The meaning of Christmas remind us with a musical parable for children and adults at the Sofia Opera and Ballet – the opera for children “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian Carlo Menotti will have its premiere on 17 December at 17.00 h. The next spectacles are on 18 and 26 December and on 7 January at 11.00 h.
The production coincides with the 105th Anniversary of the composer and 65 years after the premiere of the opera, noted from the theatre.
According to the team, the work of art is not only for children, but is rather for the whole family, an opera about goodness and human warmth, about the fact that most valuable are the gifts, given from the bottom of the heart.
The work is based on the biblical parable about the adoration of the Magis, who, on their way to the newly born Jesus with their gifts, found themselves in the poor house of Amahl and his mother. The small invalid boy was healed after he gave with readiness as a present the only thing, he possessed – his crutch.
“With this title we prepare our little ones for spectators further on and for the productions for adults”, said at the press conference today the director Yulia Krasteva. She noted the canonical in a certain sense sounding of the music, filled with melodies, which will be easily remembered.
Classical and simple, carrying a holiday, bright, spiritual atmosphere, far away from the commercial centres, is the vision of the spectacle after the words of Elena Shopova, author of the sets, the costumes and the multimedia.
It is known that Menotti, who is also author of the libretto, was inspired for the work by the painting “The Adoration of the Magi” by Bosch. In the base of the work is however also the composer’s return to his own childhood in Italy, when not Santa Claus, but the three Kings – Magis, were delivering the presents, commented the conductor Stefan Nedyalkov.
In the role of Amahl is Maria Pavlova, of the Mother – Mariana Zvetkova, the three wise men Kaspar, Melhior and Balthazar are Hrisimir Damyanov, Ilia Iliev and Stefan Vladimirov, the Page – Aleksandar Georgiev. Participants are the orchestra and the chorus of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and children from the Masha Ilieva Ballet School. The choreography is by Lora Nikolaeva.
Sofia, 13 December /Penka Momchilova, Bulgarian Television Agency/