Bulgaria Opera on the Square Summer Festival – Boublil and Schönberg, Les Misérables: Soloists, Choir and Orchestra of Sofia Opera and Ballet / Constantin Trinks (conductor). Alexander Nevsky Square, Sofia, 2.8.2025. (GT)

In 1986 Plamen Kartaloff acquired the rights to stage this musical in Sofia after London and New York, yet for technical reasons the first show in Bulgaria’s capital was not until 2019, since which it has become enormously popular. Now as part of the 2025 Summer Festival, this new production was performed on the great square before the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The first occasion this space was used for opera was in 2014 for a performance of Musorgsky’s Boris Godunov marking the birth centenary of Boris Christoff.

I was enormously impressed by Sofia Opera’s The Hermit of Rila in 2024 in using an extensive open stage and offering huge opportunities to expand the scope of the opera’s narrative. Of course, to present such a project in the open air presents an enormous challenge for sound qualities and all apart from finding a solution to the challenges of transferring the opera from the enclosed environment of theatre to the open air.

Kartaloff explains his approach to the problem: ‘I seek to achieve social and spiritual catharsis from the suggestions of the ingenious dramaturgy of the musical. In a contrasting parallel to the chamber moments, mass stage scenes also unfold in the action.’ In 2023 Kartaloff negotiated this new staging based on Alain Boublil’s libretto and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s score. The original orchestration by John Cameron is enhanced by new orchestration by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.

Kartaloff explains ‘The square and the cathedral, which has the most magnificent impact for the image of my concept of the production of Les Misérables, are the place for the unfolding of pages from the events in Victor Hugo’s novel, and the idea of uniting the socially significant and personal sacrifice. The very square in front of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, located in the heart of the Bulgarian capital, has a memory of the first rebellious days with monumental processions and the protests of the Bulgarian people for democratic changes.’

In this production, lofty mountain-like structures occupied each side of the stage (seen in last year’s staging of The Hermit of Rila) with the central space occupied by two structures which at certain moments facilitated scene changes – these allowed quick and effective transformations for the unravelling scenes of a chamber room, a ballroom or the barricades of the revolution. The orchestra were enclosed beneath the front of the stage, with the action often going on around the musicians, and a path separated the staging from the audience which allowed the armed soldiers, band, cannons and mounted cavalry to march through spectacularly.

Of the main performers, the characterisation of Jean Valjean by Vladimir Mihalov was magnificent both vocally and acting, most notably in portraying a young man through to old age, in this complex character Mihaylov assumed completely the personality of this desperately tragic character. The casting was excellent for he is best known in Bulgaria as a singer/actor and composer and performed in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Mamma Mia, currently he is in the Equinox band and represented Bulgaria at Eurovision in 2018.

His erstwhile enemy in the Javert of Orlin Pavlov provided the perfect villain of the show, if not sympathetic as Valjean’s foe, Pavlov’s singing was a superb highlight of the whole show. In the entertainment business he is a jazz and pop singer and actor and was Bulgaria’s representative in Eurovision in 2005. Of the female stars of great moment was the Fantine of Vesela Delcheva. She has a beautifully light soprano and among her credits are performances in Mamma Mia, and The Sound of Music yet her magnificent characterisation of the tragic Fantine must be the great highlight of her young career. Another star of the evening was the Colette of Alexandra-Yoana Alexandrovna with her poignant characterisation together with her gorgeously lyric soprano. She is a film and stage actress, director, singer, and composer.

Of the secondary characters, the performance by Vessela Yaneva as Madame Thénardier was superb, just a few weeks ago she was singing Erda in Wagner’s Ring cycle, and her often comic part was among the highpoints of the entire show together with her beau, Plamen Dimov-Granzhan’s Thénardier. Other important performances were the children, and that of the Gavroche of Maxim Petrov who surely has a singing career ahead of him.

The drama of the evening was reflected in all the revolutionary activity, and the uprising at the barricades countered by the movement of the French army on horseback followed by the cannon announced by the steady drumbeat of the marching soldiers which all added to the spectacle. This was very effective and the following parade by the revolutionaries led by Marius (Venyamin Dimitrov) and Éponine (Denitsa Karaslavova) – both outstanding vocally and in character – with red flags through the great space of the stage was thrilling, I doubt if as many red flags have been on display in this country since the last days of socialist Bulgaria in the 1990s!

Throughout, the evolving narrative emerged without any breaks as the scenery quickly transformed from huge mass scenes to chamber passages of great intimacy assisted by Andrey Hajdjinak’s lighting giving a vivid picture throughout. The sound projection was excellent with all the characters clearly heard, so much so that one was not aware of anyone wearing mikes so natural was the sound engineered by Plamen Iordanov and his team.

The orchestra was superbly led by Constantin Trinks (who just a few weeks ago was directing Wagner’s Tannhäuser here). He said that he had conducted Les Misérables twenty years ago and considered the scoring was very like opera with its leitmotifs and structure. The costumes by Leo Kulaš were impressive ranging from the prison grey in the opening scene to the colourful dancing costumes of the girls, and the military attire for the revolutionaries led by the Dimitrov’s Marius and the sparkling colourful attire of the aristocracy, most vividly by the Thénardiers.

One of the most striking aspects of this show was the almost complete absence of the sentimentality that permeates theatre productions of Les Misérables, here Kartaloff’s production gave a Cinemascope presentation for Hugo’s novel unifying the tragedy of Valjean with the terrible poverty of France and contrasting the peoples’ plight with the passion of the barricades and revolutionary flags and closing with the heavenly epilogue. In all, this new staging of this musical brought out an operatic narrative enhanced by magnificent acting and singing which can be added to the many achievements of Sofia Opera and their director Plamen Kartaloff.

Gregor Tassie

Production:
Director – Plamen Kartaloff
Musical preparation – Svetoslav Lazarov
Set designer – Hans Kudlich
Costumes – Leo Kulash
Lighting – Andrey Hajdinjak
Sound – Plamen Iordanov
Ensemble direction – Violeta Dimitrova
Choreography – Riolina Topalova

Cast:
Jean Valjean – Vladimir Mihaylov
Javert – Orlin Pavlov
Fantine – Vesela Delcheva
Thénardier – Plamen Dimov-Granzhan
Madam Thénardier – Vesela Yaneva
Marius – Venyamin Dimitrov
Éponine – Denitsa Karaslavova
Cosette – Aleksandra-Yoana Aleksandrovna
Enjolras – Emil Pavlov
Little Cosette – Lyubena Srebreva
Foreman – Nikolai Voynov
Bishop – Nikolay Popov
Gavroche – Maxim Petkov
Officer – Ivan Egorov
Old Lady – Yuliana Todorova