Neli Andreeva’s new album “The only one” will be presented tonight, at 7.30 at Sofia Live Club. Most of the songs in it were written by guitarist Nikolay Peev. Alongside the recording artists, the album also features the singers from the Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble, the Nousha vocal formation and soloists from the Bulgarian National Radio’s Folk Music Orchestra.

Neli Andreeva is a renowned folk singer, soloist and choir master of the Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble; for the past year she has been artistic director of the Nousha vocal formation. Fans of Bulgarian folk music invariably associate her name with the song Malka moma (Little girl) which has come to be her calling card. The song was written by Neli Andreeva herself and Georgi Genov, conductor of the Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble. The video has been watched in the social networks by millions of fans from all over the world. A national TV company from Japan even came to Bulgaria to make a film about the story of Malka moma. Neli has recorded several CDs. Some time ago, we presented Neli Andreeva’s solo album Galiam, galiam, featuring beautiful songs from the Rhodope folklore region. But few people know that the talented performer sometimes crosses over into “alien territory” – other musical styles. She has been composing songs for years and often writes the lyrics to them. That is how the idea for “The only one” came about.

“This is a project I have always wanted to do – a blend of pop, ethno and folk music,” Neli says. “Seven of the songs were composed by Nikolay, he also did the arrangements. He wrote the beautiful classical guitar accompaniment to a folk song from the Strandja region – Nedelyo, nedelyo, also included in the CD. I would like to thank Prof. Elena Kouteva, chief artistic director of the Philip Koutev Ensemble and conductor Georgi Genov for taking the project to heart. I had never even dreamt that the presentation of this album would mean performing Malka moma to an audience in all of its splendour. The song we invited Nousha for is Kriva koza (Crooked goat) – a song that became very popular even before we started recording the album.”

Kriva koza is the result of Nikolay Peev’s first venture into folklore. Peev graduated classical guitar at the Pancho Vladigerov National Music Academy, he is also winner of several national competitions. He has been a member of different pop and rock bands, notably Acoustica.

“I met Neli Andreeva in 1998,” Nikolay remembers. “We were recording at the same studio. About a year ago she called me up and asked me to do the arrangement for one of the songs she had written. Until just one year ago, I was categorical I would never write folk music. Not that I don’t enjoy traditional music, but I thought I didn’t know enough about it. But when I came in close contact with Bulgarian folklore, I was struck by its beauty. And that was how it all began. To my immense surprise, the song I wrote for Nousha became very popular. As a composer, I have written dozens of pieces for classical guitar, for classical guitar and orchestra, songs… But none of them has ever been grown to be so popular. The album’s style cannot be described in a word, because it is a blend of many and different genres. I would say it is in the “Neli Andreeva” style. It is an expression of her own sense of music and I have endeavoured to look in the same direction.”

The artists Neli and Nikolay worked with on this project are Emil Tasev, drums and Ivan Nestorov, bass guitar. For the concert programme they will be joined by Kalina Andreeva, double bass, Stamen Yanev, piano, Atanas Hadjiev, saxophone, Ivan Tsonkov, percussion and Violeta Petkova, rebec.

English version: Milena Daynova