At the end of November, Hall No. 1 of the National Palace of Culture turned out to be narrow for all who wanted to hear favorite Bulgarian popular songs.

The audience applauded for a long time some of the most famous native performers and formations. The occasion this time was not a concert of a specific band or singer, but the birthday anniversary of a person who wrote many of the best lyrics for Bulgarian pop music – Zhivko Kolev. This summer he celebrated his 65th birthday. And a few months later, it became the occasion for a great holiday for him, for the singers and the audience. Author of the lyrics of more than 1000 popular, children's and humorous songs, Zhivko Kolev is one of the creators of the humorous trio “UFO”, and wrote the lyrics of 107 of their songs. He has produced over 30 albums of Bulgarian artists. Songs performed by the Riton Duet, by Vasil Naydenov, by Sylvia Katsarova and the band LZ are just some of his compositions that can still be heard on the radio and which will remain part of the Bulgarian music treasury.

“I have been having this idea for more than twenty years and most of the songs that were performed at the concert at the National Palace of Culture were created 30-35 years ago,” Zhivko Kolev says. “I was thinking about doing something like that for my 50th birthday. But back then, there was no such tradition – music or text writers doing their own concerts. This was reserved territory only for the singers, which is normal because they are the ‘face’ of the song. And people don't know us by name - they remember the name of the artist, not the author of the song. A day before Christmas Eve, my birthday concert will be broadcast on BNT. Organizing the event was my task, which turned out to be quite difficult. I was engaged with the whole process, but despite the tension, I was calm inside, as the songs that were included in the program were hits and this was an occasion to fill the hall to the brim. I personally invited the singers one by one and together with each one we made the choice of the songs. On the stage presenter Dragomir Draganov read a very moving letter from the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rumen Radev. During the concert I recited a poem of mine and it produces a very sentimental atmosphere for me and the audience.”

The concert "My Unforgettable Songs" included singers Vasil Naydenov, Silvia Katsarova, Riton Duet, The Signal, Iliya Angelov, Margarita Hranova, The Trick, Panayot Panayotov, bands "Tangra", "Tram No. 5" and "Tonika Domini", as well as Vasil Chergov and Svetoslav Loboshki, as well as Sofia Ivanova together with Yanka Rupkina.

I am grateful to them - everyone's performance was a gift to me, i.e. everyone sang for free. I read some of the reviews about me and the event and I sometimes wondered if it was really about me or not. It really was a great holiday for the soul,” Zhivko Kolev said in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov