The soprano Lilyana Bareva (1922-2007) is part of the history of Bulgarian opera art from the second half of the 20th century not only with her magnificent opera reincarnations, but also as a stylish and sophisticated chamber performer. After graduating in the class of the renowned Professor Lyudmila Prokopova, she had the chance to begin her creative career in 1943 at the Sofia Art Opera Theatre after a contest. Three years later, in 1946 she was already a part of the troupe of the Sofia Opera, where she debuted as Violetta Valéri in La traviata – a major role in her opera career, with 200 performances mainly at the Sofia Opera. “I sang this role season after season, participated in various productions, changed costumes and wigs, helped young and inexperienced partners. I lived and suffered with Violetta Valéry for over 30 seasons! The Sofia audience loved my Traviata and with stormy cheering applause incited me always to be different and search for a new ornament in every performance, to intensify different shades and escape from the routine. To appear on the stage with the awareness that something new lay before me, something inexperienced, full of beauty… Over the years, I convinced myself that it is quite possible to surprise the audience on the same stage, to suggest unfamiliar paths, and to imperceptibly reveal them with love and inspiration.” The director at that time was the great Bulgarian composer Lyubomir Pipkov. He had esteem for her talent and enrolled her in the Opera Studios of the director Ilia Ivanov, where she had the opportunity to work with conductor Asen Dimitrov and prominent pedagogues. This was followed by busy creative seasons, with many performances, premieres and tours in Europe. She had more than 30 soprano parties in her repertoire from operas of various epochs and styles, which she performed brilliantly at every performance at the Sofia Opera. She also toured with participations at the Berlin State Opera but did not accept a permanent position there. Her roles in Bulgarian operas are also still remembered: Pipkov’s Yana’s Nine Brothers, P. Hadjiev’s Lud Gidia, Veselin Stoyanov’s Hitar Petar. Her partners included the magnificent Petar Raichev, Pavel Gerdjikov, Nicola Ghiuselev, Yulia Kiradzhieva and many others.
Along with her intense participation in opera productions, Lilyana Bareva also devoted her time to chamber music – an art that was difficult and less known in Bulgaria at that time. As early as 1953, she began working on a repertoire with the pianist Peter Shtabekov and their first concert took place in 1957. For a period of over thirty years, they prepared more than 400 songs from Bach, Mozart, Haydn, the German Romantics and works by Bulgarian composers. Some of the composers dedicated their works to the duo. They had hundreds of concerts in Bulgaria and abroad, and everywhere they received high appraisal for their art from both the audience and the critics.
Lilyana Bareva’s achievements and contributions to Bulgarian culture were highly valued – with state awards, orders, titles and various honours, including Stara Planina, first degree, which is the highest order in Bulgaria.