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ELEGANT: Bulgaria Hall enchants the eye as well as the ear with its exquisite sound and impressive surroundings. (Courtesy of Sofia Philharmonic)
Mr. Karnik Adzhemian has been concerned about the future of the only acoustic hall for classical music in Bulgaria. Early this year, a controversial plan for reconstructing the unique music center was announced, but some feared it would harm the acoustics of the hall.
Fortunately, Adzhemian, chief technical expert of the Sofia Philharmonic (the main inhabitants of Bulgaria Hall), can lay his fears to rest. Bulgaria Hall survived the reconstruction efforts intact and will continue as a cultural monument with national significance.
The 71-year-old masterpiece began its history on Oct. 9, 1937. Even then the complex consisting of a hotel, restaurant, confectionery, and concert hall was deemed an architectural masterpiece. It was considered the epitome of design for the era between the two wars, not only in Bulgaria but in Europe as well.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Adzhemian said: “This is the only acoustic music hall in Bulgaria. Acoustic means that when the orchestra plays, you can hear every note perfectly without any microphones, amplifiers, or sound modules.”
Bulgaria Hall was built on the model of the Hercules Hall in Munich and met the standards for good acoustics with the assistance of the Duke Institute for acoustic research in Berlin.
“The perfect acoustic of a music hall is very hard to achieve,” Mr. Adzhemian explained.
“The dimensions of the hall play a crucial role. But there is no fixed ratio between width, height, and depth—you have to calculate in order to get the appropriate reverberations.
Moreover, you a need a special paneling, made of resonating wood. The lining in Bulgaria Hall is Belgium made. Nowadays, few halls use wood to line their walls; most take advantage of artificial textures. In addition, we varnish the stage every several months with a special resonating lacquer which keeps the acoustics unharmed.”
BULGARIA HALL: Looking out from the stage to the auditorium. (Courtesy of Sofia Philharmonic)
The hall was originally built with 1,470 seats. It held the biggest organ in Bulgaria, with 72 ranks and 6,000 pipes. Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the bombing in 1944. In fact, the hall was fully destroyed in the air raids during World War II. Luckily, the architects who built the complex reconstructed it in 1949, keeping its original composition and façade.
In 1974, a smaller organ, “Shuke,” was built to replace the original, again the biggest in Bulgaria. It had 55 ranks. The number of the ranks defines the number of the instruments whose sounds the organ can play. Every rank consists of pipes that encompass every note on the keyboard.
“If you change the original size of an acoustic hall, you will spoil its characteristics.” Mr. Adzhemian explained: “Take the violin as an example. The body of the violin has a very special form and curves which provide the sound it produces. In the same way, the hall is itself a musical instrument. Thus, you have to keep it in proper shape so that you can hear its best sound.
“A curious fact is that many people complain about being cold while attending concerts at Bulgaria Hall. The reason is there is no heating inside. The architects just did not plan it … and now we can do almost nothing so that we continue to maintain the acoustics of the hall.”
Countless musical luminaries have had the chance to experience the crystal-clear sound at Bulgaria Hall, among them the legendary Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, the German-born conductor Bruno Walter, conductors Hermann Abendroth, Igor Markevich, the soloists David Eustrach, Svetoslav Richter, and many other unforgettable foreign and Bulgarian musicians.
Mr. Adzhemian proudly shared that during the last two years, Sofia Philharmonic has been cooperating closely with its Vienna counterpart. A grand musical event was held on May 15 in Sofia at which Dieter Flury, the General Manager of the Vienna Philharmonic, performed at Bulgaria Hall and was granted the title Honorary Member of Sofia Philharmonic.
Mr. Adzhemian concluded by pointing out another feature of the hall that singles it out—it has its own sound recording studio. He is anticipating grand days ahead for Bulgaria Hall.
