More than 25 000 spectators attended the 48 performances in the summer season of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, reported from the Opera.
"Sofia Opera, with its dynamic activity, is constantly generating new impulses to expand cultural horizons and open new territories to attract new audiences, as well as creating opportunities for easy access to opera, ballet and musical theatre for these audiences. I express with conviction my thoughts that every open air production is like a unique one in the multi-coloured range of emotional states and spiritual power coming from the fusion of natural resources, the suggestions and messages of music, text, singing and acting", commented the Director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Acad. Plamen Kartaloff.
This year the summer season was organized on four open air stages – "Opera in the Park" in the park of the "G. S. Rakovski" Academy of Defense, "Muses on the Water" at Lake Pancharevo, "Opera of the Peaks" near the Belogradchik Rocks and "Opera in the Square" in front of the "St. Alexander Nevsky" Patriarchal Cathedral.
The beginning was set on 29 June by the programme for children of the Sofia Opera. For the fifteenth birthday of the festival "Opera in the Park" were presented 15 performances of the most beloved children's plays such as "Winnie-the-Pooh", "The Carnival of the Animals", "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids", "The Three Piggies". Due to the overwhelming interest, additional performances of "Winnie-the-Pooh" and "The Carnival of the Animals" were announced. The presentation in the natural environment once again attracted over 4,000 spectators – children and their parents, grandparents and relatives.
The "Concerts for babies" again caught the attention of the greatest little ruffians, commented from the Opera. "Especially important for us is the involvement of the children's audience to vivid operatic examples", added Acad. Kartaloff, who is also the founder of the festival. The conductors of the performances were Stefan Nedyalkov and Igor Bogdanov, and all the titles were directed by Yulia Krasteva.
"Muses on the Water" was held for the fifth time on the open summer stage near Lake Pancharevo. From 11 July to 11 August, more than 12 000 spectators attended the 19 performances of the ballets "Swan Lake" by P.I. Tchaikovsky, "Zorba the Greek" by Mikis Theodorakis and "Le corsaire" by Adolphe Adam, the musicals "The Sound of Music" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II with director West Hayler and the conductor Igor Bogdanov and, "Mamma Mia!" by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, directed by Plamen Kartaloff and conducted by Svetoslav Lazarov.
"Opera on the Peaks - Belogradchik Rocks" started on August 2 and ends on August 18. In the ninth edition of the festival, the year of Giacomo Puccini (165th anniversary of the composer's birth and 100th anniversary of his death) was celebrated with three productions by Acad. conducted by Giampaolo Mazzoli, Andrei Galanov and Grigor Palikarov. The festival continued with the opera "Medea" by Luigi Cherubini – an adapted version directed by Marco Gandini and conducted by Francesco Rosa. The festival ended with a whirlwind performance of the musical "Mamma Mia!". Along with the artists, orchestra and chorus of the Sofia Opera, the performances featured guest singers from Italy, South Korea and Greece.
The performance of the musical poem "The Hermit of Rila", based on a text by Tihomir Pavlov and music by Father Kiril Popov, was at the end of July, in the square in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Temple-monument. Acad. Kartaloff attracted 3,000 spectators who shared the glorification of the life and work of John of Rila the Wonderworker – patron of the Bulgarian people. In the main roles were Irinei Konstantinov, Atanas Mladenov, Angel Hristov, Ivan Radev, Nikolay Petrov, Veselin Mihaylov. The orchestra and the chorus of the Sofia Opera took part under the conductorship of Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora (on 26 and 27 July) and Zhorzh Dimitrov (28 July), chorus master – Violeta Dimitrova. The children's vocal and theatre formation led by Dimitar Kostantsaliev also participated, as well as Specialized Police Forces Department of the Sofia Directorate of Interior. Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and Metropolitan of Sofia attended the premiere performance on 26 July.
The opera recalls that their summer season began after the completion of the Wagner Festival in June, visited by numerous audiences from Bulgaria, Portugal, USA, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, France, Malaysia, Japan, Argentina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Italy, Romania, UK, The Czech Republic, Scotland.
The new season will offer premieres of operas, a ballet and a musical, as well as a new production for children. Opening night is 15 and 17 September with "The Great Gatsby". On 27 and 29 September, Puccini's "Turandot" will be conducted by world-renowned maestro Daniel Oren. Invited are the great stars of world opera Anna Pirozzi – for the role of Turandot, and Jorge de Leon – Calaf.