the heroic, declamatory-voiced and steady-as-a-rock Pavel Gerdjikov. His ‘Dafina’ is contrasted with the more lyrical and thoughtful ‘Radka’ song. Vladigerov shows off his tendency towards the deeply sumptuous in ‘The woods Were Writhing’, ‘A Maid From the Mountain’ and ‘A Whistle Sounded In The Dark’. Some of these songs might almost have been by Canteloube in his Auvergnat songs. Occasionally folk-dance obtrudes, as in ‘Mincho winked’.
As to the Six Lyrical Songs we get the operatically sinister ‘Mysterious Night’ and ‘Past Midnight’. This aspect comes with lightning flashes in ‘How Merrily We Stood Together’. There’s the Straussian ‘Silent Was The Night’ and the chastely magical ‘The Flowers Were Crying’. This set is sung by Roumiana Valcheva-Evrova; indeed, all the songs on this set are sung by sopranos apart from those presented by the admirable Pavel Gerdjikov.
Onwards to disc 2 which runs to only 33 minutes. For Lud Gdyia we are in the hands of stentor Gerdjikov, sounding even darker and even more stalwart than on the first disc. He finds some humour here alongside the more serious elements. The other singleton is Song for the Beloved where Roumiana Valcheva-Evrova concludes the CD with full-on operatic style.
The Op. 67 Four Songs are taken by the full-voiced Maria Ventsislavova, who is just as adept at the dreamily ecstatic as she is in the suggestions of avian song in ‘Bright Morning’. In ‘Day of Judgement’ she calls on brusque defiance.
For the Six Bulgarian Folksongs we are in the hands of Evelina Stoitseva. She is a little backwardly balanced but clear enough and shines in at least one tongue twister of a song taken at breakneck pace. These songs are reminiscent of Rachmaninov in folk-swing. They are exultant with lots of engaging activity. Oddly enough in the sighing ‘Välko’ and ‘A Fierce Threat’ she sounds quite benevolent, even if she betrays a shrill edge to her coloratura.
At 88 minutes these two discs are nowhere near full (53:09 + 32:43) but that is a function of the composer’s productivity and of Balkanton’s original vinyl-bound project. Don’t let that hold you back. The sleeved (more than usually sturdy) single width case, sporting a common livery with the other four volumes issued so far, includes a trim and attractive booklet with nicely reproduced words in the original sung German and in parallel English translation. There is also a well focused background note by Christian Heindl which is also there in English translation by Jens F Laursen who has written for this site.
Rob Barnett
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf
