In the 1920s, the very young Bulgarian composer Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin was called by music critics in Vienna "the Bulgarian Schubert". The talented artist is known for chamber works such as Piano Trio, Pastoral for flute and piano, and the incredibly popular Sevdana for violin and piano. However, he also composed operettas, cantatas, choral music and about 50 solo songs based on the verses of prominent Bulgarian poets: Dimcho Debelyanov, Geo Milev, Hristo Smirnenski, Elisaveta Bagryana, and Blaga Dimitrova. One of Bulgaria’s most esteemed musicians, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin was also a remarkable vocal pedagogue who trained stars like Alexandrina Milcheva and Anna Tomowa-Sintow. 

Among his students was Ljuba Welitsch – one of the first Bulgarian women to conquer the world’s opera stages. Welitsch became famous for her role as Salome in the eponymous opera by Richard Strauss. The great composer himself was among those who admired her talent. During World War II, a rumor spread in Bulgaria that Ljuba had died in one of the bombing raids over Vienna. Devastated, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin created his most popular vocal miniature – The Blue-Eyed Girl, inspired by Elisaveta Bagryana’s moving poem. Fortunately, the news of the death of the beautiful, blue-eyed, red-haired Ljuba Welitsch turned out to be false. ''The Blue-Eyed Girl'' – imbued with grief for someone deeply cherished and extraordinarily talented – remains to this day one of the most beloved songs in Bulgarian classical music. It has been performed by celebrated Bulgarian singers such as Yulia Wiener, Blagovesta Karnobatlova, Krassimira Stoyanova, Nadia Krasteva and Alexandrina Pendatchanska.

Few music connoisseurs know, however, that ''The Blue-Eyed Girl'' played a significant role in the career of the legendary Gena Dimitrova. In her repertoire, Bulgarian works could be counted on the fingers of one hand. ''The Blue-Eyed Girl'' is linked to her very first success—the first prize and gold medal at the Fourth International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Sofia in 1970.

The recordings from the first and second rounds of that competition (April 1970) are particularly interesting. The young contestants were required to perform opera fragments and chamber miniatures with piano accompaniment. Gena Dimitrova sang arias from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino and Mozart’s Don Giovanni, songs by Richard Strauss and Sergei Rachmaninoff, as well as The Blue-Eyed Girl by Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin. Her performance, accompanied by the brilliant pianist Atanas Atanasov, is part of a priceless archive held exclusively by the Bulgarian National Radio. Applause can be heard at the end of the recording, because the popular opera competition allowed audiences to attend all rounds. After winning the gold medal in Sofia, Gena Dimitrova went on to win first prize at the competition in Treviso in 1972, followed by a specialization at Milan’s La Scala and a global career. Gena Dimitrova passed away on June 11, 2005. Two decades later, let us remember her with ''The Blue-Eyed Girl''.

Photos: BTA-archive; operasz.bg; archive