At the end of January will be the first premiere of the year on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet. The title is "Anna Karenina" to music by Tchaikovsky. The choreographer and director is Leo Mujić. This is his first work in this theatre.
Leo Mujić graduated from the Ballet School in Belgrade and the school of Maurice Béjart in Lausanne. After a successful ballet career on a number of European and international stages, he dedicated himself to choreography. He choreographs ballet performances for which he often writes librettos and selects music. In recent years, the choreographer has turned to dramatic plots inspired by major literary works. He has staged “The Great Gatsby”, “Orpheus”, “Scheherazade”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “A Midsummer Night's Dream” and “Pride and Prejudice”.
Of his work on "Anna Karenina" at the Sofia Opera and Ballet he says:
"I think it's a successful production and it's very important to note that this story is sad. The music is the most important thing to me, so I put the story in the service of the music. I deliberately chose music that is not ballet, which is very difficult to perform. The orchestra has a very important role, as does the violin, which we included."
The prima ballerina Marta Petkova, who is also Artistic director of the Sofia Opera Ballet from this season, enters the role of Karenina:
"I am very happy that we were able to realize this spectacle. Our troupe is worthy to have such a gem in its repertoire. This is the first time I have seen the troupe so motivated. The standard is high. The technique is different, the dance is freer. This will contribute to our spectacles in the future."
The Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Acad. Plamen Kartaloff about the upcoming ballet premiere and what the audience can expect at the end of this season:
"Anna Karenina" returns to our stage after 8 years. We postponed the project, but we did not forget it. Then comes "Fidelio", "Il barbiere di Siviglia", we have anniversaries of Chaliapin, Maria Callas, tributes with the repertoire of these great names, our Wagner Festival."
The premiere dates for "Anna Karenina" are 27, 28 and 29 January.
You can hear more on this topic in the audio file.