Sofia Opera presents the Singspiel "Die Zauberflöte" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. There are six performances – 14, 15, 16, 17, 29 and 30 March.
The conductor is Svetoslav Borisov, first conductor and deputy musical director of the opera house in Magdeburg, Germany. The directorial concept is by Vera Petrova. Irish artist Molly O'Cathain is engaged for the sets, costumes are by Marta Mironska, artistic lighting by Simon Bennison, choreography by Riolina Topalova, chorus conductor is Violeta Dimitrova. The last two performances will be conducted by Alexandra Lubchanski. The spectacle is with the participation of the Sofia Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
Both Bulgarian and visiting foreign singers are chosen for the central parts. Angel Hristov, Biser Georgiev and Petar Buchkov will perform as the priest Sarastro. The role of the Queen of the Night is entrusted to Brigita Simon, Diana Vasileva and Lucie Kaňková, while her beautiful daughter Pamina will be performed by Silvia Teneva and Stefani Krasteva-Pavlova. Blagoj Nacoski, Emil Pavlov and Hrisimir Damyanov will play Tamino in love with her, while Atanas Mladenov and Grzegorz Sobczak will perform his cheerful companion Papageno. Diana Alexe and Stanislava Momekova are Papagena; Krasimir Dinev and Plamen Dimov-Grandzhan are Monostatos. Also starring are Nikolay Pavlov, Nikolay Petrov, Eleonora Djodjoska, Ina Petrova, Silvana Pravcheva, Vivien Georgieva, Natalia Stoyanova, Alexandrina Stoyanova-Andreeva, Vesela Yaneva and others.
The world premiere of "Die Zauberflöte" took place on 30 September 1791 at the Theater auf der Wieden, conducted by the author. It was Mozart's last opera. The work was written and performed in German because Emperor Joseph II allowed the opening of theatres in which works in German could be performed. It was a great success and a hundred performances were given in one year.
"Die Zauberflöte" is inspired by various stories told mainly in the works of the writer Christoph Martin Wieland, one of the main representatives of the German Enlightenment. Emanuel Schikaneder used the tales in his own original way incorporating mostly Wieland's ideas from "Lulu or the Magic Flute" of 1786 and added elements of initiation into Freemasonry, mixing the genres of buffa and seria. He himself plerform the part of Papageno, and the Queen of the Night was Josepha Hofer, Mozart's sister-in-law. Mozart conducted several more performances in October, occasionally playing the Glockenspiel before falling ill. Every evening, according to his wife Constanze, in the last days of his life, Wolfgang followed the progress of the opera from his bed, watch in hand, humming the melodies.
The opera was first staged in Bulgaria on 1 May 1931 at the Sofia National Opera. The conductor was Hermann Stange, the director Hristo Popov, the designer Alexandar Milenkov.
Luigi Pirandello's famous phrase "Isn't your work on the stage to give life to fictional things?" inspired Vera Petrova for the overall concept of the spectacle, which is performed on the principle of "theatre within theatre".
Through Tamino's eyes, magical characters are revealed in a parallel reality.