Today left us Tatyana Lolova – one great personality, one unsurpassed actress, a symbol of a bursting volcano with her talent, diligence, perseverance, preciseness and masterly improvisation – her qualities of highest professionalism in every aspect.

By an irony of fate, today is the first rehearsal with her participation in the newest production of the Sofia Opera. With a role on its stage Tatyana Lolova wanted to make come true also her greatest dream – to sing at the Opera.

For the first time, on the first opera stage of Bulgaria is being produced one masterpiece of the Bulgarian cinema dramaturgy. Already as a live spectacle, one of the spectators’ favourite and distinguished romantic films comes down from the screen of Bulgarian cinema on the stage of the Sofia Opera. This is “My Father the Painter”.

With the conviction that Tatyana Lolova would be the most appropriate for one of the brightest roles in the production, I invited her with excitement and she accepted at once.

“I will make my child’s dream to be an opera singer come true”, was saying she joking.

But there was just one requirement for me as stage director to think out in her not quite big part something more in dramaturgic aspect. I was thinking for a while and still the same night I sent the created specially for her. The teacher Andreev, who together with his six boys, goes on 31 December by his cousin to ask to borrow money for the New Year’s Eve. The cousin is not at home. And his wife has an important work to do and cannot lose her time with the relatives, who came to visit them, because she, as an ex great Wagner singer from the biggest world stages, knows the price of success and doesn’t waste her time with holidays. Now she is giving singing lessons. But she is an unusual Maestra, because her lessons are like a live spectacle. For her just two students she has prepared a fragment with the Valkyrie Brünnhilde. Tatyana Lolova will have to rush into the room on a horse, riding it with a spear, and a battle cry with a third-octave “Hojotoho!”.

Then follow several other scenes, including Rossini’s “Duet for Two Cats”, sung – of course – together with Maestra Tatyana Lolova. I added more lyrics, so that from her mouth could burst forth contagious humour, with which the audience is used to have fun.

Today is our first rehearsal, but without our great Maestra Lolova – Brünnhilde …

“How happy she was, she was sharing with everybody her joy that she would take part in the musical, at that not somewhere else, but on the stage of the Sofia Opera. The last time there she saw the musical “Mamm mia!”. And she was so inspired. During her illness, she was rehearsing in her unconsciousness”, shared today her son Sava.

With deep respect and love,
Plamen Kartaloff
Stage director