Andris Liepa received the Saint Sofia Award
A real furore evoked the premiere of both one-act ballets “Petrushka” and “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky, with which was opened the new 2016-2017 season at the Sofia Opera and Ballet. Risen to its feet, for a long time the audience didn’t want to part from the artists and from the magic, which they created on the stage. The first in Bulgaria performance of both one-act ballets by Stravinsky evoked unprecedented interest not only among the ballet circles, but also among numerous music admirers. They filled in the hall of our first opera theatre, in order to enjoy the beauty of the spectacles, created for the Russian seasons in Paris in 1910-1911 and diligently and with a lot of love revived by the stage director Andris Liepa after Mikhail Fokine’s original choreography.
The Bulgarian audience was the first outside Russia, which admired the authentic stage decisions and costumes of Alexander Benoit, Alexander Golovin and Leon Bakst. “But this is a real 3D!”, exclaimed, not believing his eyes, one operator of a leading television, watching through the eyepiece of the camera the exceptionally beautiful stage. The same estimations shared during the interval and after the spectacle’s end many of the guests of the event. It was honoured with the presence of His Majesty Simeon II and his wife Margarita, the new ambassador of Russia in our country His Excellency Anatoly Makarov, the Ex-Minister of Culture Georgi Yordanov, the Mayor of Vidin eng. Ognyan Tsenkov and his wife, the Deputy Mayor of Belogradchik Rosen Mladenov, the President of the Bulgaria-Russia Forum Svetlana Sharenkova, as well as of many representatives of the culture and business circles.
Greeting address to the Director of the Sofia Opera Plamen Kartaloff and to the theatre’s team on the occasion of the opening of the new season sent the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova. “I am convinced that also in the forthcoming season we are going to enjoy opera and ballet spectacles from the world music treasury, by Bulgarian and contemporary authors. I believe that your devotion will support and develop the high criteria at the conquered professional level, that it will strengthen the connection with your most loyal supporter – the audience. Good luck!”, was written in the greeting.
Baskets with flowers from the Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov and from different institutions loaded down the beautiful stage after the spectacle’s end. Colleagues and representatives of the culture greeted the performers for their exceptional premiere. Most moved by what happened was the stage director Andris Liepa. He received the St. Sofia Award, which was bestowed on him by the Ambassador of Russia in Bulgaria His Excellency Anatoly Makarov. This distinction is being awarded since 12 years to Russian cultural figures. Its laureates were Yuri Bashmet, Yosif Cobson, Nikita Mikhalkov, Yury Grigorovich, Viktor Merdjanov, Armen Djigarhanyan, Vladimir Spivakov, Georgi Smilevsky – soloist of the ballet of the K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, the Academic Ensemble of the Ministry of Interior of Russia, Gediminas Taranda – Director of the Imperial Russian Ballet.
