WITH A BOOK ABOUT SALVATORE RUSS, THE STARA ZAGORA OPERA EXPRESSED ITS RESPECT AND GRATITUDE TO THE GREAT CREATOR AND FRIEND

01.12.2024 https://dolap.bg/
On 29 November 2024, immediately before the premiere of the ballet “Coppelia”, in the lobby of the Stara Zagora Opera was held the premiere of the book “The Scenographer and Costume Designer Salvatore Russo. The Dream, the Road, the Reality”. This is a gift for the eminent artist on the occasion of his 80th anniversary from the Stara Zagora State Opera. In the words of the director Ognyan Draganov, due to Maestro Russo, the Opera Theater in Stara Zagora experiences its Renaissance.
Although he was not present de facto due to problems with his health /operation on his eyes/, his great art was there for him. The Festival audience was met by models with costumes from productions by Salvatore Russo. On the whole of the western wall are arranged selected illustrations of scenography, sketches and costumes from emblematic for the artist spectacles, realized with his author’s projects of productions in Sofia and Stara Zagora.
About his life and creative development spoke Prof. Flaviya Papachena, author of the book “The Scenographer and Costume Designer Salvatore Russo. The Dream, the Road, the Reality” and his personal friend for more than 40 years. She is one of the most established teachers and researchers in the sphere of dance, with numerous publications, dozens of essays, translations and studies.
In 160 pages, the book has gathered over 60 years of the creative flight of the Maestro. Relatively, the first part is of a biographical character and critical notes about his work. The second part contains 225 photos of the life and creative work of Russo. The third part is a chronology of his work.
Prof. Papachena captivatingly told about Salvatore’s childhood. He grew up in an aristocratic family, related to the musical and artistic high life of Italy. For years on end he studied ballet and singing, he personally knew world famous singers, musicians, conductors, scenographers, producers from whom he drew on in order to build up his own original signature and creative way.
Salvatore Russo is not only a huge figure in his sphere of work as a scenographer and costume designer on a world level, but also an unprecedented friend of Bulgaria, whom he endowed with love his knowledge, skills, wisdom and huge talent in the course of almost 3 decades.
The productions with his costumes and scenography are recognizable and bear the spirit of the great master. In the golden collection of the Stara Zagora Opera there shine the best productions, created with his participation – the costumes in “Lucia de Lammermoor” by Donizetti, the scenography and costumes in “Cavalleria Rusticana” and the ballet ”La Giara”, the costumes of the music-dance spectacle “Bartholomew’s Night” – for the Festivities 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 by Mozart. The latest gem in his incomparable work, created for the multi-national ballet troupe of the Stara Zagora Opera, are the décor and costumes for the ballet by Leo Delibes – “Coppelia”. Before the rising of the curtain of the spectacle a letter was read to the audience from Maestro Salvatore Russo to all the team of the ballet company, to all who participated in the realization of his ideas of “Coppelia”
At the important and emotional event, part of the 54th Festival of the Opera and Ballet Arts, at the first presentation of the book, dedicated to the scenographer and costume designer Salvatore Russo, a special guest was the eminent music and ballet critic, conductor and producer Lorenzo Tozzi. He also emphasized the uniqueness of Russo’s art, which cannot be found in the contemporary world, his high aesthetics and maximal functionality, his contribution to the successful spectacles in which the scenography and costume maximally well illustrate the idea of the composer and director.
This event will travel to Italy as well, it will be distributed in specialized magazines online too. The book will be presented to students in the conservatories.
For the wonderful atmosphere of the hallmark event a great contribution was made by the soloist of the Opera Desi Stefanova with her translation and presenting.
Prof. Flaviya Papacheva gave many autographs for the book about Salvatore Russo.
Rositsa Rancheva
The event is realized with the support of the National Culture Fund.