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Bisser Kirov, one of Bulgaria’s pop music legends, dies at 74

Photo: BTA

The impressive creative and performing career of Bisser Kirov is full of concerts over half a century. He was one of the most loved pop singers across Eastern Europe. Kirov worked with dozens of leading names on the Bulgarian and the international music scene, and will remain in people's hearts with songs like "Teenager", "Saturday to Sunday," “Pigeons of Sofia" "Prayer," "The Big House," "Elegy" and many other works that relate to the Bulgarian emotionality and traditions.

Bisser Kirov teamed up with some of the greatest Bulgarian poets and composers. His partners on stage included Georgi Minchev, Yordanka Hristova, Karel Gott, Dean Reed, Udo Jurgens, Dusty West, Elena Burke, Roy Orbison, Alla Pugacheva, Roy Clark, Dagmar Frederic, Don Williams, Joseph Kobzon, Czesław Niemen, Sofia Rotaru and many others.

Bisser Kirov’s career as vocalist started in 1967 with the Balkanton Orchestra. He gave over 4500 concerts in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. For four seasons he was soloist in Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin. For eighteen years Kirov was among the most popular foreign singers in the former GDR. As a composer he had recordings of over 300 original songs in Bulgarian, Russian, German, Czech, Polish, Spanish and other languages. He had rich discography with a total circulation of more than 7 million copies. Bisser Kirov recorded more than 700 songs by Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, German and English composers. He was winner of countless awards and accolades.

In the last years of his life the singer lived in Russia. From 2006 to 2010 he held the position of advisor on culture at the Embassy of Bulgaria in Moscow. The musicians’ community of Bulgaria has lost a great artist. RIP. 


English Daniela Konstantinova

 





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