Symphony No.2 "Great Preslav"

Following the success of his landmark Grotesque Suite Bay Ganyo based on Aleko Konstantinov, which brought him wide recognition in 1941, Veselin Stoyanov composed instrumental concertos for piano, violin, and cello, as well as the spectacular orchestral works Rhapsody and Festive Overture. He turned to the symphonic genre only at the age of sixty, composing his First Symphony in 1962. Five years later, the idea for his SYMPHONY NO. 2, “GREAT PRESLAV” emerged. The work was inspired by the glorious historical past of the second capital of the First Bulgarian Empire and the grandeur of the Golden Age of Bulgarian culture during the reign of Tsar Simeon the Great. Even its title hints at its programmatic, epic‑narrative character. The symphony is distinguished by its unusual seven‑movement structure—some movements refer directly to actual archaeological sites, while others evoke the composer’s vision of Bulgaria’s medieval rise: Amidst the Ruins of Great Preslav - An Old Song - Riders Approach - Before the Walls of Great Preslav - Heavy Steps - The Round Church - The End and the Song. The symphony’s architecture combines, to some extent, the suite‑like principle of contrasting scenes with a strong sense of unity achieved through leitmotif connections that bind the episodes into a coherent large‑scale form. Born in Shumen, a city near the historic sites of Pliska, Madara, and Veliki Preslav, Veselin Stoyanov took pride in the glorious landmarks of his native region, and as a child he loved to gaze upon the ruins in Preslav, filled with a sense of mystical reverence. With this final work, written in the last year of his life, he channels his drive to revive the historical memory of this great era, marked by military and political prosperity and, above all, a flowering of culture, spirituality, and literature. In his Second Symphony as well, the composer remains true to his lavish, late-Romantic, and nationally infused symphonic style, yet masterfully weaves into the music medieval modal scales, motifs from “Polielai of the Bulgarian Woman” by St. John Kukuzel, and stylizations of ancient Orthodox church chant. The brilliant orchestration underscores the dramatic lines in the score—from the lonely, melancholic English horn amid the ruins of Great Preslav to the grandiose church bells symbolizing the eternity of the Bulgarian people and culture. The symphony premiered on February 21^st , 1969, performed by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vasil Stefanov as part of the 5^th National Review of State Symphony Orchestras, and was highly praised by critics. Veselin Stoyanov was immediately declared an honorary citizen of Great Preslav, and his work became a sort of musical emblem of the city.