After the rich summer programme and the exceptional Wagner Festival, the artists, ballet, chorus and orchestra of the Sofia Opera begin the new season with a number of tours in Europe and Asia.
On 1 and 3 October, a new production of Richard Wagner's “Die Walküre” delighted the music lovers at the Neuschwanstein Festival Theatre in Füssen in Germany, and on 20 and 21 October, Richard Strauss' “Elektra” will be presented at the Taegu Opera in South Korea. Also in October, on 28 and 29, Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Italy will welcome the Sofia Opera Company with the ballet “Giselle” by Adolphe Adam.
A series of spectacles for the youngest audience also marks the beginning of the season at the Sofia Opera Chamber Hall. “The Lost Princess”, “Winnie-the-Pooh” and “Cinderella”, “Das Rheingold”, “Die Zauberflöte” and “Shegobishko” await the children for new experiences and entertainment.
On 12 and 13 October, expect the opera “Amadigi di Gaula” – a magical love story set to music by Georg Friedrich Händel. Dramatic twists, fantastic digital imagery and 3D mapping will show the beauty of Baroque music. In the main roles we will see young singers Rafal Tomkiewicz, Rumyana Kostova, Carlotta Colombo, Margherita Maria Sala. The artistic director of this project is Zefira Valova – a violinist with European recognition in the field of Baroque music making. “Amadigi di Gaula” will also have its version for children, which will be presented on 29 October.
On 15 October we invite you to the remarkable production of “Norma” by Bellini directed by Hugo de Ana with Gabriela Georgieva and Martin Iliev in the lead roles.
The long-awaited return of the ballet “Zorba the Greek” to the stage of the Sofia Opera will be on 20, 21 and 22 October. The work was first staged in Bulgaria by Lorca Massine on 12 May 1995 on the stage of the National Palace of Culture. The spectacle is one of the most successful productions in the ballet history of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and is always performed to packed houses.
On 24 October the great star of Bulgarian and world opera Alexandrina Pendatchanska will have a special appearance in the first concert of the Chamber Concerts Cycle – “Ludmil Angelov and Friends” at the Sofia Opera. She will join the mezzo-soprano Marie-Claude Chappuis and the pianist Lyudmil Angelov in an exquisite chamber programme.
Four guest appearances on the stage of the Sofia Opera mark the last three spectacles of the October schedule. On 26 October the Romanian baritone Ionut Pascu will perform as Baron Scarpia in Puccini's “Tosca”. The lovely Anna Werle, known to the public as Brangäne in Wagner's “Götterdämmerung”, will sing for the first time in Rossini's “La Cenerentola” on 28 October. Her partner in the role of Dandini will be Ilya Silchukou, known to us from “The Queen of Spades” directed by Vera Petrova. In Plamen Kartaloff's wonderful production of “Turandot” by Puccini, the Korean tenor James Lee will be the guest. He will recreate the character of Prince Calaf on 29 October under the baton of Grigor Palikarov.