Yesterday, 13 August, due to the deteriorated weather conditions, immediate organization and conditions were created for the spectacle of the opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet to be moved from the stage of Lake Pancharevo to the Sofia Opera.

Despite the announcements about the imposed change for spectators traveling to Lake Pancharevo, an official transport to the Sofia Opera was provided.

This was met with great appreciation!

Here is how some of the audience shared their admiration for this production of "Carmen":

"We are glad that today we had the chance to attend this exciting spectacle of the Sofia Opera! We were surprised by the originality of this production, the impressive talent of the soloists and the harmonious performance of the chorus! You also have a brilliant orchestra! Very enlivening is the participation of the dancers and the presence of these respectable symbols of destiny! As French people, we appreciate the French pronunciation of all the performers, which is perfect for us and so we were able to understand the text without subtitles! We will be delighted when we return home to tell our friends and family about the great achievements of the art of opera in your country!"

- Jim and Alex from France!

"This is a very original production for us! As always, Maestro Plamen Kartaloff has achieved another great success with his modern vision in directing and stage solutions, while preserving the classical merits of this great Bizet work! We highly appreciate the perspective in this production on the ancient Greek theatre and the participation of the choristers with black robes, and masks, as well as the introduction of three symbolic images of the fatal fate of the characters! The intensifying emotional tension as the finale approaches is very well constructed! We heard some amazing voices today that were a joy to hear! We are delighted with Gergana Rusekova /Carmen/, Radostina Nikolaeva /Micaëla/, Veselin Mihaylov /Escamillo/ and Kostadin Andreev /Don José/! You have a wonderful chorus and your orchestra, as always, gave us a brilliant performance tonight!"

- Katerina Zhelyazkova

"Today the Sofia Opera gave us an extremely beautiful and exciting performance! Gergana Rusekova presented herself as the real Carmen we have imagined so far, with her image, emotional radiance and vocal data of an elevated mezzo-soprano! The performance had a very strong impact on us with the realized directorial vision to optimally combine innovative artistic solutions with the most appropriate elements and traditions of the operatic classics! We owe it to share our impression that since Maestro Plamen Kartaloff took over the Sofia Opera, it has prospered very quickly, bearing rich fruits, and today we can say with certainty that our Opera worthily rivals the most prestigious theatres in the world! We congratulate the Maestro for these great successes and wish you many new conquests on our and the world opera stages!"

- The Fotev Family

"This is our first time attending an opera spectacle and now we can say we are delighted! This performance grabbed us from the beginning and at many moments we could not hold back our tears from the emotions that the dramatic fate of the characters evoked in us! The singers performed their roles beautifully and their magical voices are still ringing in our ears right now! From the powerful impact of this production, we thought it would be a great necessity for us to attend the next opera and ballet titles in your rich summer programme on several outdoor stages! So, this performance blew us away and made us great opera lovers!"

- Tanya Hristova and Yavor Georgiev, 20-years old

Great performance! A joy for all the senses! In our opinion, the stage vision was very original and the performances of the soloists visibly moved the large audience! The chorus of the Sofia Opera has always fascinated us, and today we enjoyed the brilliant performance of your orchestra! The participation of the ballet added aesthetic colour to this production and indicative of its strong impact was the enthusiastic applause and ovations of the audience after the finale! Congratulations to the entire artistic team of the Opera for the pleasure we experienced in meeting your great opera art!"

- Lyudmila and Daniela

"Once again I am very impressed with the direction of this production, the original set design and the magnificent soloists! This was a very evocative reading of this classic work, a true Bizet masterpiece! The way in which the performance is constructed, the correspondence with the theatrical traditions of Hellas, the wonderful voices of the artists and the dramaturgy of their characters, the dynamics of the action and the amplification of the tension, all this proves to what unsuspected aesthetic and musical heights the creative potential of the Sofia Opera has reached! Today I was struck by the vocal capabilities of Gergana Rusekova /Carmen/ and Radostina Nikolaeva /Micaëla/, by the exquisite mise-en-scène through which they showed their captivating artistry! I especially wish to express my admiration tonight for the performance of Veselin Mihaylov, whose velvety and powerful baritone was combined with a beautifully expressed dramaturgy of the character of Escamillo! Both the chorus and the orchestra tonight contributed greatly to witnessing a true celebration of the art of opera on the Sofia stage!"

- Nikolay Popov, a faithful friend of the Sofia Opera

"This spectacle was an amazing experience for us! We will long remember these performances that your talented singers gave us today! We are very grateful to Maestro Plamen Kartaloff for the wonderful productions he created with your wonderful artists, the unique chorus and the brilliant orchestra! Today's production was also dynamic by the attractive choreography, energy and high spirit demonstrated by the performers! We are delighted with the performances of Gergana Rusekova /Carmen/, Radostina Nikolaeva /Micaëla/, Kostadin Andreev /Don José/ and a special tell the amazing baritone Veselin Mihaylov /Escamillo/ that our youngest friend fell in love with his performance! Thank you to your entire team for this supreme experience they gave us tonight!"

- Tatyana Angelova, Lyudmila Todorova and Lidia Asenov

"We are delighted with this production of "Carmen" of yours! We have seen this title in other countries, but your “spectacle is astonishing! You have very talented performers! We are impressed by the brilliant performance of the soprano Radostina Nikolaeva, by her vocal potential and impressive drama! We enjoyed your chorus and wonderful orchestra! Your performance conquered with a highly evocative vision and originally developed dramaturgy! We are grateful to have had the pleasure of experiencing the excellence of your operatic art!"

- May from Lebanon and Benito from Italy

"Today we once again enjoyed one of the most wonderful spectacles of the Sofia Opera! It is difficult to describe in words our admiration for the way the production is built, for the wonderful performances of these talented artists, for your glorified chorus and the brilliant as always orchestra! We very much appreciate the contribution of Maestro Plamen Kartaloff in raising the class and prestige of the Sofia Opera! So far, we have watched all the productions of Wagner's operas and what our opera has achieved in the unique interpretation of these works is a real world achievement! Today we can proudly point out that our national opera has created and given way to exceptionally talented singers, musicians and choristers! In today's difficult times, we must properly appreciate this contribution to the spiritual fulfillment and fortunes of our nation! We trust that you will long endure this path you have taken for the benefit of the nation!"

- Elisateva Sokolova and Mladena Roggeri