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Interview with Lyubimka Bisserov of
The Bisserov Sisters

Part Two

March 2003

Part two of our interview with Lyubimka Bisserov, from the Bisserov Sisters who this year are celebrating 25 years of singing together professionally. 

March 2003

Ian Morrison (IM) At what point in your early career do you recall as being an important turning point in the recognition of your talent, both in Bulgaria and worldwide?

Lyubimka Bisserov (LB) In 1978 won a National competition in Bulgaria to find the singers who would represent the country at the World Youth Festival in Cuba. After Cuba we also won a competition to join the National Filip Kutev Ensemble in Sofia.

(IM) Can you tell me if you have played at the folk festival in Koprivshtitsa?

(LB) The Koprivshtitsa festival is exclusively for amateur groups from all over Bulgaria and because we turned professional very early in our career, we never had the opportunity to perform there. But I have represented authentic amateur folk groups myself and led their performances at the festival.

(IM) How did you came to join the successful 'Mystere de Voix Bulgar' choir? Who else in your family was also in this or other choirs?

(LB) The Mystere is the commercial name for the combined singers of the Radio Sofia Choir, Filip Kutev Choir (with whom we worked for 15 years), another Ensemble and invited soloists. Marcel Salliere coined the name 'Le Mystere des Voix Bulgar' for three albums he made. The Sofia Radio Choir adopted, with permission, the name Le Mystere for their performances. Mitra was in 'Cosmic Voices' for a while, Neda in the Gotse Delchev Ensemble and we were all in Grande Voce Bulgara for a few years.

(IM) How were the large choirs organised and arranged?

(LB) Filip Kutev Choir consisted of 45 to 50 singers equally divided between first, second and third voices; the biggest folk singing choir in Bulgaria. The repertoire was taken from all the different regions with their characteristic rhythms and lyrics.


(5) The orchestra of the Bisserov Sisters
left to right:
Lyubo - bagpipe, kaval
Rossen - tupan
Bobby - gadulka
Manol - tambura

(IM) You now include the next generation of the Bisserov family on your recordings, can you tell me something about them?

(LB) The children start to play in the National Childrens Palace of Culture. My two sons, Manol and Rosen, and Mitra's two daughters, Vera and Rositsa, learnt the traditional instruments, tambura and tupan. Being all the time with us, they began to learn our repertoire, much as we learnt from our mother and her sisters. We started to perform together from the early 1990s in Bulgaria and then Neda's daughter, Gergana, joined our family ensemble for our recordings. We have traveled with our children, time to time, since 1993.

(IM) In the past you must have worked with many great musicians, can you tell me who were your favourites and who impressed you? I know that you have worked with the excellent Theodossi Spassov and Trio Karadzhovska, what did they bring to your repertoire?

(LB) The greatest musicians we worked with, during our 1984 tour in Austria, and will always be in our memory were the gaida player Kostadin Varimesov, gadulka player Micheil Marinov , tambura player Rumen Sirakov, tupan player 'Jimmy' Vasil Ognyanov and the kaval player Stoyan Velichkov. And we were lucky to work with Theodossi Spassov. The Sisters were also very impressed by the Trio Bulgarka when we worked with them and Nadka Karajova. The strictly traditional nature of our repertoire means it is not influenced by other performers, but we do use composers to give different interpretations.

(IM) The Bisserov Sisters are currently celebrating 25 years of performing together what have been your highlights over this period? Any favourite songs?

(LB) Highlights: our first recordings for the National Radio Sofia (1978), travelling to Cuba for the competition, our first trips to Japan, Australia, Canada, USA and our selection for inclusion on the compilation CD 'Global Divas' (1995). Favourite songs: Bre Varay Ludo, Oi te Pile and Devoiko balno li ti e.

(IM) Your family now organise two annual folk holidays, can you explain what this is all about?

(LB) We would like to give people the opportunity of not only enjoying our Bulgarian hospitality and beautiful scenery, but combine their time with the chance to learn our traditional songs and dances in an authentic atmosphere. The traditional folklore of Bulgaria and especially the Pirin area is alive and thriving and by offering an all-inclusive package, incorporating Bulgaria's most famous Spring and Autumn festivals, we provide a simple way for people to enjoy our traditional culture.


(6) The Bisserov Sisters with Family tamburas orhestra

(IM) You now live in the UK, so how often do you visit Bulgaria?

(LB) I am happy that my husband is very understanding and I am able to travel quite often back to Bulgaria, usually four times a year, and around the world for our performances.

(IM) Can you tell me something about the various CDs you have now released on your own label:

(LB) 'The Hits of the Bisserov Sisters Vol 1, Music from the Pirin Region'
Recorded as a promotional CD showcasing many of the songs we often perform when on tour in various parts of the world.

(Three generations) 'From The Roots To The Top'
Recorded to preserve live performances from our mother and her sisters. And a great opportunity to include contributions from the next generation of the Bisserovs.

'The Favourite Macedonian Songs'
In some ways, a 'party' CD, in that it contains many of the favourite songs and dances loved by the Bulgarian people whenever they make a celebration of any kind!

(IM) Last year you embarked on a fifty day tour of the US, how did this go?

(LB) It was our first tour in the US and so very exciting for our group which included the Sisters, my son Rosen (drum and vocals), Mitra's daughter Vera (tambura and vocals) and two guest musicians. We started with the Chicago International Folk Festival, passing through Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maine and Washington DC. As you can imagine, it was a very heavy schedule, but exciting nonetheless and the audiences were enthralled by our acoustic performances. We ran several very popular workshops, showing our dance and singing techniques. But we did have the chance to relax a little and do some sight-seeing, visiting the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and New England in the fall.

(IM) This summer I believe you will be making a tour of the UK, who is coming over from Bulgaria?

(LB) Usually, just the Sisters perform in the UK, but this year, our 25th anniversary year, we will be accompanied by Mitra's daughters, Vera and Rositsa, and Neda's daughter, Gegana. Maybe, in the future, my sons, Manol and Rosen, will join us to perform as the Bisserov Family 
Orchestra!

(IM) What future projects do you have in store?

(LB) In April we will all go to Benevento, Italy before a trip to Slovenia. After the UK tour, we return to Bulgaria to rehearse and record a new CD and arrange our August singing and dancing workshop holiday. I am currently finishing my new book about the 25 years of the sisters performing together. In the Autumn we hope to visit the UK again before some major engagements back in Bulgaria.


End

Special thanks are due to Lyubimka and Dr. Bob Gough

Part one of this interview this way >> 

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