This year’s edition of the Sofia Wagner festival has solemnly opened: one of the most important cultural events in Bulgaria which has attracted audiences from all over the world for more than a decade now. Prof. Plamen Kartaloff: the festival’s creator and director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, underlined that viewers arrive especially for the performances from Germany, the UK, Iceland, Australia, China and the USA.
In his words, the festival which began in 2013 has already built its own Wagner audience. There is even a functioning Wagnerian society in Sofia headed by journalist Petar Galev.
Prof. Kartaloff noted that the festival’s great success is owed to the creation of a Bulgarian Wagner ensemble consisting of Bulgarian singers, orchestra and creative team.
The international audience especially praises the Sofia Opera’s tours in eight countries among which Germany, Italy, Poland and North Macedonia.
Special attention is also paid to the young audience. The Sofa Opera organizes concerts for babies, children’s performances and adapted versions of Richard Wagner’s works in order to spark interest towards classical music in the young viewers.
Throughout the summer season, viewers will also be able to enjoy a rich open stage repertoire. On the Pancharevo Lake stage, the ballets “Swan Lake”, “Zorba the Greek” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed. Productions of “Mamma Mia!”, “Turandot”, “Les Miserables”, “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” are upcoming.
Prof. Kartaloff expressed the hope that budgets for theatrical and cultural institutions won’t be cut and underlined that a country’s cultural identity is built over the course of decades. He wished good luck to Evtim Miloshev, minister of culture, in his efforts to protect the budget for culture.