The performance will be on 18 May.
"Wagner's opera "Die Walküre", which will be performed by the Sofia Opera and Ballet, will be the first performance of Wagner's work on our stage," notes the website Republic Online.
At a special press conference when presenting the festival programme, the artistic director of the National Opera of Skopje, Orce Itskovski, stressed that "This is the most exclusive event of the festival".
From 9 to 31 May, Skopje will host the May Opera Nights for the 52nd time.
"Die Walküre" will be directed by Plamen Kartaloff, conducted by Evan-Alexis Christ, set design by Hans Kudlich and costumes by Hristiana Mihaleva-Zorbalieva. The lead roles will be performed by Thomas Hall – Wotan, Mariana Zvetkova – Fricka, Martin Iliev – Sigmund, Angel Hristov – Hunding, Gergana Rusekova – Brünnhilde, Tsvetana Bandalovska – Sieglinde.
This season this is the third festival where the Sofia Opera will present the second part of Richard Wagner's tetralogy "Der Ring des Nibelungen". It premiered in July 2023 during the Wagner Festival in Sofia, dedicated to the 210th anniversary of the composer's birth. Back in October, "Die Walküre" won the acclaim of a demanding German audience and uncompromising critical acclaim at the Königswinkel Festival in the historic German town of Füssen, located at the foot of Neuschwanstein, the castle of Wagner's benefactor King Ludwig II of Bavaria. On 9 December 2023, the again impressive "Die Walküre" closed the Stara Zagora Festival of Opera and Ballet in a hall filled with enthusiastic spectators.
"Richard Wagner's opera "Die Walküre" caused great enthusiasm in the Festival Hall in Füssen. The production of the Sofia Opera is distinguished by its psychological depth. This production, which was experienced by about 1000 visitors in two days, became a triumph for the Bulgarian opera. At the end, some spectators even competed their loud cries of "Bravo" with the vocal power of some singers during the performance on stage.
The excitement about this performance is easy to understand. It is not, however, based on superficial show effects or ostentation or vocal exaggeration. The performance stands out above all when the deep layers of the music and the lyrical characters are felt in it..." wrote music critic Klaus Schmidt.
"In an insightful and courageous way, director Plamen Kartaloff has created a production in tune for the audience, which, even if it is no longer a beginner, still needs to be carefully guided through the interwoven forest of symbols of the Ring" – added the Italian musicologist Riccardo Cenci.
"Der Ring des Nibelungen", signed by Plamen Kartaloff, impresses with directorial precision and a wonderful musical score. "Die Walküre" – the most placed work from "The Ring" emerged as a highly emotionally impacting performance, especially polished from the directorial point of view" – is the opinion of journalist Oksana Tumanova. Director Plamen Kartaloff has long worked with the National Opera and Ballet in Skopje. There he has staged "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Gaetano Donizetti, "Don Carlo" by Giuseppe Verdi and "Lydia of Macedonia" by Risto Avramovski, which opened the 2023/2024 season in Skopje.
