THE MYSTERY OF THE BULGARIAN VOICES

The Bulgarian Women’s Choir
The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices

The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares) Female Vocal Choir known in the past as The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an ensemble of rare artistic gift and enormous popular appeal. The choir truly represents one of the most amazing success stories in music. Created in the early 1950’s the choir’s first mission was to record authentic and arranged for multiple voices choral folk songs to be recorded and broadcast first on the radio and later on TV.

The Swiss music producer Marcel Cellier discovered the beauty of the Bulgarian folk songs, folk singers, their unique voices and choral skills and in 1975 released his first album with songs performed by the choir – Volume I, which he called “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares” (The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices). The album soon became a best seller. In 1987 he released Volume II which in 1990 was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording. It was at that time that the choir adopted the name “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares”.

« These are the singers that won the Grammy Award and endorsement from such pop superstars as Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, George Harrison, Bobby Mcferrin, Midori and many others all over the world. The choir singers create a crossover sensation everywhere they perform as listeners of all music faiths gather in the presence of sounds more strangely wonderful than almost any they have heard before…Everyone could consider himself richer in spirit for having heard Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares »
– Chicago Tribune

Since then the choir has performed more than 1250 concerts in major concert halls all over the world under the direction of the conductor Prof. Dora Hristova.

« In terms of harmonic language, parallel fourths and parallel fifths – the taboo of European classical music – form an important part of the choir’s repertoire harmonic syntax. Some pieces even comprise parallel major seconds. Strangely these major seconds, while dissonant sound most natural. Perhaps these major seconds are to which the term “Le Mystere “ refers. I have not heard anything so astounding before and I think the name “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares” is justifiably appropriate. »
– Lai Kin, The new Evening Post, March 1997, Hong Kong

The conductor of the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices choir Dora Hristova is a graduate of the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”. In 1985 she completed her dissertation in the area of the contemporary choral music and received the educational and scientific degree of Doctor of musicology and music art. She authored the book “The Art of the Folklore Chamber Ensembles”. She has profound experience as a conductor of various choirs. She has been a long term professor at the Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, teaching vocal ensembles theory. Professor Dora Hristova has been awarded numerous prestigious awards for her achievements among which “Stara Planina” and “St. St. Kiril and Metodii”, “Golden Lyre”, “Chrystal Lyre” and “Chrystal Necklace” by the Union of the Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers.