The Nation on Stage: Illusion by Krassimir Avramov

 

Illusion, by Krassimir Avramov, which was chosen to represent Bulgaria in Eurovision Song Contest 2009, is “микс между поп опера, фолклор и характерни вокали” [a mix between pop opera, folklore and characteristic vocals] (Весела Шаранкова, 2008). He sings in the paper style, which is a high, operatic falsetto has a unique singing style for both Avramov and the backing singers. The backing track utilizes synths for an EDM feel. Avramov’s voice is strained, likely due to the strenuous practices from the day. The backing vocals drown out the instrumental. There is a dramatic portion with drums and Avramov sings in his trademark voice. The lyrics are very simple and repetitive, the focus of the song is meant to be on the novelty voice. The drum style is unique, with an older sound which contrasts the synths in the backing track. The singing of the second to lead singer, Petya Buyklieva, is very breathy and often overpowers Avramov.

Eurovision Performance

Illusion, sung by Krassimir Avramov, with the backing vocalists Petya Buyklieva, Anna Lozanova, and Albena Veskova. They represent a couple singing a love song together, with Avramov representing the man and the three backing singers representing the woman at various points. The two dancers who are on stilts are also a representation of the couple. The narrative of the song is simple. The couple needs each other because they are in love. It feels wrong, perhaps due to trauma of past relationships, but they still want to be with each other. The genre does not connect much with the lyrics, however the style of singing and the “popera” genre does make the song novelty. The lighting and background are very literal, with the clock mirroring the lyrics “give me, give me your time / show me, show me you’re mine.” The fire on the screen behind the performers represents burning passion. The flute and drums match the popera genre and Avramov’s singing style, however the synths are an unusual choice. They, along with the quick tempo, make it more modern than a classic opera performance. Picking a vocally difficult song is hard on the singer under the best of circumstances, but especially in Eurovision, due to the number of times it needs to be practiced the same day of the performance. The popera genre was a bold choice, and novelty songs do generally do well in ESC, but the absurdity of the vocals and instrumentals, plus the struggle to be heard over the backing singers by Avramov destroys the performance.

National Identity?

Illusion has no ties to Bulgaria’s national identity through vocals or audio in general. The costumes, even, do not fit Bulgaria’s traditions. Avramov’s tunic is reminiscent of medieval western Europe, and the other performers are dressed in what appears to be a simulation or appropriation of Middle Eastern dance clothing and costumes, though no specific culture is obvious. The stilts are associated with many cultures, including Spain, China, and West Africa, but do not hold significance in Bulgaria (Orange Web Studio, 2019). Even the genre, Avramov’s unique blend of pop and opera to suit his unique voice, is not culturally significant. Opera did not come to Bulgaria until the late 1870s (Bulgarian Opera – a History). Overall, there is little to no connection to Bulgaria’s national identity in this performance.

Historical Context

Though the song is incredibly simple both lyrically and visually, the simplicity of the song was fitting due to the turbulence of Bulgaria’s political situation at the time. Bulgaria was under pressure by the European Union, after joining the in 2007, to reduce corruption and organized crime and continuing to fail to do so (BBC News, 2018). Sending such a simple, apolitical song to Eurovision was a safer bet than bringing a charged song, for fear of upsetting or alienating themselves from the European Union and (western) Europe as a whole.

The genre does not connect with the lyrics either, however the style of singing adds novelty to the song. The instruments, synth, drums, and flute, make sense in the popera genre. The lyrics and background of the performance connect in a simple way, just to represent love and time together with clocks and fire.

Audience Reception

Illusion feels like you walked in on something private and leaves many audiences uncomfortable. The breathy, strained singing of Avramov and Buyklieva especially make for an uncomfortable viewing experience. The flashy costumes don’t add or take away anything from the performance, but they don’t seem to math the brownish silver tunic on Avramov. There is little harmony throughout the performance.

Novelty songs typically are well-remembered in Eurovision and frequently score well. They are considered novelty when the presentation, musical style, or talent is used to present something unusual or different (Chalkley, E. 2017). Despite hitting multiple points of novelty, the stilts dancing and the singing style, Illusion misses the mark for a good novelty song. Avramov clearly wanted to make his mark on the Eurovision stage but failed to do so, and only lives on as a small handful of fan’s “guilty pleasures.” (Vandi, E. 2021)

Conclusion

Krassimir Avramov submitted a simple novelty love song for Eurovision 2009, and even though he had received praise and awards for his unique singing voice in the past, it did not aid him in ESC (European Broadcasting Union). His song did not represent Bulgaria in any way reminiscent of its National Identity, and audiences did not enjoy the song, or at least the live performance, at all. The attempt at novelty is noticeable but did not land and leaves Avramov on stage performing an unusual, uncomfortable show.

References

BBC News. (2018, May 22). Bulgaria profile - timeline. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17205431

Bulgarian operas. (n.d.). AE 220 Bulgarian Operas. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/opera/BULGOP/comp/history.htm

Chalkley, E. (2017, May 10). Novelty and silly songs at the Eurovision Song Contest. ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://escinsight.com/2017/05/02/eurovision-song-contest-novelty-songs/

European Broadcasting union. (n.d.). Krassimir Avramov - Bulgaria - Moscow 2009. Eurovision.Tv. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://eurovision.tv/participant/krassimir-avramov

Eurovision 2009 Bulgaria: Krassimir Avramov - “Illusion.” (2009, January 24). Eurovisionworld. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://eurovisionworld.com/eurovision/2009/bulgaria

Jannu. (2009, May 13). Bulgaria. Krassimir Avramov - Illusion HD [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3VuL1Vy7w

Orange Web Studio. (2019, June 6). The dance on stilts. NS Dancing. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.nsdancing.com/dance-on-stilts/#:%7E:text=North%20China%20and%20its%20tradition,because%20of%20his%20small%20stature   

Vandi, E. (2021). Re: Bulgaria. Krassimir Avramov – Illusion HD [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3VuL1Vy7w  

 

Шаранкова, В. е. с. е. л. а. (2008). Illusion. Krassimir.Com. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20090227032232/http://krassimir.com/bg/singles/illusion/3/index.html

Bulgaria’s National Identity

Cameron Mundy, revised on February 10, 2022

National Identity

National identity is what makes a nation its own unit. All aspects of a community such as religion, language, traditions, and culture make up national identity (Triandafyllidou, 1988). Bulgaria is a majority Bulgarian ethnicity, Orthodox Christian nation of Bulgarian speakers. Bulgarians’ identities are mostly associated with moderation and lack of affinity with extremist ideologies despite its difficult history with ethnic harmony. There are stereotypes of “unruly Balkans,” which mostly applies to the men, while the women were associated with “Bulgarian ethnic model(s),” which was only created as a term to combat the negative connotations (openDemocracy, 2012). Bulgaria is known to be very traditional with a rich culture, but still open to modern ideas. Folklore is, as always, a very important aspect of Bulgarian culture, though it has changed so much since the Soviet Union. The government, starting in 1944, began to sponsor folk events like dances to promote nationalism and ethnic unity (Silverman, 1983). The facilitated folk events did unify the nation, despite not being organic. The Encyclopedia Britannica (2022) states there is a mix of ethnicities and religions in Bulgaria, though most are ethnically Bulgarian and Orthodox. [MC1]  People seem split on whether to stick to traditional eastern ideas or to be more welcoming to western cultures. There is controversy with being “overly accommodating” with western countries or to pursue a stronger bond (openDemocracy, 2012).

The Other

The “other” when it comes to national identity is any community who either does not fit the national identity or threatens the nation in one way or another. They can be internal, like members of an ethnic minority or those of another religion, or external, like a neighboring nation with a similar culture or the dominant nation in a multinational state (Triandafyllidou, 1988).

External Others

 For Bulgaria, one of the major significant others[MC2]  is an external one[MC3] , being the European Union as a whole. [MC4] There was much debate about assimilating into western culture after the Soviet Union fell, but many saw assimilation as the way to progress. The biggest source of anti-European sentiment was the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which displayed pro-Russian sentiment (openDemocracy, 2012). Bulgaria wished to move away from this and progress away from the soviet ways, which made the Bulgarian Orthodox Church an internal “other.” When the Soviet Union fell, Bulgaria’s government granted religious freedom to its people, though 76% were still Bulgarian Orthodox (Britannica). This was evidence that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was always going to eventually fall victim to modernization, as it shared similar ideas with the Russian and Soviet sentiments. (openDemocracy, 2012)

Macedonia is a complicated significant other for Bulgaria. Though Bulgaria was the first to recognize them, and even politically urged the region to identify as Macedonian, Bulgaria refuses to acknowledge them as Macedonian and considers all aspects of their culture to be Bulgarian. Macedonian as a language is considered Bulgarian, and folk stories are considered to be Bulgarian (Silverman, 1983). This is an external other because they are culturally similar. The lines of whose culture is whose is blurred, which can impact the legitimacy of one or both nations’ national identity.

Internal Others

Despite the general opinion of Bulgarians being that the Orthodox church was too conservative and the way to move forward is to join the EU and adopt progressive ideas, the religious minorities in Bulgaria were significant others.  Muslims in Bulgaria were often ignored and were forced to assimilate into Bulgarian culture and were not permitted to represent their cultures in festivals (Silverman, 1983). The Government sponsorship of folklore, especially the State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances, was a way to promote the idea of a monoculture. It began in villages, with sponsored festivals, radio and television, and ensembles. The ensemble groups would perform only rituals from the recent past but were only allowed to use traditional folk instruments. The government wanted to preserve the aspects of Bulgaria’s culture just enough to keep the traditions alive, but only just enough so they don’t get too independent. These village performances would exclude culture and experiences from the Turks and the Roma. The Turks and Roma were permitted to perform, but only Bulgarian music. Later, when the State Ensemble was established, the music was westernized. Songs were performed differently, with harmonies made for large choruses or instrumental arrangement, and the lyrics were often changed to reduce religious imagery, even Orthodox imagery. This also led to villagers being seen as inferior, despite them being the original source for the folk stories and culture as a whole. Names were also changed to better fit the Bulgarian culture. The politicized preservation of certain aspects of Bulgarian culture contributed to the othering and erasure of the Turkish and Roma ethnic minorities in Bulgaria (Silverman, 1983).

Conclusion

Bulgarian national identity is difficult to place. Bulgarians mostly speak Bulgarian and practice Orthodox Christianity, but neither of these aspects solidify their identity by themselves. The largest point of identity for Bulgarians are, they are not Macedonians, they are not Turks, and they are not Roma. The Bulgarian Government has attempted to blend the cultures of the Bulgarian Turks, Bulgarian Roma, and the Macedonians with the Bulgarian culture in order to create a more solid identity, unifying all of the ethnicities. Despite this muddling the differences and diluting the cultures, it did create one mass culture of Bulgaria.

Word count: [890]

References

Bulgaria - people. (2022). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Bulgaria  

Dandalov, A. (2012). Bulgarian national identity in an era of European integration. openDemocracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/bulgarian-national-identity-in-era-of-european-integration/

Ethnic identities in the making: The case of Bulgaria. (1995). Cultural Survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/ethnic-identities-making-case-bulgaria

Silverman, C. (1983). The Politics of Folklore in Bulgaria. Anthropological Quarterly, 56(2), 55-61.

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the “other.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/014198798329784

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 [MC1]Go into detail about religion, christian? Catholic? Whats up here

 [MC2]Talk about macedonians, they seem pressed

 [MC3]The EU as an "other" parallels the turks/ottoman empire invading, parallels wiwth using the folklore and language as a weapon/keeping bulgarian identity alive?

 [MC4]Maybe go into how it went from the soviet union to the EU?

Three Minute Nation: Bulgaria Introduction

 

Introduction

 Hi! My name is Cameron Mundy, and I am taking the class "Three Minute Europe" which is a class about national identity, specifically represented by the Eurovision song contest. I will be focusing on Bulgaria's participation. Enjoy the coming posts about Bulgaria's Eurovision entries!

Testing!

 

Testing the blog, making sure it works, the usual.