On the 15th of September, the Sofia Opera and Ballet visited the Third opera festival in Zagreb with “Die Walküre” by Richard Wagner. The performance turned into the main event, representing Bulgarian culture in Croatia.
The Croatia national theater was bursting at the seams before the long-awaited performance. Among the audience were representatives of the Croatian cultural elite, opera fans not just from Zagreb but also Bulgarians living in the Croatian capital and Bulgarian embassy diplomats. The five-hour long performance passed by unnoticeably as the Bulgarian troupe did its magic. The production helmed by director Plamen Kartaloff and conductor Evan-Alexis Christ received unending applause not just because of the artists’ performance but also because of the director’s vision and the overall score concept.
During the interlude and in the presence of ambassador Iva Kruleva, the Sofia Opera and Ballet received the honorary festival plaque, with acad. Plamen Kartaloff accepting the prize.
The exceptionally successful performance coincided with Maestro Kartaloff’s birthday which he celebrated after the performance.
This visit is a brilliant example of cultural diplomacy given that just ten days before, the opera “Lennon” by contemporary composer and former Croatian president Ivo Josipovic was performed by the Zagreb Opera in Sofia.
