On 2 December at 19 h the Sofia Opera will close the 52nd edition of the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art /FOBA/ in Stara Zagora with a performance of the opera-satire "Chatterers" by Lazar Nikolov.
The large-scale production of "Chatterers" was realized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lazar Nikolov – an avant-garde composer, author of opera, symphonic, chamber music, film and theatrical musical paintings.
"Chatterers" was created in 1971 and was not staged for many years. Its first production at the Sofia Opera was by Plamen Kartaloff. He says that "Chatterers" is a not easy work, but a work with a creative approach ahead of both the composer Lazar Nikolov and the author of the lyrics Ivan Vazov. Maestro Kartaloff believes that "Our living relationship with Bulgarian composers speaks of an identity, not only cultural, social and spiritual, but also moral."
The premiere of "Chatterers" was a huge event in the musical life of Bulgaria and was highly appreciated by a number of artists, including Prof. Dr. Stanislav Semerdzhiev, Rector of NATFA, the distinguished critic Bozhidar Manov. And the great film director prof. Lyudmil Staykov says that the spectacle unites all possible arts – sound, image, pantomime, projection, dance – in an indissoluble unity. In his words, "Chatterers" is not a spectacle – it is a phenomenon in Bulgarian cultural life. (...) This spectacle should be seen by many people, because it brings self-confidence about the possibilities, about the talent of Bulgarians in all fields."
"Chatterers" is an astonishing spectacle, a brilliant, complete work. Plamen Kartaloff creates an extraordinary theatre of the absurd in the first stage version of "Chatterers" on the Sofia stage. The director skilfully weaves in strong messages for our times, but does not stray from the spirit of Vazov's work. The singers and orchestra perform brilliantly and masterfully tell the director's concept.
Conductor of the performance is Zhorzh Dimitrov, the scenography is by Sven Jonke, and in the roles of Hadji Smyon, Ivancho Yotata, Mironcho and the rest of Vazov's "Chatterers" are Atanas Mladenov, Kostadin Andreev, Emil Pavlov, Atanas Yonkov, Nikolay Pavlov, Nikolay Petrov, Veselin Mihaylov, Peter Buchkov and others.
On the last day of the festival, the Sofia Opera invites all opera lovers to enjoy an impressive performance that reimagines reality through new creative thinking.