On stage, Biser Kirov almost always carried a guitar, a broad smile and the calm manner of a man in no hurry to prove anything. Audiences remember him for his voice, hat and songs, but behind the image of the popular variety singer stood an artist with an unusually broad journey – from the „Balkanton“ Orchestra to the grand stages of Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
Biser Kirov died on 6 November 2016 in Berlin at the age of 74. Ten years later, his name continues to be associated with songs such as „Youth“, „Saturday Against Sunday“, „Prayer“, „The Big House“, „Elegy“ and „Doves of Sofia“. News of his death was announced by his close friend and colleague Yordanka Hristova.
The Chance Encounter That Changed His Life
He was born on 4 September 1942 in Sofia. He graduated in journalism from Sofia University and later studied musical direction at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow. His professional career began in 1967, after composer Maurice Aladjem heard him sing a year earlier.
His first steps were with the „Balkanton“ Orchestra. From there began a career that gradually turned him into one of Bulgaria’s most widely travelled performers. Kirov gave more than 4,500 concerts across four continents, and for four seasons he was a soloist at Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast musical theatre.
Songs in Many Languages and Audiences Beyond Borders
There is an important distinction in the figures associated with Biser Kirov. As a composer, he recorded more than 300 of his own songs, while his repertoire included over 700 works by Bulgarian and foreign authors. He sang in Bulgarian, Russian, German, Czech, Polish, Spanish and other languages.
In 1978, he won the „Golden Orpheus“ competition with the song „Sonnet“. He released 15 long-playing records and 9 compact discs in Bulgaria and abroad, with their total circulation reported at more than 7 million copies. His records reached markets in the USSR, GDR, Poland, Cuba, Spain and the United States.
Music, however, was not his only occupation. From November 2006 to July 2010, Kirov served as cultural adviser at the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow. In 2009, he was awarded the title of „Merited Artist of the Russian Federation“.
The Man Behind the Stage Persona
Kirov did not speak of popularity merely as a success. In his autobiographical book „A Song of Gratitude“, published posthumously in 2017, he wrote:
„Freedom is at the foundation of thought. To me, freedom is the essence of a human being.“
This sentence also explains part of the performer’s character – curious about the world, connected to different cultures and, at the same time, deeply attached to Bulgaria. In the memories of his colleagues, he remains not only a singer with an international career, but also a man who maintained friendships, took an interest in young musicians and regarded the stage as a responsibility.
Ten years after his death, Biser Kirov is not merely a name from the history of Bulgarian popular music. He is a voice from a time when a song could cross a border faster than its performer – and remain there long after the concert had ended.
Sources: old-news.bnr.bg, bntnews.bg