Let Freedom Sing

Ever since Bulgaria kicked its Communist dictator to the curb in 1989, the gals in Le Myst<\#143>e des Voix Bulgares have learned that freedom of speech is a beautiful thing. To make their point, the choir’s 23 members let loose a concert of hypnotic chants at the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus this afternoon. “They transform sounds into strange vocal colors, as if something other than a human voice or a strange instrument is playing,” says spokeswoman Kalina Barova. “They jubilate, shout, and ornament. They let one crazy rhythm follow another to make their voices build the most darling chords.”

Led by conductor Dora Hristova, the ensemble is celebrating its golden anniversary this year as Bulgaria’s official choir for its state-run television network. The group is so admired in its homeland that its leaders hand-pick a small fraction of the applicants to sing a repertoire that mixes “avant-garde with the Middle Ages.” “These daughters of the earth achieve and surpass the habitual limits taught in our schools of music,” says Marcel Cellier, the choir’s producer. “The human voice raised in song is far more eloquent than when it speaks.”
Sun., Dec. 10, 4 p.m.