The Sofia Opera will present one of its signature performances: the ballet “Zorba the Greek” in Stara Zagora, on the 6^th of June

The Sofia Opera will present one of its signature performances: the ballet “Zorba the Greek” in Stara Zagora, on the 6th of June. The performance will begin at 7pm. This is an exchange of visits which allows ballet fans to see titles not featured in the two theaters’ respective repertoires. Just a month ago, on the 8^th of April, the Stara Zagora ensemble presented its new production of “Coppelia” by Leo Delibes in Sofia.

This years’ performances of “Zorba the Greek” are dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of composer Mikis Theodorakis’ birth and the 30^th anniversary of the ballet’s premiere in Bulgaria.

The piece brings two extraordinary people together who turn Nikos Kazandzakis’ novel of Alexis Zorbas’ life into a world-famous ballet hit. A couple years after the ballet’s premiere in 1988: a grand show featuring Mikis Theodorakis’ score and Lorca Massine’s choreography at the “Arena di Verona” festival, the ballet was performed on the 12^th of May, 1995, on the NDK stage (by invitation from Plamen Kartaloff); to this day, “Zorba the Greek” is a mainstay in the Sofia Opera and Ballet’s repertoire. The performance attracts hundreds of exalted fans not only to the Sofia Opera but also to the open summer stages; it also captivates audiences during the Sofia Opera’s international tours.

Starring in the Stara Zagora performance: Frederico Pinto (Zorba), Tsetso Ivanov (John), Marta Petkova (Marina), Nikola Hadzhitanev (Manolios), Charlotte Berard (Madame Ortance), with the participation of the Sofia Opera corps de ballet.