site.btaConductor Boris Spasov Aims for Rehearsal Perfection in Every Performance

Conductor Boris Spasov told BTA’s Dahnyelle Dimitroff here on Wednesday that his dream has always been for everything rehearsed to come together seamlessly during the actual concert, including the singers, the ballet, and everyone involved, so that the fatigue is not even felt.

The Sofia Opera and Ballet will celebrate Spasov’s 70th birthday on Sunday, January 12, with the ballet Giselle, featuring guest soloists Daniil Simkin and Maria Kochetkova.

"I have conducted quite challenging pieces, and when success is achieved, the satisfaction is immense," added Spasov, who has performed in over 1,500 concerts during his career.

"These 40 years have passed like a moment. I have conducted many ballets, and for me, it has been a great friendship with this art form. I've often been asked which is more difficult—symphonic, operatic music, or ballet. I immediately answer: ballet, because you constantly have to consider the tempo, the staging, everything. Each soloist has their own tempo. For me, a ballet performance is a triumph of beauty, and that's how it should be," Spasov said.

"The part of the Sofia Opera I value most is the orchestra, and I would be delighted to keep working together. Collaborating with the singers is a wonderful gift and blessing," he said.

He also shared his experience with Japanese orchestras: "As soon as you lower your hands, they stop playing instantly. They remain in complete silence, waiting for your next cue. This makes the work flow more smoothly and quickly. In Bulgaria, it's a bit more challenging. People there [in Japan] are raised this way by their families," Spasov said.

He reflected on one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his career: "I was conducting A Masked Ball. In the final scene, near the end, a gun was fired from the box, and Richard was meant to be killed," Spasov said, referring to Count Richard Warwick, the Governor of Boston. " The shot was so loud and deafening that it completely disrupted the orchestra. I was conducting, but no one was playing. They were disoriented, unsure of their place. I kept telling myself, 'Keep going, keep going, they'll catch up!' Eventually, I brought the choir in, and everything came together." He ended the story with a smile, saying that they never found out what the gun was loaded with.

Others About Spasov

"It is a privilege for a theatre to have a ballet conductor, and we are very grateful," said Marta Petkova, Artistic Director of the Ballet at the Sofia Opera and Ballet. "I have danced many times under Maestro Spasov's baton, and I now understand that we are indeed very demanding and quite challenging," she added.

"Boris Spasov is an exceptionally gentle and refined individual, always attentive to the ballet. The conductor serves as a crucial link between the ballet on stage and the orchestra. He skilfully fulfils this role and consistently maintains a high standard," said Nikola Hadzhitanev, principal dancer at the Sofia Opera and Ballet.

"I have encountered Bobby [Borislav Spasov] in three capacities [of mine]: previously as a performer, currently as a rehearsal director, and as a lecturer at the music academy, where he taught dramatic analysis of a ballet score. When I had the privilege of staging a major production, I learned what it means to collaborate with a conductor and realized that a choreographer must be nearly as knowledgeable as a musician," prima ballerina and ballet director Maria (Masha) Ilieva said.