Remembering Olga Borisova – The Madonna among Bulgaria’s folk stars

Throughout her lifetime, the folk singer Olga Borisova (28 June 1941 – 21 September 2021) was widely regarded as being born for the stage. She was admired for her magnificent voice, original repertoire, intelligence, refined artistic taste, captivating stage presence and exceptional physical beauty. Born in the small village of Zhilentsi, at the foot of the Osogovo Mountains, five kilometres west of the town of Kyustendil (Southwestern Bulgaria), the beautiful and bright Olga dreamed as a child of pursuing a career in the theatre. Years later, she recalled that there was not a day when she did not thank fate for the gift of being able to devote her entire life to Bulgarian folk song.

Her journey to the most prestigious stages of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa was remarkable. Immediately after graduating from secondary school in Kyustendil, she was invited to audition for the Folk Songs Ensemble of the Bulgarian National Radio. From the early 1960s, she became one of the Ensemble's leading soloists. The ensemble later continued its work under the name ''The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices''.

Olga Borisova recorded hundreds of songs from the Kyustendil region for Bulgarian National Radio and the Balkanton record label, and released several solo albums. Renowned Bulgarian composers created arrangements especially for her. She was the recipient of numerous prestigious national and international awards. In an interview for Bulgarian National Radio, when asked whether she preferred singing in Bulgaria or abroad, she replied:

"I love Bulgaria; I could not live without it… I had the opportunity to live outside Bulgaria and to work outside Bulgaria, but I realised that I could not do it. There are two kinds of Bulgarians. Some say: 'I am a citizen of the world', and they leave and feel at home everywhere. I have travelled to four continents so far, many times over, but every time I returned to Bulgaria, it was a true celebration for me. And whenever I stepped off the plane, I felt an overwhelming desire to kiss the ground. I swear this is the truth. I cannot live outside Bulgaria. I think that some people in Bulgaria do not realise how rich and how beautiful our folklore is. But it was on the world's stages that I came to understand this. I am talking about my travels with ''The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices''. We have performed in the greatest concert halls in the world. It was there that I understood the power and beauty carried by our folklore."

On the occasion of the 85th anniversary of Olga Borisova’s birth, in a special interview for Radio Bulgaria, the renowned folk performer, researcher, producer and journalist Daniel Spasov, who was a close friend of the singer for decades, recalls:

"Everyone who had seen her and experienced the charm and brilliance of her voice also admired her appearance. She truly resembled a young woman from the paintings of Vladimir Dimitrov- The Master. In the past, when musical analyses were written about her, they would often use the phrase: 'songs like the paintings of the Master.' This comparison sometimes irritated her quite a lot. She would say: 'I am tired of this cliché comparison', but it really was true", says Daniel Spasov and adds: 

"She was very different… They were all very vivid personalities, but she stood out with an individuality that was quite unique. She possessed an extraordinarily broad knowledge and a wide range of interests. What distinguished her, besides her beautiful appearance, was the breadth of her interests — she read Bulgarian and world literature. Her secret passion was esotericism; she could quote Rudolf Steiner, Helena Blavatsky and Nicholas Roerich in detail, with profound knowledge…Poetry! She recited it so beautifully — poems by Elisaveta Bagryana, Stanka Pencheva, Dora Gabe, Dzhagarov… She was interested in theatre and painting. She had a passion for reading, for constant self-education, and for continual personal growth and self-improvement."

Those who knew Olga Borisova remember her as a broad-minded person who embraced life fully and gave herself wholeheartedly to others. At the same time, she was a spiritually refined personality, endowed with remarkable intellect and wisdom. But Daniel Spasov certainly does not want to leave out one more thing: "She was a woman who was greatly admired and courted. That appearance of hers! She knew her own worth, but she never exploited it; she handled it with such subtlety and grace. She maintained a connection with the great Argentine writer Alfredo Varela, who saw her at one of the international writers' meetings and was so captivated by her that he knelt before her and said: 'Before your beauty, I bow — and before the beauty of Bulgaria as well! May I have your address?' From all corners of the world, she received postcards from him dedicated to her… Later, she was courted by a great American artist. At her request, I should not mention his name. He even came to our final tour in the United States in 2008. He came to Washington, where ''The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices'' had a concert with Bobby McFerrin, specifically because of her. But she never took advantage of such things."

"I regard her and her generation as my spiritual teachers", Daniel Spasov concludes. "They cultivated in us a taste for traditional old-style folk culture. Olga used to say: 'Every song is a separate work of art. Each one must be approached individually; the text must be reconsidered, different versions must be explored, and the best one — the essence — must be selected.' Many singers and musicians have embraced this spiritual example, and in that sense, she may truly be called a Teacher."

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov