Dear readers,
 As promised, in August we will again offer you interesting productions of favorite operas and some of the most talented Bulgarian and foreign artists! Come to our productions. In August, they will be only in the Summer Theater – the pleasure is guaranteed! We promise you unforgettable hours with your favorite music and world-famous stars!


OPERA IN THE SUMMER THEATER IN AUGUST

The opera “Carmen” – with NADIA KRASTEVA
9 August
21:00
Summer Theater

Nadia Krasteva – the most fascinating Carmen and one of the most talented Bulgarian singers, who took the leading opera theaters by storm, will sing in Varna for the first time. The prima of the Wiener Staatsoper arrives in Varna after the premiere of Bizet’s immortal opera in Vienna!

As conductor of the 9 August production, by special invitation, we give you young Bulgarian conductor Rosen Gergov, whose artistic career is also connected with Vienna. Rosen Gergov has an extensive repertoire. His music interests range from the music of Viennese classicists, by way of the Romantic period to modern pieces.

Nadia Krasteva will be partnered in the Varna production of “Carmen” by the Sofia Opera soloist Kostadin Andreev (Don Jose) and soloists of the Varna Opera: Plamen Dimitrov (Escamillo), Linka Stoyanova (Micaela), Evgenii Stanimirov, Svilen Stoyanov, Plamen Dolapchiev, Vyara Zhelezova, as well as Yanitsa Nesheva from the Stara Zagora Opera Theater.

This is a premiere production produced by the chief director of the OPS – Varna Kuzman Popov.

Another leading soloist of the Wiener Staatsoper will sing in Varna this summer. For several years now, tenor Kamen Chanev is a permanent soloist of this famous European opera house. He is referred to as a top tenor of Europe, and this is hardly surprising – he is a Bulgarian, he has learned from Boris Hristoff, Aleksandrina Milcheva, Gena Dimitrova...
In 1991 he graduated the Music Academy in Sofia, in 1992 he specialized in Rome under Boris Hristoff and Aleksandrina Milcheva. His meetings with Gena Dimitrova are forever engraved in his memory. He confides that he has learned many of the tricks of the trade from Luciano Pavarotti’s pianist – Leone Magera.
Kamen Chanev sings in some of the greatest opera houses in Europe – in Germany and Austria.
He has sung in Arena di Verona, in Atlanta, USA and in Seoul, in Palma de Majorca and Philadelphia, for many years he was a lead soloist of the Prague Opera House. Recently he was with the Venetian „Ëà Ôåíè÷å“ in Beijing, in „The Egg“, as their new theater there is known for its oval shape – one of the most interesting new opera theaters in the world, built in honor of the Olympics.
Except opera, the talented Bulgarian sings also in oratorios, symphonies and requiems by Mozart, Verdi, Dvorak, Mahler, Rossini, Mendelsohn, Beethoven.
He has recorded in the Bulgarian National Radio and Bulgarian National TV.

The Austrian-Italian conductor Eraldo Salmieri was invited to conduct “Il Trovatore” on 13 August. He was born in Austria, studied in Milan, graduated also the University of Music in Vienna in the class of Prof. Otmar Suitner. E. Salmieri has conducted the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine), State Opera – Budapest, in Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden,Norway, Belarus, etc.
In the period 1992 – 1996 he conducted New Symphony Orchestra - Sofia, with whom he performed a series of concerts with works Schubert. Since 2004 he has been a guest-conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. This year he was in Varna as well, conducting the opera “Romeo and Juliet” by Charles Gounod at the festival “Operosa Euxinograde 2010”.

The remaining roles in “Il Trovatore” are performed by Biser Georgiev (Count di Luna), Linka Stoyanova (Eleonora), Olga Mihailova (Azucena), Evgenii Stanimirov (Ferando) etc.

16 August
21:00
Summer Theater
CARMINA BURANA
Lay songs for soloists and choir accompanied by instruments and magic pictures
By Carl Orff

The first performance in the «OPERA IN THE SUMMER THEATER» cycle was on 29 June and that was the premiere of «Carmina Burana» by Karl Orff. Those, in the author’s words, «lay songs for soloists and choir accompanied by instruments and magic pictures» are one of the most often performed 20th century works.

Conductor GEORGI CHAPRAZOV
Director KUZMAN POPOV

Starring: Orcehstra, choir and ballet of OPS – Varna
Choir to Varna Children’s Opera to Municipal Children’s Complex
Students from the ballet classes of “Dobri Hristov” National School of Arts - Varna

Dramatis personae and performers:

Maiden - IRINA ZHEKOVA – soprano
April and Abbot – SVILEN NIKOLOV – baritone
Drunkard and Young Man – PLAMEN DIMITROV – baritone
Beggar – IMAN YONKOV – tenor

Soloists - ballet:
Fortuna – NINA STEFANOVA
Phoebus and Drunkard – RUMEN STEFANOV
Flora – LILI ZDRAVKOVA
Swan – ZHIVKO KAYKOV

18 August
21:00
Summer Theater
Conductor Borislav Ivanov

The opera “Nabucco” was the third opera written by young Giuseppe Verdi and the first one which brought him phenomenal success. In the composer’s artistic biography, “Nabucco” became the most important step towards the formation of his unique artistic style.
The team behind the Varna production of “Nabucco” includes:
Director KUZMAN POPOV
Sets BORIS STOYNOV
Costumes TSVETANKA PETKOVA-STOYNOVA
Choir conductor MALINA HUBCHEVA
Choreography KALINA BOGOEVA

In the role of Nabucco Varna audiences will have another opportunity to listen to the excellent baritone Venceslav Anastasov, who less than a month ago triumphed in the role of Don Carlos in the premiere preformances of Verdi’s “Ernani”. The role of Ismael – Orlin Goranov. In the role of Zaccaria will be guest-performer, bass Apostol Milenkov, who lately sings abroad more often than in Bulgaria. The extremely difficult and virtuoso part of Abigail will be performed by soprano Elena Baramova. She graduated the “Pancho Vladigerov” State Music Academy in 1995 where she studied with Asst. Prof. Konstanza Vachkova. The young singer is one of the last students of the legendary Gena Dimitrova. In the remaining roles are the permanent guest-soloist of the Varna Opera Elena Chavdarova-Isa in the role of Fenena and the Varna Opera soloists Evgenii Stanimirov (the High Priest), Kostadinka Nikolova (Anna) and Hristo Ganevski (Abdalo).

After a series of concerts in Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv and Stara Zagora, the concert “The Jewish Soul” will be performed in Varna as well. “The Jewish Soul” is a concerto for symphonic orchestra and soloists dedicated to the ladino music and the spirit of the Jewish songs. The organizers have embraced the mission of preserving this wealth of songs and melodies, handed down from generation to generation and preserved by the ladino community.
The concert on 19 August will be performed by the orchestra and choir of OPS – Varna and soloists Israel Zohar – clarinet, Daniela Dimova – soprano and Vesselin Stoykov – bass.
Conductor Benjamin Ashkenazi was born in Sofia. His family immigrated to Israel when he was 8 years old. There he took his first piano and composition lessons there. At the age of 15, he wrote his first musical and several piano pieces. On receiving his master’s degrees in composition and conducting from Tel Aviv University and Jerusalem’s Rubin Academy, Ashkenazi went to Europe to continue his training. He has been working on the “The Jewish Soul” project since 1990 and composed a number of pieces – orchestra, chamber, solo and film music. He has toured in the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Israel, France and Bulgaria.