Acad. Plamen Kartaloff was born on 15 September 1948 in Dobrich. On 26 October this year, he was re-elected for the third time in succession, from a total of four mandates for Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet. He directed the institution in the period 1994-2000 and since 2008 on.
He graduated from the Bulgarian State Conservatoire, now Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia, he specialized “Opera directing” in Berlin and “Film directing” at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts – Sofia.
Rehearsal during “Opera in the Square” (Photo: Ivan Grigorov/Dir.bg)
As an opera stage director, he has realized over 180 productions.
Still as a student in Sofia he founded the first Chamber Opera Theatre (at present Chamber Opera – Blagoevgrad), where in the 1970s he managed and staged operas in the unique formation “Youth Chamber Opera”.
In 1982 he became Director and stage director of the Ruse Opera Theatre.
Together with the great Bulgarian bass Boris Christoff he founded the Academy for Vocal Art in Rome, where he was teaching dramatic art to post-graduate students – opera singers.
In the beginning of the 1990s he was Director of the Stefan Makedonski State Music Theatre.
The artistic path of Academician Plamen Kartaloff is marked by many unique and innovative projects, realized with ambition, persistence, with devotion and work. A reflection of talent, erudition, mastery, experience and charisma.
On his initiative in Bulgaria were realized large-scale opera spectacles in the open air – “Ivaylo” by Marin Goleminov and “Tsar Kaloyan” by Pancho Vladigerov, performed at the “Stage of the Ages” Festival on the historical Tsarevets Hill in Veliko Tarnovo, at the same historical place, where the action of the opera takes place.
He is founder of the “Opera in the Square” Festival (1997) on the occasion of 400 years operatic art, with which he turned the largest square in Bulgaria – “Al. Battenberg” into a stage for spectacular opera performances in the open air, among which: “Aida”, “Attila”, “Carmen”, “Prince Igor”, “Turandot” and others. His was the idea also to set the beginning of the summer festival “Opera in the Park”.
In 2009 for the first time in Bulgaria he produced the opera “Don Quichotte” by Massenet. Again for the first time in our country he realized also his ambitious project – Wagner’s tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, dedicated to the composer’s 200th Anniversary and in the realization of which participated only Bulgarian performers. This made Sofia one of the destinations of the so called “Wagnerians” from all over the world.
In 2014 in the square in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral he presented the opera “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky, whereby was paid honour to the three great Bulgarian basses – Boris Christoff, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Nicola Ghiuselev. Two years later, in front of the cathedral he produced also “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi.
In 2015 the Sofia Opera presented “Der Ring des Nibelungen” at the Festival Theatre in Füssen, Bavaria, not far from Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle. The German music critique estimated very highly and enthusiastically Kartaloff’s productions, respectively – the Bulgarian interpretation of the four operas. In the beginning of season 2017/2018 the Sofia Opera and Ballet had guest-performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, where in front of the Moscow audience were presented Wagner’s tetralogy, “Yana’s Nine Brothers” by Lyubomir Pipkov and the ballet “Le corsaire” by Adolphe Adam.
His were the ideas for founding of the summer festivals “Opera of the Peaks – Belogradchik Rocks” (among the natural sets of the fortress) and “Fortress of the Ages” in the Baba Vida Fortress in Vidin – a city situated along the Danube River – with operas, ballets and spectacles for children. In the festival’s programme was also Puccini’s one-act opera “Il tabarro”, which Kartaloff directed at the original place of the action – a barge, landed on the beach of the Danube River.
The last tour of the Sofia Opera in 2018 was with “Turandot” and “Carmen” of the stage director Kartaloff, for the seventh time in Japan.
He was guest-performer at opera theatres and on stages on the five continents – in Europe, America (the USA and Brazil), Japan, Australia and in Egypt – Cairo.
He is laureate of many awards and distinctions, among which: “Paisiy Hilendarski” State Award – for exceptional contribution for the development of the national cultural identity and spiritual values; Cyril and Methodius State Order, First class; the highest governmental order of Brazil – the South Cross Order; “Crystal Lyre” of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers; the awards of the Bulgarian National Radio and Sofia Municipality; “Golden Book” of the European Forum of Experts; Award for best directing – his production of “L’elisir d’amore” by Donizetti, handed out by the Belgrade National Theatre.
Since 2012 Plamen Kartaloff has been member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
On 17 September 2018 he was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of Sofia”.
Photo: Private archiveThe Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet Acad. Plamen Kartaloff in an exclusive interview for Dir.bg:
- Maestro, in October you won the competition for Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet. Congratulations for your fourth mandate! How do you feel as the new old Director of the Opera?
- The responsibilities and the duties are the same, but with the major engagement for continuation of the dynamical, consistent and long-term vision of the previous mandate – a period of proven increasing growth of the various and rich artistic activity of the Sofia Opera. The will for maximal achievement of the targets with the visible results from the responsible tasks, have brought a new prestige of the first opera theatre of Bulgaria, national and international recognition, professional reliance and self-confidence of the artistic and the technical and production casts.
- What is the different in your new 5-year programme?
- First of all, to keep and justify the evaluation of the international organization “Opera Europa”, regular member of which is the Sofia Opera, that with its artistic vision and strategy it distinguishes itself from the western opera theatres. “There is something here, which was lost in most western theatres. The feeling of ensemble, of team. Your opera has identity.”
While the western opera theatres, which hire for their spectacles singers from all over the world, become more and more standard. Tell us, where else in the world could be produced the whole “Ring des Nibelungen” with entirely national cast?
The management of the Sofia Opera applies a very valuable policy for achievement of results in its different specifics and variety of its artistic plans and directions of activity. This is the corporate culture, or how the management convinces the whole army of different people with different professions – artistic, as well as technical staff, in following and sharing the same values. The manager works for the sense of their united work, for them to be motivated and enthusiastic in cooperation, with their personal and collective energy and interaction to achieve the goals towards their personal success and towards the success of the theatre.
But among the major tasks is the theatre to be always full with audience.
We shall direct our efforts even more, the Sofia Opera as a national institution with international importance, to be the brand! But not like a façade, logo or name, but as а value and internal responsibility and necessity for our country and our national cultural identity, as well as shared personally and by every member of the theatre.
This is the culture of interaction, cooperation and organization. We have new strategies for marketing and communication, for increasing of the visits and widening of the territories for giving of performances, not only on the basic stage, but also on two small stages for cultivating of new audience for the Sofia Opera. We are thinking of our audience tomorrow! Special programmes for opera and ballet for children are among our priorities.
The new big titles for our regular audience are still more attractive and daring. Next to the favourite and traditional classic masterpieces of the Italian, French and German schools we plan productions, which will be performed for the first time on Bulgarian stage.
Among the enormous variety of new productions are “Electra” by Richard Strauss, “Maria Stuarda” and “Lucrezia Borgia” by Donizetti,
the musical “Les Misérables” by Schönberg,
“I Lmbardi” by Verdi, the ballets “Peer Gynt” by Grieg and “Radio and Juliet” by Clug and many others. The Bulgarian composers will be also presented with newly written opuses, as well as with the revival of authors, who have won recognition.
We would like to invite the audience for our spectacles and we expect it on seven stages, three at the opera and at four festival spaces in the open air.
Photo: Private archive - Are you going to invite new people in your team?
- We are always giving a chance for discovering, creating and growing of new staff.
- As if you are again oriented towards staging of musicals. Just for 18 months you make three world titles as stage director – “Sunset Boulevard”, “Mamma mia!” and “The Phantom of the Opera”, for which you are in an active rehearsal period (upcoming premiere in January 2019 at the Music Theatre). Really impressive! And in 2019 are there going to me more surprises?
- Of course!
- “Mamma mia!”, which was a part of the playbill of the Sofia Opera, had an exceptional success. Maybe to this contributed ABBA’s hits, as well as the total advertising. Did you succeed with the musical to attract new audience, as well as a younger one?
- It is obvious that the genre of the musical attracts new audience for the opera.
With Denitsa Shopova during the making of “Mamma mia!” at the Sofia Opera (Photo: Dir.bg)
We are happy with our choice in our hall to invite new guests, who for the first time are crossing the threshold of our opera temple. Some of them are already buying with enthusiasm tickets for the opera and ballet spectacles too.
At the premiere of the musical “Mamma mia!” (Photo: Sofia Opera)
- This is your peculiar return to the genre. In 1986 you were the third person in the world, who received the rights of “Les Misérables” personally from Cameron Mackintosh, and in the 1990s you produced “Fiddler on the Roof”, which was the event of the season. Where comes this love for the musical from?
- One of my first productions of a quite young stage director was the musical “Black Mask” by Domenico Modugno. It was proposed to me by the main repertory director of the Operetta – Vasil Stanilov. I produced it for the first time in Bulgaria at the Kardzhali Music Theatre. It was a great adventure for me not only in the genre, but also in my life, because at that time I served my time as a soldier in Momchilgrad.
With the great producer Cameron Mackintosh, a legendary personality, I met in London. It is true, he gave me the thrust and the right to stage in Sofia “Les Misérables” still in 1987. You see that soon will come a crucial moment to make true this intention of mine. For my spectacles of “The Fiddler” at the Music Theatre, for “Mamma mia!”, without forgetting also our six performances of Wagner at the Opera, came audience specially from England, the USA, Australia, from all over Europe, opera fans from many other countries.
- In the beginning of the season we had the pleasure to see the prima-ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre Svetlana Zakharova, who was guest-performing in “La bayadère”. Should we expect Krassimira Stoyanova, Sonya Yoncheva, Orlin Anastassov, Alexandrina Pendatchanska and others of the greatest opera voices of Bulgaria, for who is thirsty the Sofia audience? And not only Bulgarian, but world opera stars?
- Yes! Undoubtedly our great opera artists, who live abroad, will be ours too. Some of them long since are regular participants in our repertoire programme.
With Ovanes Melik-Pashaev – Joker Media (Photo: BulPhoto)
- After the guest-performances the Sofia Opera at the Bolshoi Theatre and in Japan, do you prepare a new tour?
- We have already begun negotiations with theatres, where we will be guest-performers for the first time.
- 2019 is a very special year for Bulgaria, because Plovdiv, together with the Italian city Matera, will be European capital of culture. Will the Sofia Opera have appearances in Plovdiv?
- We are invited for participation with our production of “Rigoletto” by Verdi, which long since doesn’t go down from the playbill of the Sofia Opera, but was performed with great success in Japan too.
- I wish you success!
- Thank you, I wish you success too!
Interview by Maya Filipova
https://impressio.dir.bg/