Three days before the concert at the Ivan Vazov National Theater, Lili Ivanova called me and asked me to record: "I am a soldier! Everything for me is an order and discipline!"
Since her personal diary turned into a book, she calls me often when a thought "hits her" persistently in the head, when something provokes her, when she hears someone speaking incorrect Bulgarian or when someone's actions clash with her own ideas of good and bad.
This time, the string that was stretched was "Everything for me is an order and discipline!" An order that she must fulfill her duties and discipline that it must be done in the most perfect way.
And as always in the days before every concert, for so many years now, Lili is in a frenzy. She doesn't sleep, she eats enough to have energy for the stage, and her head is filled with burning thoughts - will she be able to handle it. Sounds unbelievable, right! Many of those reading these lines will think that they are fiction, exaggeration or a fever of vanity.
Not at all! And I'm not telling it by chance.
Before every concert, Lili is like a tight string.
She has some mesmerizing responsibility in front of the audience - she wants her audience to listen to her every time like it's the first time. And every time to tell them about love like it's the first time. And to sing each song like it's the first time.
To enchant them like it's the first and last time. I have been to dozens of her concerts - Lili is always new, and the experience is different every time. Cleansing and recharging...
And tonight on the biggest theater stage, the magic happened once again! "The Soldier" Lili Ivanova won another victory - the audience was on their feet for two hours, giving her endless ovations. She sang every line with incredible sensitivity, sculpting every note with her voice, and finally gave her admirers the most delicate "Camino". And during "Sentence" there were even tears...
She was flawless in every pitch and shade - from a powerful eruption that made you fly, to a whisper that caressed.
The hall literally held its breath to feel every vibration of her voice. And it was crystal clear... It was truly a cosmic experience.
She was in top form, radiant, giving her all on stage. With endless energy and her subtle sense of humor that conquers all.
In her unchanging little black dress with a white collar, with elegant black satin heels decorated with stones.
With her presence - the standard of excellence in art!
And once again, the mutual emotional charge happened - Lili made the audience shiver with passion, and then they filled her with their crazy applause. This feeling remains unforgettable. Every time! And at every concert! You may not remember the song, but the feeling that Lili has given you in those two hours remains like a code in your soul.
That's why you want to listen to her, over and over again.
I admit, the most interesting reactions were those of Ivan Hristov and Andrey Arnaudov - the producers of the upcoming feature film about Lili Ivanova. That's why they came to her concert. Turns out, it was their first time! They came out mesmerized. "It was her confession. We have never attended such a concert. She rules your soul and confesses in front of it...", were Ivan's first words.
Well, they rediscovered her! "She is my inspiration, she wakes me up for life, gives me wings and I leave the hall flying. That is the power of the chosen ones above, they bring light and are gifts," I later read in Violeta Asenova's confession on Facebook.
And I return to the beginning of this text - behind this unchanging, more than six decades of success, stands an iron discipline. Of a soldier who has dedicated his life to the music and the audience. And who always surpasses all expectations, because he competes with himself.