High-school students from Secondary Comprehensive School “D-r Petar Beron” applauded with enthusiasm the music by Bizet and Verdi
An unexpected present offered the soloists of Sofia Opera and Ballet to students from the classes 5 to 12 and their teachers from Secondary Comprehensive School “D-r Petar Beron” – Kostinbrod in the hall of Cultural Club “Ivan Vazov”. For just some minutes they filled up the hall in expectation of their moving meeting with the art of opera. The more impatient ones among the ca. 450 young spectators with intense applauses “called” the beginning of the concert.
This first guest-performance of artists of Sofia Opera and Ballet in Kostinbrod began with welcoming words of the Municipality Deputy Mayor Lyuben Kanchev and of the Director of our first opera theatre Plamen Kartaloff. The euphoria with which were received the speeches of both of them transported itself also in the first performance of the special almost 1-hour concert – the couplets of the toreador Escamillo from the opera “Carmen” by Georges Bizet, presented by the baritone Veselin Mihaylov, often accompanied by the energetic applauses of the audience.
More unfamiliar for the high-school students, the music of “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi conquered them with the tercet, the duet and the aria, performed by the soloists Radostina Nikolaeva, Kostadin Andreev and Gergana Rusekova with piano accompaniment by Milen Stanev. What was happening on the stage was added by information about the presented fragments and about the composers by the Literary Manager Dimitar Enchev. Quickest in answering the improvised question by the Director of the theatre Plamen Kartaloff turned out to be the student Alexander Angelov. The prize for his music knowledge was an invitation for the spectacle of “Aida” by Verdi on 8 February at 11.00, for which are envisaged special discounts for pupils and students. In the same performance in the role of Radamès the audience will hear the famous far abroad Bulgarian tenor Kamen Chanev. His partners will be Gabriela Georgieva as Aida and Gergana Rusekova as Amneris.
Long and sincere applauses accompanied also the concert last performance – the toast from “La Traviata” by Verdi, magnificently presented by Daniel Ostretsov and Radostina Nikolaeva. As after a real spectacle at the opera the students from class 7 Mihaela Tsekova, Julia Vasileva, Iva Nenova and Simeon Lyubenov visited in the dressing room and waylaid beside the bus of Sofia Opera and Ballet the performers in the concert, in order to receive autographs and take pictures with them as a keepsake. For Simeon this was not his first contact with great art, but for sure it was the most exciting until now. With a promise for new meetings – in their town and at our first opera theatre and with sincere gratitude about the friendship the students said “Goodbye” to the artists.
