The musical poem "The Hermit of Rila" will be presented in July in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral.
The Sofia Opera revives one of the most significant cultural events – Opera on the Square, which was initiated in the 1990s by Acad. Plamen Kartaloff and was performed at emblematic places in Sofia. At the end of July in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral will be presented the musical poem "The Hermit of Rila" will be presented at the after the text by Tihomir Pavlov and music by Father Kiril Popov. Spectators will be able to watch the spectacular performance directed by Plamen Kartaloff on 26, 27 and 28 July.
The production is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral. The spectacle, which premiered in May 2023, was staged with the blessing of Patriarch Neofit and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The response to the production was impressive.
The unique musical poem is dedicated to St. John of Rila the Wonderworker – the heavenly protector of the Bulgarian people. Metropolitans from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church are expected to attend the performance, and possibly the new Bulgarian Patriarch, who is due to be elected on June 30.
Maestro Plamen Kartaloff together with the composer of "The Hermit of Rila" Father Kiril Popov and actor Irinei Konstantinov, who performs the role of the old John of Rila.
To glorify and honour the name and work of our Reverend Father John of Rila the Wonderworker, the opera "The Hermit of Rila" will enliven the pre-cathedral square as a call to all of us to feel intimate intimacy with the spiritual and purifying love of Saint John of Rila, the Sofia Opera says.
The role of the old John of Rila is played by Irinei Konstantinov, and the young – by Atanas Mladenov. In the other roles the audience will see Angel Hristov, Ivan Radev, Nikolay Petrov, Veselin Mihaylov and others. The orchestra and chorus of the Sofia Opera will be conducted by Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora on 26 July, and Zhorzh Dimitrov will hold the baton on 27 and 28 July. The chorus master is Violeta Dimitrova.
Two spectacular opera productions in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are already in the history of the cultural life of the capital: in 2014 – "Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky and in 2016 – "Nabucco" by Giuseppe Verdi. Both productions were directed by acad. Plamen Kartaloff.
In 1937, the Bulgarian public figure, writer, poet and ethnographer Tihomir Pavlov (1880-1937) created and published his last poetic work "The Hermit of Rila", based on the life of the All-Bulgarian saint Rev. John of Rila the Wonderworker. Sadly, this unique poem remained in obscurity until in 2022 our contemporary chaplain, composer, conductor and teacher Father Kiril Popov found it in his personal archive and received musical inspiration.
Let us worthily sing the great desert-dweller of Rila and know that he always watches over us and is our prayerful intercessor before God, says the musical poem.
The events take place at the end of the 9th and the first half of the 10th century in the central Sredets region of the then Bulgarian kingdom. As a historical time this was the Golden Age of Bulgaria, under the reign of the kings St. Boris-Mihail, Simeon the Great and St. Peter. Churches and monasteries were built all over Bulgarian land, and the Orthodox Christian faith flourished. It was an era of both great spiritual conquests and resounding victories.
All this is in complete contrast to the young and wild John's emphatic renunciation of all things earthly. After the death of his parents, he gave away his possessions to the needy and left a "false peace" in which the first divisions and struggles for supremacy had already begun. The geographical area of the life and exploits of St. John's life includes the Osogovo Mountains, the Struma River, Vitosha and the Rila Desert.
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