In my first production of “Les pêcheurs de perles” by G. Bizet at the Sofia Opera in 1980, I was captivated by the exotic of the plot, by the incredible strange relations between the characters, which I often deciphered as (even) fleeting and archaic.

Today I have а totally new look and new reading of this opera.

In my production now I am building a society of people, who have fled from the treacheries, the betrayals and the false morality. They have fled from everything, which surrounds them today as morality (I don’t imply the political sense). They have found a desert island in the ocean and have gathered and organized themselves in a team with life close to and in nature. They worship the sun and the sea. They have their own sacred principle, fidelity and love. This society is honest and it is an enemy of lie, false morality and betrayal.

The sensuality itself of the people, their intellect and temperament are qualities of modern characters. The characters of my new production of “Les pêcheurs de perles” are people like us, they think and want to live like all of us, but they have chosen namely this escape from reality, they have gone on this island and live in and from nature. They love, they are jealous, they are working like our contemporaries. Because these are the eternal virtues of man – labour, faith and love, fidelity, mutual trust and honesty.

Through flight from reality they would like to fulfil their dreams!

I would be happy, if my work with these wonderful members of the team of the Sofia Opera and Ballet will be realized.

I would specially like to thank to Acad. Plamen Kartaloff, who invited me and lend me comradely his hand to produce “Les pêcheurs de perles”.

Prof. Svetozar Donev,

director

Prof. Svetozar Donev is one of the most eminent artists of modern Bulgarian theatre and music art.

He graduated Directing at the “Krastyo Sarafov”National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts and after that he specialized in London, Moscow and Paris. Professor in Acting and Opera directing at the “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” National Academy of Music, Svetozar Donev has over 250 productions of spectacles at all Bulgarian opera theatres. With great success he realized the operas “Boris Godunov”, “Falstaff”, “La forza del destino”, “Tosca”, “Lud Gidia”, “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”, “Maria Desislava”, “Khan Krum Yuvigi”, “Carmen” and others on the stage of the Sofia Opera. He has produced over 80 operettas and musicals at the “Stefan Makedonski” National Music Theatre.

As guest-director and producer, Prof. Donev has produced in the Czech Republic, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine “Cosi fan tutte”, “Lucia di Lammermoor”, “La favorita”, “Don Pasquale”, “La traviata”, “Rigoletto”, “Cyrano de Bergerac”.

Prof. Donev has been member of the jury at international singer competitions in Sofia, Miami Beach, Barcelona, Bilbao, Pamplona, Verviers, Geneva and others.

From 1960 to 1978 and from 1996 to 2009 he has been Chief Director and Director of the “Stefan Makedonski” National Music Theatre. From 1978 to 1981 he has been Deputy Director General of Direction “Theatre and Music” to the Ministry of Culture, and from 1981 to 1990 Prof. Svetozar Donev has been Director of the Sofia Opera. For two mandates he has been Deputy President of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers and President of the Artistic Fund.

For his exceptional merits to Bulgarian music, theatre and dance culture Prof. Donev was awarded the highest State “Stara Planina” Order, First Degree.