The opera season the Sofia Opera opened on the 27th and the 29th of September with a performance of the opera “Turandot” by Puccini. The role of Prince Kalaf was performed by the Spanish tenor Jorge de Leon who immediately became the Bulgarian audience’s favorite. It exaltedly met the singer’s passionate interpretation of Kalaf and the famous aria “Nessun dorma” was met with a storm of applause.
“The first man who performed the role of Kalaf was a Spaniard, just like me: it was Miguel Fleta. He was my teacher’s father’s teacher. This is an entire series of generations through which the technique, the music and the voice of the very first Kalaf has been passed on, up to this day. Every time I perform this role I feel both joy but also the responsibility because a part of it is one of the most famous arias: “Nessun dorma” which is very hard to perform. Everyone waits to hear this aria”, Jorge de Leon shared.
After his performance in Sofia, Jorge’s schedule took him to Sevilla for “Turandot”, an “Aida” in Oviedo followed, with him returning to Sofia at the start of the new year to perform in the showings of “Turandot” on the 10th and 11th of January.
Jorge de Leon is one of the highly praised singers in his home country. In 2023, he won the “Talia” award in the “Best opera singer” category which is given by the Spanish academy of stage arts for his interpretation of Radames in “Aida” by Verdi, a production of the opera set in Madrid. Again, during that same year, he received the same award for his role of Lazar in the opera “Dolores” by Thomas Bretton, also performed in Madrid.
Happy by his encounter with the Sofia audience, Jorge de Leon extended an invitation to his fans.
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