Svatba (A Wedding) - trad Bulgarian arr Hristo Todorov

Stella Nova
Nelson College for Girls
Conductor Rebecca Monopoli
Accompanist Miyuki Jones
The Big Sing 2015
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington NZ
13-15 August 2015

[ExaltedDuck]

"ok, ladies, once more from the top but this time let's see some ATTITUDE"

[kitykatykath]

Wow they sound so good! I'm bulgarian and I am so happy that choirs are singing bulgarian stuff, especially this song that I LOVE!
Like the other commenter basically said, the sassy acting for this piece was not cool or justified by the lyrics :/

[_gigi_]

these harmonies are crushing my brains and lungs

[kortneymarvel]

The speed this was taken at is fantastic, and in in love with the liveliness of the conductor- I think her energy really helped the energy of the ensemble overall. However, the hands on hips, finger snapping, and head wobbling (I see you, girl in the back!) are not related to the performance. In the Russian culture around the time this was written, a wedding was a mourning event because the family was "giving away" a daughter. The women in this group certainly did not express that! Overall a fantastic performance. Great pitch. Work on those postures ladies, you're all very talented! xx

[gggreggg]

I love the Bulgarian  harmonies,   but what is the flirty demeanor about?

[recipesforruntz]

Their voices sound awesome! They did go sharp, but awesome pitch and everything. I’m not sure about the acting tho and I’m not even Bulgarian 😅

[dominiqueleblanc]

Amazing! Where can I found the music sheet for that song? I am leading a choir and I would like so much we sing it!

[dreamlifeds]

My favorite one with "Ergen Deda".
Two must !

[OscarBrashMusic]

In a certain way, David Maxim Mici brought me here 🤣

[itamarbar]

One random thought about the acting: it can be a good challenge for a conductor's resilience, professionality and self esteem, especially for a male conductor, and stand in front of this teenage female choir, as they act sassily, staring *DAGGERS* into him, and conduct them passionately and professionaly.

[luttekikker]

They are from New Zealand....I wonder what singers from Bulgary think about this performance?

[hte]

Yep, is that New Zeland? Because their pronunciation is not Bulgarian for sure. 😊 but still nice.

[nananutdreamers]

Lol sounds oddly okay when only at .75

[itamarbar]

My question is: where do you get the courage and rehearsal time to sing it twice as fast as the original recording. One detail gets simplified or missed, and the last chord isn't hit perfectly.

[elodiepollock]

if this does not prove that the voice is an instrument!

[kallagiaboine]

The singing is very impressive, but you can clearly tell these girls are not Bulgarian, nor know anything about the song or the country.

Hand on the hip?Wobbly eyebrows? Bitchy looks like I'm better? That isn't the Bulgaria I know and love. Weddings are joyous yet mournful would you be acting like this? I also seen them do the exact same thing with Kaval Sviri, which they must also not understand.

[missieclassy]

My father was Bulgarian and I grew up hearing the Bulgarian Voices... I am disappointed by the way these young women were encouraged to appear while singing this music. I am an opera singer, so I understand the need to reinvent... but I also know that the best is often the best for a reason... and that's because it cannot be beaten or reinvented. This music speaks for itself: it doesn't need frills or anything added or taken away. These young women have been allowed to think that competitive sass is appropriate in this performance and that the performance is more about them than the words or the music. This was a mistake, bad attitude and actually quite disrespectful to the tradition of mourning at a wedding for the bride to no longer be her parent's daughter anymore. This choir made it look like some nasty sorority battle where they are sizing up to the competition! Personally I'd not want to be in a choir where young women were being allowed to display that kind of fabricated but hostile demeanour. They probs think this is funny and fun, but it just made it look a bit cheap and not classy.

[QuantumBraced]

The weird sassy acting is throwing me off. Why? I mean it's completely inappropriate for the song, but even in general, choirs are supposed to sing, not act. I've never seen a choir act this way, do they think it's a movie or a musical? So weird, just weird. It's distracting, not just for the audience but for them as well, they should be focused on singing, not looking sassy. It's weird AF.