Dear admirers of Richard Wagner and his “Ring”,
For the third consecutive season the Sofia Opera presents for its loyal fans and dear guests from around the world the colossal tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung” – a production, created especially for the world commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner.
This for us was a colossal work in the years of preparation. In each of the seasons 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 we created on the stage of our theatre one of four operas of the cycle, and in July 2013 we performed them in sequence and together for a week in a cycle, as they were meant to be presented by the composer himself.
In the history of our 125-year-old Bulgarian opera tradition that happened for the first time, although the premiere of the tetralogy was completed for the opening of Wagner’s festival theatre in Bayreuth back in 1876, a historic year for us Bulgarians, too, but linked to the legendary, sacred and fateful for our country April Uprising.
The Bulgarian “Ring” was forged with Bulgarian opera artists only. This to me is the most valuable, and I am proud, happy and satisfied – because my colleagues believed me, and because of their labour and their confidence in the test to compete with the best performers from various world stages.
Without fear we invited the best music critics and audiences, who specifically travel to not miss any Wagnerian musical-stage creation, anywhere in the world. But what particularly pleases me is that along with the chance given to our artists, orchestra, chorus, ballet, technical services and production studios, to all who worked and were engaged in the creative process, we gave a chance to the BULGARIAN AUDIENCE to hear and see Wagner’s “Ring” in our country, and only on the stage of Sofia Opera.
Thank you, dear friends, for your support and your enthusiasm for the work that we have created together! May you experience one more time pleasure and joy with the Bulgarian “Ring” of Richard Wagner!
Prof. Plamen Kartaloff,
Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet
Sofia
4.07.2015