Olya Al-Ahmed Author in Fakti.bg
On 7 April, the mezzo-soprano Veronica Simeoni will be guest as Carmen from Georges Bizet's opera of the same name. The spectacle of Bizet's "Carmen" is part of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Maria Callas
"Carmen is a tragedy of personality... There are two vital vibrations of the protagonist: love and freedom. Love and freedom are more important to her than life. She herself becomes a victim of them, fighting against her marked predestination. Her urges for independence turn her into a victim. Her personality doesn't fit into a box. She chooses, she determines her own behaviour. The world for her is impersonal and soulless. She prefers solitude... So, with the freedom of her strong spirit, independent of anyone, she makes a decision about her life. Her pride is also punished because of her conscience constantly seeking change – daring and challenging. But human life is in the hands of Fate" – reveals the idea of the staging the director Plamen Kartaloff.
On 7 April the mezzo-soprano Veronica Simeoni, who the Bulgarian audience knows from the master classes of Raina Kabaivanska at the NBU, will be guest as Carmen from Georges Bizet's opera of the same name. The honest and proud soldier Don José, who will fall under the beauty's pernicious charm, will be Kostadin Andreev, and the fragile, shy Micaëla – Silvia Teneva. Veselin Mihaylov will present everyone's favourite toreador Escamillo. The spectacle will be conducted by Zhorzh Dimitrov.
"I am back in Sofia after ten years and I feel very well. I would say that this is my second home. I was very young when I was here for the master class of my teacher Raina Kabaivanska, my Bulgarian mother. It's so emotional to sing in her theatre...
What is my Carmen? I sang it for the first time in 2008 in Mexico City. It's been so long. I've done many productions all over the world, most recently in Sydney, Australia. It's one of my favourite operatic roles. This character of mine is always new, different, interesting. I have a Carmen, which is actually Veronica, which I then combine with the director's, the conductor's depending on their ideas. That's how I build a new character every time. Otherwise it would be boring. So it's always different, because the world is also different. Let's not forget, moreover, that in every woman lives a Carmen. She unites so many things, Carmen is all women," says Veronica Simeoni.
