A new album of Lyubka Rondova and Gotse Deltchev Ensemble 

Any major event in Bulgarian history has invariably provided inspiration to the country’s celebrated songs. All great heroes have been given intransient song monuments deeply embedded in the audio memory of the nation. The latest album of the Gotse Deltchev Ensemble provides a selection of little known songs dedicated to the First Balkan War of 1912-1913. Albena Bezovska reports.

The idea for the album Songs from the Balkan War came from folk singer Lyubka Rondova and from composer Nikola Vaklinov. The producer of the recordings is the Bulgarian National Radio. All songs are performed by the orchestra, the choir and soloists of the Gotse Deltchev Ensemble based in Sofia. For more details Albena Bezovska talked to Lyubka Rondova. 

© Photo: ilialukov.com

“Before telling you about the new album I should like to give my best regards to Radio Bulgaria’s listeners across the globe, from Australia to Canada. I think that songs provide a veritable chronicle of historical events. They accentuate however the emotional aspect of major events conveying the pain of loss, as well as the powerful drive for freedom that motivated Bulgarians 100 years ago. The Balkan War was a patriotic one waged for the unification of the Bulgarian ethnic territories. In the aftermath of Bulgaria’s Liberation from Turkish rule in 1878 large territories with predominantly Bulgarian population remained under the Turkish administration. The lyrics for the songs were created in the spoken tongue of the time, and we can find some ancient words in them. They hymn the feat of the heroes in the battle of Bulair and the great military skill of Bulgarian generals. I am happy, as with this album we go back to the heroism of people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Mother Bulgaria. I am happy that some descendants of the heroes have supported our project. We have got vital support from the heirs of rebel Todor Alexander and of Gen. Ratcho Petrov. The songs in the album are separated by text excerpts that provide a brief account of the events during the Balkan War. As a singer I am happy to team up with my folk ensemble. For more than 30 years I worked for Gotse Deltchev ensemble as soloist and philologist. We are very grateful to composer Nikola Vaklinov for the brilliant arrangements that he made”, Lyubka Rondova said.  

The songs that hymn battles and heroes were sung on family and public occasions. And the melodies that they were based on were borrowed from folklore. Created in the early 20 c., they have captured the intonation characteristics of their time. Here is one example: the song A Black Raven Flies Above Me set on a nice waltz theme.  The song recounts a ghastly story. Lyubka Rondova explains:

“All songs are quite moving. For instance Fighting Stops, Calms Down is about the Bulgarian cavalry that after the battle was over, moved on to the next position. One of the soldiers stopped at the grave of his brother and then goes on. A Black Raven Flies Above Me conveys the grief of a girl who lost her sweetheart. When he left for the war she gave him a ring. A raven who flew over from Bulair brought a piece of a human hand on which the girl saw the same ring.” 

The song Wretched Balkan War is about a soldier who comes back from the war and meets his fiancé. The voice partnering with Lyubka Rondova is of Krastyo Atanasov, one of the young soloists of the Gotse Delchev Ensemble. 

“The songs that we present recount of the battles in the Thracian Valley”, says the artistic director of the Gotse Delchev Ensemble Maria Nedkova. The battle for Edirne, and other battles commanded by Radko Dimitriev, Gen. Savov and others. Their melodies are strictly urban including waltz patterns. The entire team of Gotse Delchev Ensemble worked very hard for the album. We are happy that our soloist Krastyo Atanasov had the chance of singing with great Lyubka Rondova. The combination of their voices has turned out quite interesting. Now we plan to record an album about the Second Balkan War  of 1913. I hope to attract  more young people for the cause." 

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova