The director Vera Nemirova:
Our great singer Anna Tomowa-Sintow has worked very successfully with the singers of our Opera for the premiere of "Ariadne auf Naxos" (29.04, 30.04). The team here is superb, very professional, at a very high level. In the opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" by Richard Strauss two worlds come together. The world of the so-called "serious opera", "opera seria", the work of a young composer who wrote his first work on the myth of Ariadne of Naxos and her encounter not with the god of death, but with the one who gives love and life, Bacchus. On the other side are the comedians of the commedia dell'arte, in which street theatre comes to life. It comes by means of improvisation and inserts itself into the tragedy, enlivens it and becomes a comedy, based on the libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
In the plot, Vienna's richest man commissions a combined tragedy and comedy to make it funnier. This is a very topical subject today, because even now we have to think about what to offer the audience, whether to present them with something more sublime or whether we are forced to do more commercial entertainment.
Take the pleasure to enjoy beautiful melodies and captivating acting with the premiere of the Sofia Opera and Ballet "Ariadne of Naxos" – this opera pearl, in which you can discover something from our world and yourself.
I have made this spectacle in Germany, then in Russia, but the voices of our artists, who are excellent comedians and the innate sense of humour of the Bulgarian people gives a special flavor to Richard Strauss’s masterpiece, which will entertain you.
The cast of Ariadne of Naxos includes:
Aristocrat – Nikolay Pavlov
The Music Master – Atanas Mladenov, Veselin Mihaylov
The Composer – Lilia Kehayova, Mariana Zvetkova
The Tenor (Bacchus) – Kostadin Andreev, Martin Iliev
An Officer – Angel Antonov
The Dancing Master – Emil Pavlov, Krasimir Dinev
A Wig Maker – Svetozar Rangelov, Stefan Vladimirov
A Lackey – Nikolay Voynov, Stefan Vladimirov
Zerbinetta – Diana Vassileva, Stanislava Momekova, Ayla Dobreva
The Prima Donna (Ariadne) – Gabriela Georgieva, Radostina Nikolaeva, Tsvetana Bandalovska
Harlequin – Atanas Mladenov, Ilia Iliev
Scaramuccio – Daniel Ostretsov, Krasimir Dinev
Truffaldino – Angel Hristov, Biser Georgiev
Brighella – Reinaldo Droz, Hrisimir Damyanov
Naiad – Lyubov Metodieva, Ayla Dobreva
Dryad – Vesela Yaneva, Tsveta Sarambelieva
Echo – Silvana Pravcheva, Silvia Teneva
Orchestra of the Sofia Opera
Conductor – Evan-Alexis Christ
Director – Vera Nemirova
Musical Training – Anna TomowaßSintow
Set Designer – Jens Killian
Costumes – Pavlina Eusterhus
Choreographer – Alexander Alexandrov
The conductor – Evan-Alexis Christ:
The opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" by Richard Strauss is a comedy that unfolds two worlds, one a comedy, the other extremely serious. In fact, it is no coincidence that the role of the composer is a self-portrait made by Richard Strauss himself.
What is extremely important in this case is the fact that the Sofia Opera has singers, who not only have excellent technique, but also excellent acting qualities. They have extensive experience with Wagner's opera theatre, which is very important. Vera Nemirova finds the surest way to take out of them their acting qualities, abilities. This opera by Richard Strauss requires skills to come to life in the comedy. Something that Vera Nemirova achieves perfectly.
I would share that this comedy is very difficult to stage. The director finds a way to create an exciting opera theatre, in which to unfold the rich musical language of Richard Strauss.
In this opera it seems to be improvised, but in fact everything is very organized. The director is just a great master. This is an excellent show.
The singers are very good, they manage incredibly well, although the lyrics are very dynamic, and so are the dialogues. The artists were sceptical at first. But now they are doing their best. The action takes place dynamically. The harmony in the musical structure is also changing dynamically. However, the singers manage to cope with all this and with their exceptional singing and acting qualities they will win the hearts of the audience.