A SECOND MAGIC EVENING OF THE FESTIVAL FOR OPERA AND BALLET ARTS ON THE STAGE OF THE STARA ZAGORA STATE OPERA

Once again, Stara Zagora experienced a magic evening of the program of the Festival for Opera and Ballet Arts.

“It was decades ago when Stara Zagora and Bulgaria as a whole welcomed a professional opera and ballet theater. For the very first time since then we are exceptionally proud to be the host of such an event” – said the director of the Stara Zagora State Opera before the spectacle of the opera “Thais” by Massenet, production by the Baltic Opera – Gdansk, Poland. The spectacle is under the honorable patronage of His Excellency Maciej Szymanski, who was present in the hall. And, on the stage, next to director Ognyan Draganov, were the director of the Baltic Opera and director of the production Romuald Wicza-Pokojski and the director of the Polish Cultural Institute in Bulgaria Jaroslav Godun. “We are exceptionally happy that after the visit of the great Polish actor Jan Englert this year to the film festival “Golden Linden”, now we see this spectacle accomplished” – said Jaroslav Godun. They both received the Sign of Honor of the Stara Zagora State Opera…

… And the magic began…

The exclusively minimalistic sets, play of lights, colors and shades, plasticity of the ballet since the beginning to the end, totally harmonic, merged and loud sounding of a choir, which was hardly over 20 people…
This one constituent part of the magic of “Thais”.

The other constituent part are the three basic soloists – a magnificent in terms of voice and scenic expression Thais /Besa Llugiqi/, lyrical and passionate Atanael /Marcin Bronikowski/, cold-blooded and cynical Nisias /Ivaylo Mihaylov/. Simultaneously voices of powerful sounding and artists with insight and depth.

Over 60% /it is difficult to specify exactly how much over/ of the magic of “Thais” was the ORCHESTRA of the Baltic Opera conducted by Jose Maria Florencio.

Such a fantastic, in the conditions of a provincial opera, sound, I personally have heard only in the recordings of world orchestras on You Tube. The perfect mutual flowing of melodies, sounds of pouring rain, diverse ornaments and expressions of beauty, playing with lightness and pleasure of the full mastering of the instrument by each one of the musicians of the big orchestra of the Baltic Opera, which occupied the orchestra pit of our Opera end to end.

A total pleasure from the meditative music of the orchestra and the solo-violin of Celina Kotz, who was also in the role of Angel. And what kind of Angel! From the suite of Angels with the look of a model on the catwalk. What a graceful and lyrical musician is Celina Kotz!

The spectacle of “Thais” is an achievement of a complete fusion – soloists, choir, ballet, orchestra. An achievement of the 21st century.

The economical presence of scenography on the stage was completely compensated by the ideal cast of voices, /proper/ staging and choreography, titanic power and beauty of the orchestra!

FOBA 2019 this year, as well, discovers unfamiliar and forgotten worlds /”Thais” was staged in Stara Zagora in 1965, we should remember this/. Like Vasco da Gama, who discovers and like Thais, who purifies and “baptizes” in the right faith of the most beautiful classical music, created by human beings.

The true power of a musician is recognized in his passion to discover new music – new horizons and new heights, which are his self-challenges. Incessantly.

Ulyana Kyoseva
/In the program of the Festival for Opera and Ballet Arts in 1975, there was a guest-performance by the Opera of Lodz, Poland, of the spectacle of the opera “Halka” by Stanislaw Moniuszko/

Foto Georgi Petkov