The audience, which had the chance to be present at the spectacle of “Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini, performed on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet on 16 October 2020, will not forget the experienced emotion for a long time!
In this performance was reached as if an unprecedented magic and culmination of an elevated music aesthetics! Maestro Plamen Kartaloff’s production for the next time in succession conquered the hearts of the thankful audience, provoked by the spectacle’s exquisite emotionality!
The favourite for the connoisseurs of operatic art soprano Tsvetana Bandalovska reinterpreted with conquering artistry and real magnetism the romantic character of Cio-Cio-San. Martin Iliev’s mellow tenor presented more than convincingly the drama of his character Pinkerton. The hero of the Anniversary Niko Isakov with his inherent dignity and respecting baritone didn’t spare himself in his Sharpless. It is difficult for us to imagine in this opera someone else so delicately and emotionally to feature the empathic to Madama Butterfly’s fate maid of hers Suzuki, as Ivanka Ninova always does.
It is already known that because of the anti-pandemic situation, the ground floor of the Sofia Opera and Ballet is now a safely reorganized for the health of the musicians orchestra box. This, on the one hand, adds to the bigger volume and gives a space arrangement of the musicians, on the other hand – there is admirable acoustics! The change in question was wonderfully used by the conductor Grigor Palikarov, who this time too wormed out the best from his talented colleagues! We cannot miss expressing most enthusiastic evaluation of the nuances and culminations, which were reached this time too by the unattainable orchestra team of our first opera theatre. The famous chorus of the Sofia Opera evoked again our gratitude with its delicate harmony and perfect synchronicity!
With endless applauses, the audience cordially rewarded all performers, who as counteraction of the imposed restrictive measures, did also the impossible for the audience to be illuminated by the beneficial effect of the great art of the opera!
After the spectacle, on the stage took place a moving celebration! With the due attention was honoured the 60th Anniversary of the eminent opera singer Niko Isakov, who is also a highly respected Professor and Dean of the Vocal faculty at the Pancho Vladigerov Academy of Music. He was awarded the prestigious “Golden Lyre” of the Union of the Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers, which was handed out by Prof. Rostislav Yovchev.
In his thank-you speech Prof. Niko Isakov expressed his enormous gratitude to the whole team of the Sofia Opera and Ballet for the unforgettable successful collaboration and the high achievements during the past years. He thanked sincerely the Director of our national opera Maestro Plamen Kartaloff for his explicit insisting this celebration to take place on the stage of this majestic temple of the art of the opera!
Let’s add several opinions of the moved spectators immediately after this spectacle.
Prof. Rostislav Yovchev: “This evening we were accomplices in one exceptional spectacle of the Sofia Opera and Ballet! I am very impressed by Maestro Kartaloff’s unique staging, by the conquering music making, achieved by the conductor Grigor Palikarov and the overall sounding of the orchestra, the chorus and the soloists, at that all this was combined in a striking synchronicity and talented organization of the production! Such events are pride for the native art of music!”
Kremena Nikolova: “During the entire spectacle I was as if in a state of real nirvana! I was totally conquered by the wonderful stage solutions and the charming performance of your artists! I have been time and again at Covent Garden and at other prestigious theatres in Europe, but today I can frankly say that our Sofia Opera is at a world level in all respects!”
Lilia Veleva: “I still cannot recover from the just experienced emotion in the hall. We have performers of genius. And the production itself is so conquering! Your orchestra deserves enormous gratitude for be able to perform everything and at that by this new arrangement of the musicians, the effect of their performance was still of a larger scale and more tangible!”
Dimitar Velev: “I have no words! A magical spectacle, unique singers and orchestra members, unparalleled atmosphere! Puccini must be proud that in another country his opera was re-created genially and magically! We are expecting your next spectacles, for which I have already bought tickets!”
Good luck to the so successfully opened new season of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and the worthy celebration through this programme of 130 years of the creation of the Opera in Bulgaria!
