Father Kiril Popov is a composer, conductor and church music researcher. On the 5^th of December, he turned 70 and to celebrate, the Sofia Opera organized an anniversary author’s concert on the 17^th of December. The concert will take place tonight and will also mark Popov’s 55 years of church music and conductor work as well as 25 years of his pastor service.

He is a priest at the “Sveta Nedelya” church and has been leading the Sofia priests’ choir for almost forty years. He is the author of many church hymns and of the now famous music poem “The Hermit of Rila”, dedicated to the passionary of St. Ivan Rilski, the patron of Bulgaria. For his anniversary concert, the priest has invited several choir formations which will perform compositions of his, created in different years: the “Sofia” chamber choir at the “St. Sofia” ancient temple with conductor doctor Maria Ruseva; the “Sveta Nedelya” cathedral church male choir with conductor prof. first acolyte Miroslav Popsavov; the “St. Seraphim Sofiyski” children and youth choir with conductor Anelia Kocheva; the “St. Yoan Kukuzel: the Angelic voice” chamber ensemble with conductor Kristian Popov; the “Ave Musica” mixed choir with conductor Tanya Nikleva; the Sofia priest’s choir with conductor priest doctor Kiril Popov and the BNR mixed choir with conductor Lubomira Alexandrova.

Fragments from the music poem “The Hermit of Rila” by priest Kiril Popov will also be performed (script by Tihomir Pavlov and orchestration by Georgi Stresov). In the second part of the concert, said fragments will be performed by Sofia Opera lead singers, its orchestra and choir with conductor Zhorzh Dimitrov and choir conductor Violeta Dimitrova. Also starring: a children’s choir under Dimitar Kostantsaliev.


 
The concert poster; source: The Sofia Opera and Ballet

The idea for this author’s concert was born spontaneously, as father Kiril Popov said, and came from the director of the Sofia Opera. “I will always be grateful to my dear acad. prof. Plamen Kartaloff, director of the Sofia Opera, for what he has done: for his special attitude towards me and mostly: towards spirituality”, he admitted. “Before the pandemic, I found a small book titled “The Hermit of Rila” in my personal archive… when I read it, I realized these were sacred poetic texts written by Tihomir Pavlov: our famous writer, poet and public figure. This is, in fact, his swansong”, the father told the history of his music poem’s birth. Just a few months after the first edition of Tihomir Pavlov’s book (1980-1937), the author passed away and his work, intended namely as a music poem, remained unfinished.

“I was surprised no one had written the score up until now: that meant Pavlov’s wish hadn’t been fulfilled!”, the composer went on. “And I said to myself: God, give me the health and strength to adorn these sacred texts with music”. Later, in 2022, when Kiril Popov met acad. Kartaloff and proposed his idea to him, the former went into detail for each of his own works and their performers: the choir ensembles he has invited to sing in the anniversary concert. Kartaloff then responded in awe: “Oh, this is quite interesting! Keep writing, I want to produce this piece in honor of St. Ivan Rilski!”, the priest cited Kartaloff’s words.

Popov also described how his music ideas are most often born: with the phrase “The text sings to me” and said the following about inspiration and the text’s influence as a whole: “In any case, we’re talking about an inspiration from a higher power because we’re all just middlemen in this process”.

“It’s a very tricky moment, a great deal of skill is required”, father Kiril Popov stated when he spoke about composer Georgi Strezov’s orchestration. “There are many messages uttered by St. Ivan Rilski in this book by Tihomir Pavlov which are still relevant today. That’s why I’m saying that “The Hermit of Rila” is a sacred poem, a prayer to God and to St. Ivan Rilski which inspires us all and is a worthy glorification of God and of St. Ivan Rilski.”

Some of Popov’s compositions have special dedications such as the “Milost mira” chant connected to the passing of the composer, conductor, musicologist and priest Petar Dinev (1889-1980). After the funeral in July, 1980, the then young student Kiril Popov went home and thought to himself: “How can I beg God to have mercy on the soul of Dinev, this deserving teacher? And so, I went into character and wrote “Milost mira”: in a typically Bulgarian, church style reminiscent of Petar Dinev’s.”

The conversation with father Kiril Popov leads listeners down interesting and inspiring spiritual paths. For the contemporary man, engulfed by the highly contrasting social life, said paths are precious evidence of both the recent and long since past history of the church and its leaders. They are a sincere tale of the essence of this music and the way a priest experiences it: “As a seminarian, I visited lots of opera performances and symphony concerts. I loved and still love Beethoven’s music: it’s a deep musical-philosophical way of thinking. Even Beethoven himself says that music stands superior to the wisdom of philosophy”.

Father Kiril calls his anniversary concert “A pre-Christmas joy”, and his invitation towards the audience is as follows: “You’re welcome to come see this concert: let’s spend the blessed Christmas holidays as one big family!”

Radostina Uzunova’s entire interview with the priest and composer Kiril Popov reveals more details on church music and on the upcoming concert: you can hear it by opening the attached sound file!