PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK ”SCENOGRAPHER AND COSTUME-DESIGNER SALVATORE RUSSO

The Dream, the Road, the Reality” in the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome  

On 11 June, Wednesday, at 18.30 in the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome will be held the premiere presentation for Italy of the book “The Scenographer and Costume-Designer SALVATORE RUSSO. The Dream, the Road, the Reality”, dedicated to the great artist.  

The presentation of the book, in the presence of Salvatore Russo himself, will be made by its author Prof. Flaviya Papachena – one of the most affirmed teachers and researchers in the field of dance, having numerous publications, dozens of essays, translations and studies, a personal friend of the eminent artist. The book “The Scenographer and Costume-Designer Salvatore Russo. The Dream, the Road, the Reality”, which has gathered over 60 years of creative flight, was published by the Stara Zagora State Opera as a sign of recognition and gratitude for the contribution of Salvatore Russo to the world opera and ballet arts and the left in Bulgaria for the last almost 30 years magnificent scenic heritage of inimitable aesthetic style and historical authenticity. The event is organized by the Stara Zagora Opera and is part of the special program in the Jubilee 2025, in which the oldest out-of-the-capital opera theater celebrates its one hundredth anniversary with the kind assistance of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome.  

SALVATORE RUSSO is not only a huge figure in his profession as a costume-designer in the world scope, but also an invaluable friend of Bulgaria, which he endowed with love, his knowledge, capability, wisdom and huge talent in the course of almost three decades. The productions with his costumes and scenography are recognizable and bear the spirit of the great Master. The Stara Zagora Opera is proud that in its golden collection shine the best spectacles, created by him: the costumes in the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor”, the scenography and costumes in the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” and the ballet “Le Pot”, the costumes for the music-dance spectacle “St. Bartholomew’s Day” for the Mozart Celebrations in Pravets, the scenography and costumes of the ballets “La boutique fantasque”, “The Nutcracker”, “Don Quixote”, “Paquita”, the magnificent décor and costumes of the Bulgarian-Italian production of the opera “Attila”, “Norma”, the music-dance Requiem of Mozart. The last jewel in his incomparable work, created for the multinational ballet troupe of the Stara Zagora Opera, are the décor and costumes of the ballet by Leo Delibes “Coppelia” in a team with the eminent Italian dancer and choreographer Luigi Martelletta.  

At the presentation of the book, dedicated to the artist Salvatore Russo, is intended an exhibition of sketches of his author projects of different opera and ballet spectacles, realized in Stara Zagora, which will be arranged in the Hall of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome. The artistic atmosphere will be complemented also by a concert program of songs and arias performed by the magnificent opera singers: the Italian opera Diva Maria Dragoni, the soloist of the Stara Zagora Opera Desi Stefanova, soprano Tea Purtseladze  from Georgia, the Italian tenor Dario di Vietri. Piano accompaniment Maestro Davide Clementi. The event will be moderated by the charming Priscilla Baglioni – impresario.

Specially for the event to Rome comes the Director of the Stara Zagora Opera Ognyan Draganov. There will be present friends, eminent artists and representatives of different cultural institutions with which the creative journey of Salvatore Russo is connected. 

The artist Salvatore Russo – a great friend of Bulgaria 

60 years – to the Opera and Ballet with love 

SALVATORE RUSSO is one of the most famous Italian scenographers and costume-designers, whose name is connected with successful productions in many opera theaters in Europe and America. Born in Palermo, he graduated from the Academy for Fine Arts in Rome, Professor of scenography and costume-design in the Academy for Fine Arts in Viterbo. He debuted as a scenographer and costume-designer of the ballet “Tre Canzoni Italiane” in the Rome Opera /1962/ invited by conductors Tullio Serafin and Giovacchino Forzano. He created the scenography and costumes for numerous opera and ballet productions, among which: “L’arlesiana”, “Carmina Burana”, “La traviata”, “Manon”, “Il trovatore”, Rigoletto”, “Tosca”, “La boheme”, “Carmen”, “Lulu”, “Francesca da Rimini”, “The Barber of Seville”, “Nabucco”, “Tosca” and others. He participated in  Liric Kairo Seasons, the International Festival in Pulciano, beside the Rome Opera, he worked also for Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Greate Opera Theatre in Tokyo, Opera Seattle, the opera theaters in Sao Paolo, Manaus and others. He is the author of the scenography and costumes of many television and film productions in Italy and the USA. In his exceptionally rich creative biography, Bulgaria is also present with productions in the Sofia Opera and Ballet of the operas “Maria Tudor”, “Simon Boccanegra”, “Il Guarany”, “Tosca”, “La Gioconda”,”Macbeth”, “Andre Chenier”, “Otello”. In the Ruse Opera he made the costumes for the mega-production of the opera “Aida” and the music-dance “Requiem” of Mozart commissioned by the “Mozart Celebrations” in Pravets with artistic director Hristina Angelakova, and after that – the costumes and décor of the ballet spectacles “Romeo and Juliet” to music by P. I. Tchaikovsky and “Flight to the Light” /choreography Silviya Tomova/. In the Stara Zagora Opera the artist is the author of the costumes of the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor”, the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” and the ballet “La Pot”, the costumes of the music-dance spectacle “St. Bartholomew’s Day” for “The Mozart Celebrations” in Pravets, there followed the arrangements for scenography and costumes of the ballets “Boutique Fantasque”, “The Nutcracker”, “Don Quixote”, “Paquita”, as well as the magnificent décor and costumes of the Bulgarian-Italian production of the opera “Attila”. In 2023 in a team with Ognyan Draganov and Silviya Tomova he participated as the author of the costumes in the scenic presentation of the music-dance Requiem of Mozart on the stage of the Antique Forum in Stara Zagora. In 2024, Salvatore Russo added to the golden opera collection of the Stara Zagora Opera also his recognizable creative feature in the spectacle of the opera “Norma” by Bellini. Specially for the opera Diva Vesselina Kasarova Salvatore Russo created the projects for the costumes of Carmen from the eponymous opera – opera in Stadium “Beroe” 2017. The last jewel in his inimitable creative work, created for the multinational ballet troupe of the Stara Zagora Opera, are the décor and costumes of the ballet by Leo Delibes “Coppelia” in a team with the eminent Italian dancer and choreographer Luigi Martelletta.  

Salvatore Russo possesses many awards, among which he especially values the great Italian award “Positano” for the scenography and costumes of the ballet “Masques Ostendes” by R. Vlad and G. Corelli /1970/ and the high prize “Torre d`Argento”, awarded to him on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his creative activity /1988/.