Dear friends of the opera!

Today we open the biggest event of the 2023/2024 season of the Sofia Opera and Ballet – Sofia Opera Wagner Festival!

Seven titles will capture the attention of spectators from Bulgaria and around the world in eight festival evenings. We begin with the new production of "Der Ring des Nibelungen" – a stunning vision in terms of direction and set design, with exceptional costumes and lighting.

The new "Ring" is the result of many months of tireless work and effort by many people – production team, soloists, orchestra, chorus, assistant and stage directors, technical services and studios, marketing and publicity, administration.

"Das Rheingold", "Die Walküre", "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung" will be performed on 8, 9, 11 and 13 July. You'll see something truly impressive and created with a dizzying flight of fancy.

We continue with "Tristan und Isolde" on 23 July and "Parsifal" on 25 July – stories of searing passion and enlightenment of the spirit.

The mystery of "Der fliegende Holländer" will be revealed in two performances at the Lake Mirror in Pancharevo. The summer stage in the embrace of the mountains awaits you on 28 and 29 July, and on the second night we look forward to the performance of the world-renowned bass Kurt Rydl as the sailor Daland.

We have fantastic soloists, Bulgarian soloists worthy of any great theatre in the world. They are joined by our dear guests Thomas Hall and Krisztián Cser.

We have an outstanding orchestra and chorus.

We also have the incredible Constantin Trinks, a world-class conductor who will conduct six spectacles of the festival programme.

In the last days of July, another master of the conductor's baton arrives from Vienna – Rosen Gergov will take the baton for "Der fliegende Holländer" – the last two performances that will close the festival.

We were all drawn into the "Wagner adventure" by acad. Plamen Kartaloff – a man of unstoppable energy, innovative vision, breadth and scale in his thinking, a director of stunning achievements, a mover of the modern and big ideas.

We are all excited about our festival, for which guests started arriving yesterday. The entire opera world knows about the Sofia Opera's Wagner Festival. We have received congratulations and wishes for success from the biggest theatres in Europe and America.

We are just hours away from the curtain rising!

Wagner's music is the music of the future and we are ready to share it with you!

The team of the Sofia Opera.