Yavorova Prolet- the first winner of BNR’s Spring Song Contest

At the beginning of 1970, the Bulgarian National Radio launched a new music competition aimed at inspiring local artists to create high-quality pop and rock songs. Today, the annual Spring music contest for new Bulgarian pop and rock music is one of Bulgaria’s most prestigious forums for composers, lyricists and performers. A special jury of music editors, journalists, sound engineers and producers from the Bulgarian National Radio evaluates the participants. Today, nominated and award-winning authors and performers have the opportunity to record new productions, hold a concert in Studio No 1 of the BNR, and the Grand Prize includes a participation in the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in the Netherlands.

The first edition of the Spring Radio Contest for new Bulgarian pop and rock music was held in March 1970. The rankings were largely determined by the opinions of listeners, who voted by mail. The public showed great interest, sending in over 1,800 letters with feedback on the 15 competing songs. The winner was “Yavorova Prolet” – a cheerful miniature featuring an engaging melody and a skillful arrangement by Svetozar Rusinov.

The poetic text by Dimitar Tochev praises a majestic sycamore maple, admired by the forest, the mountains, the birds, the sun, and the wind. At the time, composer Svetozar Rusinov was 37 years old and a saxophonist in the BNR Big Band. He had graduated from the National Academy of Music in clarinet, but while still a student, he began playing saxophone in the orchestra of the Sofia State Circus. From 1963, he worked in the BNR Big Band, frequently performing as a soloist.

In the 1960s, Svetozar Rusinov became popular as a composer of lyrical songs. His earliest works, “Obicham te” (“I Love You”) and “Srebarni Yata” (“Silver Flocks”), performed by Yordanka Hristova and Georgi Minchev, gained popularity with their moving melodies. In 1967, the song “Sozopolska Prispivna”, with lyrics by Bogomil Gudev and interpreted delicately by Georgi Kordov, was awarded second prize at the “Golden Orpheus” International Festival.

A year later, Svetozar Rusinov and the famed quartet “Do-re-mi-fa” – the first female vocal group in Bulgarian pop music – received the Sofia Award for “Sofiyska Zlatna Esen” (Sofia Golden Autumn), with lyrics by Georgi Bakalov. The success of this popular song, performed by four attractive young women, likely inspired the composer to create “Yavorova Prolet” for a female trio. The choice of performers secured a decisive victory at the Spring Radio Contest.

The three young stars of the Bulgarian music scene – Pasha Hristova, Maria Neykova, and Mimi Ivanova – were so talented, beautiful, vocally strong and charismatic, that they effortlessly outshone their renowned colleagues: Margarita Radinska, Mimi Nikolova, Kosta Karageorgiev, Biser Kirov, Boris Gudzhunov, and even the quartet “Do-re-mi-fa”.

Interestingly, in the same edition of the competition, Mimi Ivanova also participated solo with the song “Kato Proletta” (“Like the Spring”) by Toncho Rusev and Damyan Damyanov, and in 1973 she won first place with “Proleten Dazhd” (“Spring Rain”) by Nayden Andreev and Dimitar Kerelezov.

The dazzling “Yavorova Prolet” turned the three performers into genuine stars. Just a few months later, the phenomenal Pasha Hristova triumphed at the “Golden Orpheus” International vocal competition and song contest, winning the Grand Prize with the song “Povey Vetre” (“Blow, Wind”) by Yosif Tsankov and first prize for “Edna Balgarska Roza” (A Bulgarian Rose) by Dimitar Valchev.

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov