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We present to you folklore singer Kichka Savova

Photo: Архив
For decades now the folklore singer Kichka Savova has brought joy to the fans of the Bulgarian folklore with her beautiful Thracian voice. There are different songs with various metric and musical structure. Many of those are unknown to the audience but are a true fortune, according to specialists. Stay tuned through the next minutes and you will listen to merry chain dance melodies, an ancient ballad and also the interview with the singer, given specially for Radio Bulgaria. The following recording was made back in the 60s and was among the first ones with the Bulgarian National radio /BNR/.

Kichka Savova left her native village in South-Eastern Bulgaria at the age of 14. She moved to the town of Stara Zagora with all those valuable songs that she had learned since early age. 

“I know my songs from my parents – Mrs Savova says. My mother used to sing very well and so did my father. My grandmothers knew many songs. My parents came from the village of Sladun in the district of Svilengrad. They were refugees from Eastern Thrace. My ancestors were from a village near the town of Edirne. The entire family settled in 1913 a few miles away from the Turkish border. I moved to Stara Zagora in 1951. I went at a hearing in the radio and was offered to make recordings at once. The team of the radio supported me through it all – I settled in the town, studied and worked there. That was the time when I recorded “Nadnikna Radka”, “Iovke le, uzundzhovke” and a few more songs that became famous afterwards. Then I started to participate in live shows. I supported myself with my job as a singer while studying. I am very grateful to the team of Radio Stara Zagora for everything that they did for me then. Today I still feel at home there.”

Listen now to one of the recent recordings of Kichka Savova. The song “Chula sam, liube, razbrala” is one of the ancient ones in her repertoire. The arrangement is modern and has been made by the famous Todor Prashtakov. The performance is accompanied by his orchestra.

There are many singers and musicians that Kichka has worked with.

“I have worked mostly with the orchestra of Kosta Kolev, who has also arranged many of my songs – the singer says. – Panayot Yanev is also one of the persons that have helped me reach the hearts of the audience. He created the “Zagore” ensemble in 1955 and I helped him too. I have also recorded in the BNR with composers Anastas Naumov and Stefan Kanev that managed the Folk Music Orchestra. I have recorded almost 40 songs through the past years with the orchestra of the famous accordion player Todor Prashtakov. He was a wonderful person to work with. Along with my recording activities, I have traveled around ten years throughout Bulgaria together with famous folklore singers, such as Magdalena Morarova, Magda Poushkarova and Ivan Panovski. I was an art director of groups at the Amateur Art Center too. I really enjoy working with children and I still prepare talented Bulgarian kids for their education at music schools. The slow Thracian songs are very beautiful but difficult to perform. And I say to the kids that I want to teach them in a manner that will make them better singers than me.”

Let’s listen now to one of the ancient ballads in the repertoire of Kichka Savova, but with the modern arrangement of Todor Prashtakov. 

Kichka Savova has traveled to Italy, Russia, Greece and many other European and Asian states as a soloist of the “Zagore” ensemble. Kichka Savova sang at a great concert on her own in 2001, invited by the Istanbul national radio and television. The concert was dedicated to the Thracian song. Mrs Savova presented then her student – the young performer Darina Slavcheva. Listen now to the “Iovke le, uzundzhovke” song – recorded again in the 60s.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev
По публикацията работи: Albena Bezovska


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