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Stara Zagora is getting ready for the 45^th edition of the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art after a one-year break. Having been founded in 1967, through the years the festival has welcomed some of the foremost opera stars of Bulgaria – Nikolay Gyaurov, Raina Kabaivanska, to mention but a few.

The first day of the festival – 24 November – kicks off with an exhibition commemorating Boris Stoynov, head artist of the Stara Zagora Opera House, followed by the opening night of Verdi’s Othello. Here is more from Petko Bonev, Director of the Opera House:

“We worked together with him for years. Boris Stoynov was a wonderful person and professional; his passing away was untimely and we are now honoring his memory with an exhibition of his works - set designs etc. We are also dedicating the premiere of Othello to him, because the stage set is his work. This opera masterpiece can only be performed by virtuoso performers. That is why we invited singers with abundant experience in leading roles. Our idea was to bring together youth and experience – something that has been working successfully since the beginning of my term as director. Alongside foremost world tenor Emil Ivanov and baritone Ivan Konsolov, we shall also see young singer Russalina Mochukova as Desdemona. Ivailo Yovchev is cast as Casio – he was nominated for the Crystal Lyre award of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers. We are proud to say that the Sofia Opera House is also on our playbill with Rossini’s opera Cinderella on 26 November. The Rousse Opera House will be staging Tchaikovsky’s ballet Romeo and Juliet; the Plovdiv Opera will be presenting La Bohème by Puccini on 2 December.”

The festival programme also features a ballet show entitled Flight into the Light, based on selected music by Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and other composers who have practically nothing in common. Petko Bonev:

“It is a ballet show in two parts staged by the Rousse Opera House which is famed for the excellence of its dance company. Choreographer Sylvia Tomova’s rendition is wonderful and it can be seen on 27 November. It has been staged with great success so far; I am sure it will be highly successful at the festival as well, as the audience here appreciates a classical rendition. This is a genre we could not possible have given a miss. In my capacity of artistic director of the festival I wanted it to have two components – opera and ballet. We have also included a musical for children – Alice in Wonderland.”

English Milena Daynova

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