Bulgaria Muses on the Water Summer Festival – Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Soloists, Corps de Ballet and Orchestra of Sofia Ballet / Igor Bogdanov (conductor), Pancherovo Lake, Sofia, 1.8.2024. (GT)

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet shares with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Petrushka the finest writing for ballet of the twentieth century and is amongst his great masterpieces; the richness of invention inspired him to recycle themes from the ballet for three orchestral suites and a piano suite. Yet, its history started with only a shortened version of just two acts performed in Brno, Czechoslovakia, before it received its full premiere in 1940 at the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. The work reflects Prokofiev’s maturity when he returned to Russia with his Spanish wife and two boys.

Some productions have adopted the full version of four acts, yet this staging of three acts and nine scenes is the one more widely used today and was superbly performed by the Sofia Ballet Orchestra under conductor Igor Bogdanov. On the basis of this performance, this new production by Sofia Opera and Ballet marks a major advance and sets a new high standard for the artistic levels of the company. Most notably, this is a triumph for the artistic director of Sofia Ballet, Marta Petkova, who performed the part of Juliet.

Two years ago, I was very impressed by the classical performance of their Swan Lake set in the romantically evocative venue of the Pancherovo Lake outside Sofia. The development of this stage surrounded by new hotel and tourist facilities offers a unique environment for both visitors and the Sofia ballet aficionados only 40 minutes away from the bustle of the city.

The choreography and direction of this new staging is by Kaloyan Boyadjiev who was born in Sofia. Following studying at the National Ballet School in his hometown, he began dancing professionally in Pretoria, South Africa at the State Theatre Ballet Company, and continued his career by returning to Sofia. Boyadjiev was principal dancer at the Norwegian National Ballet until his retirement in 2019. He was appointed Director of the National Ballet 2, and later was the Ballet Master of Norway’s National Ballet. His choreography has been much-admired in New York, Fukuoka, and Paris. This new production will be seen in Oslo at the Norway National Ballet next season.

Boyadjiev in this production concentrates on the theatrical narrative and he has enhanced the dramatic essence of the ballet by making each scene succinct in bringing out the action more forcefully. As he writes the ballet is ‘a musical masterpiece that reveals in a full palette the inner world of the characters and the storyline.’

According to the artistic director Marta Petkova, the new production was under negotiation for two years, ‘the truth is that since I was little I have dreamed of playing the role of Juliet.’ Petkova added that Boyadjiev ‘is extremely tolerant and considerate of us, he gives us complete freedom, and we work on some moments together.’ In this show, four dancers each prepared for the roles of Romeo and Juliet. The premiere took place at the beginning of the Music on the Water Summer Festival on 27 July.

Boyadjiev’s concept refreshes a well-known work with an innovative vision; the choreography adheres to the classical canon but is mixed with neoclassicism and modern dance, injects realism and rejects the traditional balletic mise-en-scène. Boyadjiev says that ‘it is of great importance to present through our arts – in the ballet Romeo and Juliet – the eternal struggle of the young generations and their progressive ideals with the old and conservative views.’

The Norwegian Ingrid Nylander’s costumes are of the Elizabethan period and reflect the inner character of each dancer with pastel greens and browns prominent in the costumes for the Montagues and Capulets, with blacks and whites for the other characters. Each character has a leitmotif in Prokofiev’s score and in the choreography. The scenography by Sweden’s Even Borsum presented large grey edifices on each side of the stage from which the dancers emerged or left, and the rear central space was occupied by a castle-like structure which at times represented a tavern, the house of the Capulets, Friar Laurence’s chapel, or the tomb of the Capulets. Beyond, the Pancherovo Lake offered a romantic picture with the woods in the far distance.

From the opening scene, it was clear that the dancing was of worldclass standard with the quickly moving quarrel between the Capulets and the Montagues on the marketplace, and more so as Prokofiev’s sharp rhythms developed for the sword fight between Romeo and Tybalt and their friends. The scene of the ball was outstanding especially distinguished by the masks of the Verona nobility and the appearance of Juliet. In the balcony scene, Boyadjiev’s lighting was both intimate and poignant evincing all the romance of the passage as the lovers embraced accompanied by the charming passage on the strings. The killing of Mercutio by Tybalt was dramatic followed by the exciting fencing contest between Romeo and Tybalt and the flight of Juliet’s lover. The scene in the chapel was sensitively portrayed in Friar Laurence’s giving of the potion to Juliet and the killing of Paris by Romeo was effectively executed and the final death of Romeo in the arms of Juliet led dramatically to her suicide against the plaintive heart-breaking chords.

The portrayal by both Marta Petkova’s Juliet and the Romeo of Frederico Pinto were outstanding, with every nuance of drama characterised – their feelings expressed through every facial and body movement. This was worldclass dancing and characterisations worthy of any ballet company. The other characters in Shakespeare’s tragedy were magnificently performed, and one must mention especially the debut of the Paris by Enrico Grivo, and the dancing of Vincenzo Caruana’s Mercutio and the Tybalt of Rumen Bonev. The Sofia Ballet has many outstanding dancers with the magnificent corps de ballet often at the heart of this production assuring the show’s greatly merited success. In all, this was a triumph for Sofia Ballet and most conspicuously for the portrayal of Juliet by Marta Petkova.

Gregor Tassie   

Featured Image: Sofia Ballet’s new production of Romeo and Juliet

Production:
Concept, Libretto, Direction and Choreography – Kaloyan Boyadjiev
Set designer – Even Borsum
Costume designer – Ingrid Nilander
Lighting designer – Kaloyan Boyadjiev, Even Borsum
Fencing – Kamen Ivanov

Cast:
Juliet – Marta Petkova
Romeo – Frederico Pinto
Mercutio – Vincenzo Caruana
Tybalt – Rumen Bonev
Paris – Enrico Grivo
Lady Capulet – Pamela Pandova-Baneva
Lord Capulet – Teodor Vodenicharov
Juliet’s Nurse – Ana Vutsova
Friar Laurence – Dario Jovchevski