Tchonev is a co-founder of Songs of Life, which is performing “A Melancholy Beauty,” a show about the rescue of Jews in Bulgaria during the Holocaust, at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday. What is Songs of Life?
Songs of Life is a festival my husband and I started in November 2008. I’m a descendant of two Bulgarian Jews who were rescued during the Holocaust. My husband is a Bulgarian musician. Something we do for a living is do performing tours in the United States. … It is right for us to start a festival that would share the message of the rescue and how it happened. … This is a great way to bring to multitudes a story that is largely unknown. How do you bring this to people? You can write a book, but a lot of people don’t read books anymore. … An oratorial is almost like an opera, where you have a full cast and a narrator.
How did you put the performance together?
We commissioned the text and the music. We booked very good halls. We’re working with the National Philharmonic in D.C. We’ve got the best writer and composer, the best concert halls on the East Coast and the best orchestras. … There’s three soloists. People can expect, between the narrator and three soloists, the story. The choir plays the role of the people. They represent the multitudes.
Why did you choose the Kennedy Center?
It is a world premiere and this is the capital of the United States. We felt like … it could be launched properly.
Is there anything you’re especially looking forward to about the show?
I look forward to sitting in the audience and listening to what I know will be an amazing piece of music. … One can really expect a great combination of modern music woven with Bulgarian style and Jewish style.
– Emily Babay
