OPERA AND BALLET IN THE OPEN – SUMMER 2023

From 30 June to 3 September the Stara Zagora State Opera will bring joy to its admirers with the spectacle in the open. Under the stars of Stara Zagora in the Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana” and “On the Banks of the Old Sevtopolis” in the Valley of the Thracian Kings there will be presented opera and ballet spectacles with the participation of stars from the world stages. The thousand-year-long history – since antiquity to today in combination with the unique charm of the beauty of nature and the unique musical and dance heritage are an inspiring line in the summer program of the Stara Zagora Opera.

Summer Music Evenings in the Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana”

30 June – 4 August 2023
Stage Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana”
The music evenings in the Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana” start on 30 June and 1 July with two spectacles of the rock opera “Esmeralda – Notre Dame de Paris” to the music by Riccardo Cocciante and orchestration for a rock band and symphony orchestra Lyudmil Gorchev. The premiere of the hit spectacle was last summer on the stage of the Antique Forum with exceptional success, after that it was presented in different cities of Bulgaria and the capital-city and it continues to inspire the audience and to be one of the most expected events in the program of the Stara Zagora. The impressive production with the incredible choreography of the world-famous ballet master Mario Piazza and the extraordinary performing cast, who overrides the achievements of world models, will shine in two successive evenings. The spectators will applaud their favorite performers: Mihaela Fileva will be in the role of Esmeralda, Marin Rusinov – in the role of Frollo, Nikolay Motsov will be in the role of Gringoire on 30 June and his student Stoyan Buyukliev will debut in this role on 1 July, Boris Taskov will be Quasimodo, Bogomil Spirov – Phoebus, Aleksandar Panyotov – Clopin, Gergana Nikolaeva – Fleur-de-Lys. Participants are the Orchestra, Choir, Ballet, Children’s and Adolescents’ Studio for Opera and Ballet of the Star Zagora State Opera, representatives of the Proto-Bulgarian Survival School Baga-Tur. Conductor Vladimir Boshnakov, Choirmaster Mladen Stanev.

Stars from the world opera poster guest-perform in the Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana”
On 6 July at 21.00 will be performed the long-time-waited-for spectacle of one of the most loved and popular operas by Giuseppe Verdi “Il trovatore”. The world-famous Serbian baritone Zeljco Lucic will guest-perform in the role Count di Luna. For the second time the mega star, who has conquered the opera Olympus with his talent, comes to the City of the Linden Trees invited by the director of the Stara Zagora Opera Ognyan Draganov. Unforgettable is his participation in the role of Count Scarpia in the spectacle of the opera “Tosca” in July 2021 on the stage of the Antique Forum in Stara Zagora. Then Zeljco Lucic conquered the hearts of the audience which had the opportunity to meet for the first time live with the voice and the artistic talent of the opera legend. The opera “Il trovatore” is not one of the repertoire titles of the Stara Zagora Opera and the spectacle is specially prepared for the stage of the Antique Forum. Director of the production is Ognyan Draganov, the spectacled will be conducted by Maestro Ivaylo Krinchev, choirmaster is Mladen Stanev. In the leading roles the spectators will see Yoana Zhelezcheva – in the role of Leonora, Daniela Dyakova will be Azucena, in the role of Manrico the guest-performer is the Romanian tenor Daniel Magdal, and the role of Ferando will be performed by Ivaylo Dzhurov. Participants are the Choir and Orchestra of the Stara Zagora State Opera.

On 27 July the stage of the Antique Forum will be conquered by one of the best productions of the Stara Zagora Opera – a coproduction with Teatro Lirico di Calari – the opera “Attila” by Giuseppe Verdi. In the role of Attila will guest-perform the world-famous Polish bass Rafal Siwek, who managed to place in his busy program Stara Zagora as well. Rafak Siwek comes from Arena di Verona, where he performs the leading bass parts in a series of spectacles of the operas “Nabucco” and “Aida”. Connected with Bulgaria /Rafal Siwek is a student of the tenor Kaludi Kaludov, where he made his first professional steps in the role of Ferando from the opera “Il trovatore” on the stage of the Varna Opera, and then he debuted in the role of Timur in the opera “Turandot” on the stage of Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture – beside his Maestro Kaludi Kaludov, who was in the role of Calaf. Exactly 20 years later, Rafal will sing again in Bulgaria after he has conquered with his voice the most prestigious opera stages of the rank of Milan La Scala, Covent Garden in London, the Paris Opera, Bolshoi Theater, Mariinki Theater, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Semperoper-Dresden and others.

The Romanian baritone Ionut Pascu will present for the first time before his numerous Bulgarian admirers the role of Ezio. The charming singer is known to the Stara Zagora audience with his unforgettable incarnations in the roles of Coun di Luna /”Il trovatore”/, Nabucco with Maria Lugenina in the stadium Beroe, Renato in the premiere spectacle of the opera “Un ballo di Maschera”, and in April 2022 he participated in a boutique concert “The Voices of Romania” in the cycle “Music Without Borders” on the stage of the Stara Zagora Opera. An artist with an aspiring international career, which took him to many prestigious opera stages and festivals in all parts of the world. He is permanent guest-soloist of the Israeli National Opera in Tel Aviv, where he performed the roles of Georges Germond, Enrico Ashton, Nabucco, Renato, Sharpless, Marcello and Chonar and others.

On 27 July the soprano Tanya Ivanova will play the role of Odabella. The other participants are Aleksandar Marulev – in the role of Leone, and Ivaylo Yovchev will be Uldino, Choir, Orchestra, children from the Children’s and Adolescents’ Studio for Opera anf Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera. Conductor Ivaylo Krinchev, choirmaster Mladen Stanev.

PREMIERE
The Stara Zagora Opera traditionally presents at least one premiere title in its summer program in the open. This year the premiere is of
The music-dance “Requiem” by Mozart

The last work by Mozart – the stirring unfinished “swan song” by the composer “Requiem” will fill with sound this year the stage of the Antique Forum “Augusta Trayana” in Stara Zagora on 20 and 31 July in a new scenic version.

The conductor Ognyan Draganov and the choreographer Silviya Tomova, together with the artist Salvatore Russo staged scenically for the first time the monumental work “Requiem” by Mozart with the cast of the Ruse Opera based on the idea of the Prima Hristina Angelakova. The spectacle was presented one single time in the program of the festival “Mozart Festivities” in Pravets, whose artistic director then was Hristina Angelakova /2015/. Now eight years later, they again go back to this idea in order to revive it and stage it with the Orchestra, Choir and Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera.

In the scenic version of Mozart’s “Requiem” the basic focus is on the choreography and the director’s interpretation of the well-known genius work. The director Ognyan Draganov adds oral texts and develops the idea of the eternal fight between Good and Evil, the ordering in time of the contrasts in our lives, of the “power” of the worldly vanity. The two actors Yoana Bukovska and Plamen Beykov will transform themselves in the symbols of the Angel and the Demon, in order to remind to the lost in its insane competition world that nothing remains unnoticed.
“Requiem” by Mozart will be presented as a music-dance spectacle without breaking the overall musical structure of the mass. Participants are the soloists Emiliya Ivanova, Daniela Dyakova, Nikolay Motsov, Ivaylo Dzhurov, the actress Yoana Bukovska, the bass Plamen Beykov, Evgeniy Arabadzhiev, Choir, Orchestra and Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera. The spectacle will be conducted by the eminent Bosnian conductor Emir Nuhanovic – winner of the Award “Freedom” for his contribution to humanity and human rights in Bosna and Herzegovina, Europe and the world. Choirmaster is Mladen Stanev.

The Summer Music Evenings at the Antique Forum will be closed on 4 August with the concert-spectacle “From Paris to Broadway”, in which we will listen to popular aria, duets from operas, operettas and musicals. Conductor Viktor Krumov, Director Georgi Dinev, Scenic Design and Costumes Gendoni. The spectators will have the opportunity to applaud Tamara Kalinkina, Liliya Ilieva-Mihaylova, Velin Mihaylov and others, a special guest-performer will be the pop star Mihaela Fileva. With the participation of the Choir, Orchestra and Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera.

Holidays in the Valley of the Thracian Kings on the Banks of Ancient Sevtopolis

30 August – 3 September 2023
Stage Dam “Koprinka”
For the third successive year the Stara Zagora State Opera participates in the traditional Holidays in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, organized and realized by the Kazanlak Municipality, on the specially built impressive stage of the dam “Koprinka”. A magic place, which attracts the attention of tourists and music-lovers, who have chosen to spend three exciting opera and ballet evenings under the stars. ”On the Banks of Ancient Sevtopolis” the spectators will enjoy an exciting musical and dance journey through the ages.

The Stara Zagora Opera will open the Festival Evenings, united under the title “On the Banks of Ancient Sevtopolis”, on 30 August at 20.00 with the spectacle of the opera “Attila” by Giuseppe Verdi. A brilliant soloist cast will offer to the admirers of the Stara Zagora Opera: the bass Yulian Konstantinov will be in one of his signature roles of the leader of the Huns Attila. The Serbian soprano Dragana Radakovic guest-performs in the role of Odabella, the prominent baritone Aleksandar Krunev will be in the role of Ezio. The other participants are Aleksandar Marulev /Leone/ and Ivaylo Yovchev – in the role of Uldino, Orchestra, Choir, children from the Children’s and Adolescents’ Studio for Opera and Ballet, Proto-Bulgarian Survival School. Conductor Ivaylo Krinchev, director Ognyan Draganov, choirmaster Mladen Stanev.

On 1 September at 20.00 the Ballet of the Stra Zagora Opera will present the dance spectacle to the choreography by Mario Piazza “Ghetto”. In the attractive spectacle, which already for the fifth time is on the poster of the Stara Zagora Opera, the leading roles will be performed by the Prima Ballerina Aneliya Dimitrova in the role of Sarah, Fiordi Lloha /David/, Carmen Demirtas will be the Soul, and Kalin Lyubenov – in the role of Ravina. The choreography bears the traits of the traditional Jewish dance and interprets the life and spirituality of the ghetto. The music is an interesting combination, in which are the sounds of new arrangements of the familiar Klezmer-motifs. The basic motif in the Klezmer music is the song “Hope”, which today is the national anthem of the State of Israel. The song is a leitmotif in the spectacle and performed live by the soprano Desi Stefanova, solo-violin Kontantin Kosev. The musical choice clearly outlines the contrasts between the closed spiritual life of the ghetto and its external manifestation. The traditional Klezmer-melodies are intwined with the underground music of Goran Bregovic, the Roma international anthem “Jelem” and Hungarian violins.

The final on 3 September “On the Banks of Ancient Sevtopolis” is assigned to the musical “Esmeralda – Notre Dame De Paris” to the music by Riccardo Cocciante with the participation of Mihaela Fileva in the role of Esmeralda. The moving story of the Hunchback of the Notre Dame will be recreated by the soloists Marin Rusinov /Frollo/, Nikolay Motsov /Gringoire/, Boris Taskov /Quasimodo/, Dimitar Raychev Phoebus/, Denis Boyadzhiev /Clopin/, Gergana Nikolaeva /Fleur de Lys/, the Orchestra, Choir, the children of the Children’s and Adolescents’ Studio for Opera and Ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera. Conductor Vladimir Boshnakov, Choirmaster Mladen Mladenov, choreography Mario Piazza, Director Violeta Gorcheva, Scenography and Costumes Denis Ivanov.

Ticket online and at the Box Office of the Stara Zagora State Opera.