Anyone travelling to the Rhodope Mountains knows that the experience, with its unforgettable sights, sounds and scents, leaves a lasting memory. But what really makes this mountain so majestic are the people and their songs. The sound of the bagpipe, the songs sung by the people here invariably touch the hearts of anyone visiting these parts.

Our Song of the Day Sonyo, ti moy Sonyo transports us to the Rhodopes. Its lyrics are a powerful confession of love, as are most songs from these parts. It is performed by an emblematic name from the Rhodopes – singer Boyka Prisadova, whose career was launched when she won a gold medal at the first Rozhen folklore festival in 1961. After graduating from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the singer joined the legendary Philip Kutev folklore ensemble. Later, Boyka Prisadova came to head other song ensembles which earned her popularity and recognition.

Boyka Prisadova passed away on 27 January, 2017. Throughout her diverse musical career, she has earned many awards, but there is one that is particularly precious and important – in 1991, at the 16^th international radio competition in Bratislava, Slovakia, Boyka Prisadova won the Golden Prize, considered by experts to be the folklore Oscar of Europe. In 1991, the media gave coverage to this success, with Boyka Prisadova’s photograph on the front pages of Europe’s newspapers and magazines.

Here is the song which touched the hearts of audiences around the world 32 whole years ago – Sonyo, ti moy Sonyo. The arrangement for soloist, choir and bagpipe is by Stefan Dragostinov.