Wild applause and “Bravo!” shouts accompanied the Sofia Opera’s first premiere of the new season.

The two single-act operas by Mascagni and Leoncavallo left the audience in awe. The viewers did a standing ovation after the final accords struck. This is an international coproduction between opera theaters in Modena, Piacenza, Rimini and Sofia. Director: Plamen Kartaloff; conductor: Francesco Rosa; scenography: Giacomo Andriko; costumes: Nela Stoyanova; assistant-director: Vera Beleva.

Starring in “Cavalleria Rusticana”: Gergana Rusekova – Santutsa; Martin Iliev – Turidu; Ventseslav Anastasov – Alfio; Tsveta Sarambelieva – Lola; Vesela Yaneva – Mama Lucia.

Starring in “Pagliacci”: Zurab Zurabishvili – Canio; Stanislava Momekova – Neda; Ventseslav Anastasov, Veselin Mihailov – Tonio; Hrisimir Damyanov – Bepe; Atanas Mladenov – Silvio.

With the participation of the Sofia Opera orchestra and choir (choir conductor: Violeta Dimitrova) and BNR’s Children’s choir with conductor Mihaela Koteva.

Huge flower baskets for the singers, the conductor, the director and the orchestra were gifted by Rumen Radev: president of the Republic of Bulgaria and his wife as well as by Marian Bachev: the minister of culture.

The performances of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” continue on the 12^th, 17^th, 18^th and 19^th of October.