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On 8 April, for the first time in Bulgaria, the bass Ivo Stanchev will sing the part of King Filippo II.
When Plamen Kartaloff staged one of Verdi's most beloved operas, "Don Carlo", in the five-act version with a prologue and seven scenes on 18 April 1988, it was an event!
His partners were the conductor Ivan Marinov, the set designer Lyubomir Yordanov and the costume designer Daniela Yordanova, and the invitation came from Svetozar Donev, then director of the opera. "The direction is interesting and contemporary, he said some time ago. Until then, the staging was traditional. Maestro Kartaloff's innovative art was that he made the old characters, the mise-en-scene and the chorus to be recognizable, up-to-date characters. And the result was astonishing – the opera has been parading on our and foreign stages for so many years now."
In Bulgaria, the Fontainebleau scene was presented for the first time, illuminating the relationships to come.
The staging and set design are spectacular and clean, and the costumes are magnificent. The scene is in fact a huge cross, a cross that separates the characters – husbands, friends, courtiers, throne and church, king and people. A cross that bursts into flames to give retribution but also to purify.
The premiere cast then included Stefan Elenkov, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Nicola Ghiuselev, Stefka Evstatieva and Valerie Popova, Stefka Mineva, Kaludi Kaludov and Konstantin Yankov, Nikolay Smotchevsky and Nikola Vasilev, Nikolay Stoilov and Dimitar Stanchev. Over the years all the great Bulgarian opera singers have sung in this production, as well as many foreign singers – singers-legends who have marked the history of the Sofia Opera, including Ghena Dimitrova, Anna Tomova-Sintow, Boyko Tsvetanov, Maria Belcheva, Tsvetelina Vassileva, Vladimir Stoyanov, Yulian Konstantinov, Ivanka Ninova, Mariana Pencheva, Orlin Anastasov, Petar Danailov, Kostadin Andreev, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Kamen Chanev. Many more Bulgarian singers made their debuts on the Sofia stage in this opera, but already without the prologue.
Stefka Evstatieva speaks about this production with great affection, having herself performed the part of Élisabeth in French in the integral version of the opera. She remembers the creative atmosphere and the wonderful partnerships. Stefka Mineva also enjoyed working on the role of Princess Eboli, although she says it was not her favourite part. For Kaludi Kaludov, meeting Plamen Kartaloff on the stage of the Sofia Opera was a first, although they had previously worked together at the Youth Opera. For years, for Kaludov, this was one of the leading roles of his repertoire.
On 8 April, for the first time in Bulgaria, the bass Ivo Stanchev will sing the part of King Filippo II.
Ivo Stanchev graduated from the "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" National Academy of Music, and then improved his skills in the master classes of Vladimir Galuzin, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Teresa Berganza and Deborah Polaski. His first performances were with orthodox church music in Germany, Austria and France. His operatic debut was Dr. Grenvil from Verdi's "La traviata" and Raimondo from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" in Spain. His engagements in various venues in Spain continued in the following years, and his repertoire was enriched – The King in Verdi's "Aida", Stepan from Mussorgsky's "The Marriage" at Teatro Real in Madrid, appearances in Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" and Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux" with Edita Gruberova. In Italy he first appeared in Bottesini's opera "Ero e Leandro" in Crema. After 2018, he received invitations for Ferrando from Verdi's "Il trovatore" at the Heidenheim Festival, Basilio from Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" in Toulon, Timur from Puccini's "Turandot", among others. In 2022 Stanchev made his Glyndebourne Festival debut as Colline from Puccini's "La bohème". Earlier this year he appeared with the Orchestre National de France in Prokofiev's "Ivan the Terrible" in Paris, and in March he made his debut as Boris Godunov from Mussorgsky's opera of the same name at the Innsbruck Theatre. Next season he has offers for Zachariah from Verdi's "Nabucco" in Prague and for the Priest from Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" in Leipzig.
There will be another debut in this spectacle. The role of Don Carlo will be performed for the first time by Emil Pavlov, whom the audience knows from his appearances in other operas from the repertoire.
The audience will again have the possibility to applaud their favourites Radostina Nikolaeva as Élisabeth, Violeta Radomirska as Eboli, Atanas Mladenov as Rodrigo and Svetozar Rangelov as the Grand Inquisitor.
The musical direction is by the Slovak conductor Oliver von Dohnányi.
https://fakti.bg/kultura-art/770312-operata-don-karlos-e-35-godini-na-sofiiskata-scena-postanovkata-na-plamen-kartalov-otbelazva-ubilei