Sofia: Abstract Parsifal – premiere on 4 July 2017

Yesterday evening Wagner‘s sacred festival drama “Parsifal” celebrated its considerable first performance in Bulgaria at the Sofia Opera and Ballet, which – as here one often reports – appeared during the last years with interesting and very successful Wagner productions. The tireless motor behind this pioneer movement is the Director Prof. Plamen Kartaloff, who also by this “Parsifal”, like already before by the “Ring” and “Tristan und Isolde”, was leading the direction. With their set design Numen + Ivanka Jonke, as well as the extremely full of fantasy and taste costume designer Stanka Vauda and the light designer Andrej Hajdinjak, he created an interpretation, which by a high grade of abstraction puts in the centre the spiritual mystery of this legend, as well as the philosophical messages of the characters and their longing for a “final nirvana”. With little, but very effectively applied in their optical association means, was achieved a high grade of expression of the piece, which allows to be understandable also for the Bulgarian audience, which predominantly hasn’t experienced it yet. Accordingly was also the strong applause at the end.

Photo: Svetoslav Nikolov / Alexander Thompson

With the conductor Constantin Trinks succeeded what Plamen Kartaloff has set as maxim for the synergy of music and action namely by this work by Wagner – the visualization of music. The orchestra of the Sofia Opera and Ballet allowed itself to be heard from its best side, with fine intonation by the mostly solemn tempos, without falling into inappropriate pathos. The directed by Violeta Dimitrova chorus of the Sofia Opera was choreographed very well and sang powerfully at good transparency. All singers made this evening their respective debuts in these roles and this already with absolutely considerable result: Kostadin Andreev gave one energetic Parsifal, the still very young Atanas Mladenov sang one lyrically emphasized Amfortas, Angel Hristov shaped Gurnemanz with great clarity of the words almost contemplative, Biser Georgiev gave one powerful Klingsor and the Sofia Isolde Radostina Nikolaeva sang one widely pleasing Kundry. More detailed abstract follows. Next performances on 6, 8 and 10 July 2017.

Parsifal and the flower girls. Photo: Svetoslav Nikolov / Alexander Thompson

 Klaus Billand from Sofia


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