Introduction and Dances ("Khoro" and "Rachenitza") from the Opera "Momchil"

Pipkov wrote his three operas at different times and showed three different directions in style and dramaturgical ideas: the dramatic Yana's Nine Brothers was written in 1928, when he was still a student of Paul Ducas at the École Normale de Musique in Paris; the heroic plot and prominent song-and-dance national intonation of Momchil in the late 1940s reflected the historical events surrounding the war; and the last opera, Antigone 43, premiered in 1963, was innovative in its fusion of ancient and contemporary subject matter, as a genre and musical language. According to the composer's testimony, the idea for the opera Momchil was provoked by the German invasion in 1939 and by the composer's desire to write a work of protest against the anti-national and fascist-influenced policies of the government. The opera was completed around 1945 and premiered on September 24^th , 1948 at the Sofia National Opera under the conducting of Assen Naydenov and the direction of Mihail Hadjimishev. A few years later, in the early 1950s, the opera was staged abroad. The original image of the hero from the 14^th century is remarkable one - he is a leader, a defender, a warrior for the people's interests.