Todor Zhivkov to 1988, Bulgaria won an unprecedented 153 Olympic medals and numerous European and world competitions in sports as diverse as volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics and wrestling. Dissent was punished under Zhivkov's rule. The CSS was a feared tool of control, and overt opposition largely stayed underground until the late 1980s. In 1978, the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated in London by an agent who stabbed him with an umbrella tip which implanted a very small ricin ball. According to former KGB general Oleg Kalugin, this was requested by Zhivkov and either performed by the KGB or it assisted the CSS;
In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra similar concerts were also performed in Tokyo, and were released as part of the "Soundboard Series" box set. Released in 1999. In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra (also cited as "In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Paul Mann") is a live album and DVD by the British hard rock Deep Purple, recorded on 25–26 September 1999 at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the London Symphony Orchestra, and released on 8 February 2000 on Eagle Records. The album was a project started in 1999 by keyboardist Jon Lord,