On 18 June at the Sofia Opera and Ballet will be performed Verdi’s famous opera “Un ballo in maschera”. In it guest-performer for the first time in our country will be the celebrated singer from Mexico, famous all over the world – Ramón Vargas. He will impersonate the role of Riccardo, Governor of Boston. Riccardo is a noble, generous ruler, although often being hot-tempered and impulsive. He is secretly in love with the wife of his closest councillor Renato. When the secret is revealed, Renato joins a plot against Riccardo’s life. The opera is in three acts, in which the characters ae torn between love and duty. The final brings the death of Riccardo, who pardons all accomplices, bids farewell to his friends and his country and dies.

Not by chance Ramón Vargas was called by the music critics “a leading tenors of our time”. He is sought-after as performer worldwide. His breakthrough came when the Mexican conductor Eduardo Mata hired him to sing Fenton in Verdi’s “Falstaff”, and later Don Ottavio in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”.

After winning the Enrico Caruso Tenor Competition of Milan in 1986, he moved to Austria, where he completed his vocal studies at the Wiener Staatsoper Opera Studio Program, under the guidance of Leo Müller. Then he made his European debut at the Luzerner Theater in 1988 as Edgardo in “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti. Ramón Vargas’ Metropolitan Opera debut took place in 1992, singing Edgardo while substituting Luciano Pavarotti in “Lucia di Lammermoor” in partnership with June Anderson. This was soon followed by a debut on the stage of La Scala in 1993, where he sang Fenton in Strehler’s new production celebrating the centenary of “Falstaff”, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Now he regularly sings with great success at all the major opera houses around the world.

Conductor will be the well-known Maestro Enrique Barrios.

We expecting with impatience Ramón Vargas on the stage of the Sofia Opera!