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The renowned accordionist Dimitar Angelov, who turned 80: ˮMusic is my dream come trueˮ

Photo: personal library

Music and only music is the biography of the famous musician Dimitar Angelov. He is inspired by Thracian folk music, urban folklore, sound recording and all things connected to music. A virtuoso accordionist, he is a soloist of the traditional Thracian horo dance repertoire of the Assenovgrad Folk Group, and its leader. He founded the ensemble in 1965. He is also one of the musicians of the unique harmonica quartet ˮRodolyubieˮ, which is sensational with its unusual sound. The festive mood and splendor are characteristic of his instrumental work.

Born on September 3, 1942 in the village of Chalakovi, he has made numerous guest appearances in Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Cyprus, and he has worked with the famous singers Kalinka Valcheva, Elena Gramatikova, Irina Tracheva, Ivanka Angelova and others.


The musician has won many prestigious awards at various festivals and competitions in the genre of urban folklore with his band "Magical Melodies".

The Macedonian song also falls within his musical scope - he is the leader of the Choir of the Macedonian Society ˮDimo  Hadzhidimovˮ in Asenovgrad. He made his first recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio collection in 1966. He has a rich discography as an accordionist and author of arrangements included in numerous albums.

For Radio Bulgaria Dimitar Angelov says:

ˮThe accordion... I was fascinated by it, I got hooked on it through my brother Angel Angelov, who is 5 years older. He was an instrumentalist in the Assenovgrad brass band. His teacher had also taught him to play the accordion. I was so into this instrument that I couldn't sleep. When he came back for the holidays, I was glued to him to listen to him play the accordion. He started showing me how to play it. So my brother was my first and last teacher.

The only thing I've done my whole life is music. It was my only dream, my only desire. Everything else that wasn't music-related was a burden for me. In 1993, I recorded a CD which was a novelty at the time. I also made recordings in Radio Sofia. The most important thing for me is that I recorded an album with the great singer Kostadin Gugov, his last before he passed away from this world. He came to my home, stayed for 10 days. We brainstormed, we thought everything over and over again, but in the end we came up with wonderful recordings that turned out to be a great success and a treasure for generations to come."


Dimitar Angelov also talked about his son Rumen Angelov's participation in the production of the albums:

ˮHe gave me guidance as I was not proficient on the computer. He showed me the programs I am working with, I am eternally grateful to him. My son is a very good musician and arranger.

You see, my whole life is about music. This is my dream come true - I wish it for everyone.

People respect me for what I do. They made me an honorary citizen of Assenovgrad. I am satisfied with my music career.  I hope that around November 1, together with colleagues, we will celebrate my anniversary."

We wish Dimitar Angelov good health and many more wonderful concerts!




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