Acad. Plamen Kartaloff, director of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, started off his new director’s term with the glamor of the dozens of new instruments purchased for the orchestra and since gold goes well with champagne, the musicians celebrated the occasion on Sunday morning with a sip of champagne among the elegant atmosphere of Club “Opera”. Just one sip though because they went up on stage for a rehearsal immediately after.
Acad. Kartaloff headed the Sofia Opera for the fifth time and announced in front of his ensemble some of the projects he’s put in the repertoire with which he again won the director’s post at the national institution. The Wagner festival he created is one of these projects: precisely because of these performances, he has acquired the funds for many of the new instruments like the four Gebr. Alexander Wagner’s tubas, for example. The investment in the Sofia Opera orchestra’s perfect sound began in 2012 and the latest batch of instruments arrived in 2025.
The new instruments are a total of twenty-eight. Here’s a list of all the instruments purchased since 2012: six Gebr. Alexander French horns, two C Gerd Dowids German trumpets, three Bb Gerd Dowids German trumpets, four C Bach trumpets, four Bb Bach trumpets, four Ludwig timpani (a full set), six Pöllmann double-basses, one Oscar Adler counter bassoon, four Yamaha pianos, one Yamaho vibraphone, seven Engelbert Schmidt French horns, one C Thein Brass bass trumpet, thirteen California Percussion gongs used in “Turandot” and “Madama Butterfly”, one Kolberg tam-tam, eight Sonor parade drums, one Black Swamp Percussion tambourine, one Latin Percussion guiro, a pair of Mainl maracas, a pair of Studio 49 castanets, one Zildjian hanging cymbal, one Kaufmann whiplash, one Black Swamp Percussion triangle, one Latin Percussion vibraslap, one tall Studio 49 vibraslap, four Courtois trombones, one Thein trombone, one Courtois bass trombone, four C Yamaha trumpets, five Bb Yamaha trumpets, two sets of Yamaha cornets, three Oberrauch German trumpets, two Rudolf Meinl tubas, two Yamaha stage pianos as well as bells, congas, crotals, cymbals, cabasa, temple blocks, rototoms, a cowbell, a Matt Nolan train, a djembe, a doumbek, a Matt Nolan sistrum, Matt Nolan bells used in “Parsifal”, Kolberg orchestra pit furniture, claps, Rolan pads, a Roland drum set etc.
Many of these instruments were chosen by the musicians themselves, Plamen Kartaloff revealed. His orchestra shared that some of the newly-purchased instruments are the Rolls-Royces of their brand. The instruments have already displayed their wonderful sound on stage and immediately became a part of the Sofia Opera’s performances at the end of 2025.
Among the Sofia Opera’s upcoming events in 2026 is the “Delirium” recital by the world-famous soprano Jessica Pratt, on the 8th of March.
Conductor will be Daniel Oren. Later throughout the year, the maestro will conduct a Masterclass at the Sofia Opera with conductors from all over the world.
Kartaloff announced one of the upcoming premieres in the opera’s repertoire: “Mosè in Egitto” by Gioachino Rossini. More details on the event will be revealed in the future.
Acad. Kartaloff also announced the upcoming collaboration between the Sofia Opera and Ballet and Sonya Yoncheva which will take place on an open stage in front of the “St. Alexander Nevsky” cathedral. The “Gala in Sofia” event, organized by the soprano, will take place from the 25th to the 27th of August, with tickets already on sale.
https://www.ploshtadslaveikov.com/rols-rojsovete-na-sofijskata-opera/
