COPPÉLIA

The Ballet of Stara Zagora State Opera guest-performs on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet with “Coppelia”

On 8 April at 19.00 the Stara Zagora State Opera will present on the stage of the Sofia Opera and Ballet its newest and impressive production of the ballet “Coppelia” to the music by Leo Delibes. The author of the fairy-tale-like costumes and décor is the great friend of Bulgaria the artist Salvatore Russo. The choreographer of the production is the world-renowned ballet artist and long-term premier soloist of the ballet of the Rome Opera LuigiMartelleta. The spectacle experienced its brilliant premiere in two evenings at the 54^th edition of the unique if its kind Festival of the Opera and Ballet Arts in Stara Zagora – stormily applauded by the spectators and gloriously reported by the national and international media. With “Coppelia” the Ballet of the Stara Zagora Opera celebrated its 75^th birthday and dedicated the spectacles to the 125 years since the birth of the creator of the Bulgarian Ballet Anastas Petrov. “Coppelia” was the event with which the Stara Zagora Opera marked yet another exciting anniversary – 60 years devoted to the opera and ballet of the great Italian artist Salvatore Russo, who dedicated more than 25 years of his creative career to the Bulgarian opera and ballet arts as well.

”Coppelia” with the new choreography by Luigi Martelleta was a sparkling spectacle, saturated with colors and distinguished by the remarkable mastership of the performers, all members of the ballet troupe with artistic director Silviya Tomova. To the quality of the spectacle contributed the décor and costumes, designed by Salvatore Russo, a name, known to the Italian audience because for a long time he has collaborated with the big theatres, including Teatrodell'Opera di Roma, where he was also director of the sewing department /1991-1993/” – author of the article Sara Zuccari, published on 22 January 2025 - www.giornaledelladanza.com.

In the spectacle of the ballet “Coppelia” on 8 April on the stage of the Sofia Opera the spectators will see in the role of Swanhilda the Prima Ballerina Aneliya Dimitrova, in the role of Franz will dance Fiordi Lloha, and in the role of Coppelius – Kalin Lyubenov. There participates the whole multi-national troupe of the Stara Zagora Opera with artistic director the Prima Ballerina, choreographer and pedagogue Silviya Tomova.

The music of the ballet “Coppelia, or the Girl with the Enamel Eyes” is the work of the French composer Leo Delibes /1836-1891/. The premiere had a great success on the stage of the Paris Grand Opera /25 May 1870/ in the presence of Emperor Napoleon III. Since that date till today “Coppelia is irrevocably present in the repertoire of the ballet troupes all over the world.

In Bulgaria, “Coppelia” is the first single ballet, produced on the stage of the People’s Theater. This is why the date of the premiere, 22 February 1928 is considered to be the birthday in the annals of the Bulgarian Ballet Art.

“Coppelia” has two premiere productions in Stara Zagora – the fist one is on 15 January with balletmaster Anna Vorobyova, conductor Simeon Fetvadzhiev, director-consultant Misho Hadzhimishev, artist Petar Ruskov. There followed a premiere 20 years later: on 9 December 1971, choreography and staging Dimitar Tsenov, conductor Veselin Nenov, artist LyubomirTsakev – guest. It is interesting that in the season 1971-1972 the Stara Zagora State Opera, on 25 and 26 December 1971 in “Coppelia” has as guest-performers the world-famous Cuban artists Loipa Araújoin the role of Swanhilda and Azari Plisetskiin the role of Franz – the poster of their guest-performance, photos and programs are stored in the Archive of the Opera supervised by Ema Zhunich.

“Coppelia” /in French /Coppélia/, full title “Coppelia, or the Girl with the Enamel Eyes”, is a comic ballet with an original libretto based on the story by E. T. A. Hoffmann, written by Charles Nuitter and Arthur Saint-Leon, who created the first choreography as well. The plot tells of the love of Franz for Coppelia, an unknown girl, who every morning comes out on the balcony in the house of the strange Doctor Coppelius. The girl is in fact a mechanical human-sized doll, which can move and dance. The Doctor conjures through magic to take the soul of the boy in order to turn Coppelia into a living creature, but Franz’s fiancée Swanhilda and her friends manage to hinder his devilish plan.

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“Coppelia” – the newest title in the repertoire of the Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera Program: Behind the Scenes 14 November 2024 Broadcast:
BehindtheScenes, 14.11.2024
https://bnt.bg/news/kopeliya-nai-novoto-zaglavie-v-repertoara-na-baleta-na-darzhavna-opera-stara-zagora-v378168-334100news.html