On the 4th of December, 2024, the Sofia Opera and Ballet’s “Das Rheingold” made for an impressive finale for the 54th Opera and Ballet Arts Festival in Stara Zagora (FOBI). After last year’s triumph with “Die Walküre” (remember the Valkyries on their crimson steed), “Das Rheingold”, again performed as the finale of FOBI, immersed the audience into the great Richard Wagner’s universe of music. The piece was created during the middle of the 18th century as a “prologue” tetralogy (even though it was written last) to the “Der Ring des Nibelungen” consisting of “Die Walküre”, “Siegfried” and “Götterdämmerung”.
From the first to the very last accord, the score of “Das Rheingold” is on a cosmic level. It elevates you to the heavens, to the kingdom of the gods and the underground dwellings of the Nibelungs, to the river Rhein, between the skies and the earth and charges you with unexpected energy. You meet gods and mortals, mermaids and giants, swindlers and criminals, love and duty…
Probably nothing new under the sun because even one hundred and fifty years ago, Wagner was moved by the eternal themes regarding humanity: life and death, love and hate, good and evil, power, curses and the inevitability of destiny, wisdom and madness… he seeks the answers to this unfinished world and discovers them in greed and dishonor, in the lust for power and gold.
On the bottom of the river Rhein, guarded by gorgeous nymphs, a wonderous treasure lies: Das Rheingold. It carries a deep secret: whosoever manages to forge a ring using it, will gain the power to rule over the entire world but will never come to know love.
The cunning dwarf Alberich manages to steal the treasure and take it into his dark kingdom. However, the gods have also set their greedy gaze upon the gold: their father Wotan and his helper Loge try to take away Alberich’s loot through treachery.
This will be no easy task, especially when the two giants and the gentle Freya, goddess of youth, get involved…
Hans Kudlich’s scenography is unique and impressive. It takes a great deal of talent and inspiration in order to take the audience to unknown worlds and make it a part of them. Hristiyana Mihaleva – Zorbalieva’s costumes are a work of art. The production team headed by director acad. Plamen Kartaloff is great beyond measure, with his productions always being unorthodox and untraditional. With Wagner’s operas however, which seem to have been flowing in his veins for years now, the maestro steps into new dimensions and boldly shows the path towards the rebirth of the arts of opera and ballet.
What more does one need to be overjoyed by this performance? A hundred and fifty minutes of exceptional music (with no interlude) delivered by wonderful singers and artists. Wotan: Veselin Mihaylov; Frika – Mariyana Tsvetkova; Alberich: Plamen Dimitrov; Loge: Daniel Ostretsov; Mime: Krasimir Dinev; Fafnir: Petar Buchkov; Fasolt: Stefan Vladimirov; Donner: Svetozar Rangelov: Fro – Hrisimir Damyanov: Freya: Silvana Pravcheva; Erda: Vesela Yaneva; The Rhein Maidens: Woglinde: Stanislava Momekova; Wellgunde: Ina Petrova and Floßhilde – Alexandrina Stoyanova-Andreeva; multimedia and lighting effects, with the participation of students from the National school of stage and music arts "Hristina Morfova" with mentor Mirena Mitreva and children from the youth opera and ballet studio "Margaritki" with director Zhasmina Cholakova and a perfect orchestra with conductor maestro Evan-Alexis Christ.
The festival audience filled the hall to the brim and expressed its acknowledgment of the Sofia Opera troupe’s high art with long applause. May the circumstances permit, the 55th edition of FOBI will also conclude with a performance of an opera by Wagner.
From the 21st of November to the 4th of December, 2024, the thousand-year old city of Stara Zagora became the capital of high opera and ballet art. Almost all events premiered for the first time or were never before shown on the stage of the hundred-year old opera theater. For the first time in Bulgaria, the National ballet of El Salvador visited. Inspiring meetings and concerts were held.
“It’s been a hundred years since our opera theater opened and fifty-four editions of FOBI in Stara Zagora! I’m both excited and proud!”, mayor Zhivko Todorov wrote.
After the dramatic events during the 20th century, the fall of regimes and national catastrophes, after rises and falls, the art of opera remains alive, inspiring and brilliant.
The Stara Zagora opera and ballet tradition is not only memorable, it has its own path, greatness, past and future. The Stara Zagora audience has an exquisite taste for colorful emotions which will again lead it to the temple of its favorite art this year.
The art of opera will always be admired and bring about the notion of enchanting runaways, enjoyment and knowledge but also pride of us being a part of contemporary European culture.
Good luck to all our artists!
Good luck, FOBI 2025!
Rositsa Rancheva
https://dolap.bg/