Zeljko Lucic, one of the most sought-after baritones on the world opera stage, is among the special and anticipated participants in the festival

To remember

The Festival of Opera and Ballet Art /FOBI/ - Stara Zagora is the first specialized forum for opera and ballet in Bulgaria. It was established in 1967 as the December Musical Evenings and renamed the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art in 1973. From 1974 to 1989, the National Review of Opera and Ballet Art was held within its framework. Societal changes after 1989 and a fire in 1991 led to three interruptions of the festival in 1990, 2010 and 2013.

To know

In the current year, 2020, the FOBI, despite the complex epidemic situation, will fulfill its 51st edition. Within two weeks, from 27 November to 10 December, music and dance lovers will have the opportunity to follow a variety of events: opera performances, ballet, concerts, film presentations and the celebration of the round anniversaries of respected Bulgarian artists. For this purpose, the organizers have taken the necessary anti-epidemic measures. The capacity of the halls is limited within the regulated possibilities.

Star participation

The opening of the festival, on 27 November, with the premiere of "Masked Ball" by Giuseppe Verdi, will be with the special participation of Željko Lukić - one of the world's leading baritones, together with Kamen Chanev.

The next day, besides the second performance of "Masked Ball", also foresees a meeting with the opera prima Evdokia Zdravkova-Khorozova. In the well-established festival format "Meeting with an autograph" Svetlana Dimitrova will present the rich creative biography of the famous Bulgarian soprano, illustrated with numerous reviews of respected music critics and video fragments featuring Evdokia Zdravkova-Khorozova.

Root deep in the sky

With this title, years ago, the unforgettable Margarita Arnaudova dedicated her talents to the cultivation and development of contemporary Bulgarian dance. On Sunday afternoon, 29 November, festival guests will follow two events under the sign of Bulgarian intangible heritage, creativity and performing art. The exhibition "The Bulgarian Woman and the Magic of Traditional Crafts and Rituals" curated by Irina Ddilkova presents unique images preserved on glass photographic plates.

The 40-minute author's film "Treasures in the Heart" will also be specially screened. And the dance performance "The Song of the Planets", set to music by Emmelina Gorcheva, directed by Kalina Bogoeva and with the special participation of Valya Balkanska and bagpiper Peter Yanev, will complement the suggestions with contemporary artistic projections.

To write a letter to Beethoven

In the year when the 250th anniversary of Beethoven is celebrated, Vera Nemirova and Sonya Nemirova will share their encounters with the great German composer's work on 30 November in the hall of the Zachary Knyazheski Regional Library. Sonia Nemirova made her debut in Germany a few years ago with her performance of Leonora from Beethoven's opera Fidelio. She has also performed the soprano part in the Ninth Symphony many times around the world. Vera Nemirova, as director, has staged two productions of Fidelio - in Graz and Prague. At the beginning of the year Vera Nemirova won a prize of the Public Radio of Germany in the competition "Letter to Beethoven".

Remembering Alexander Yossifov

After last year's retrospectives to the beginning of the festival related to its founder - Maestro Dimitar Dimitrov and the history of ballet in Stara Zagora, in 2020 the focus of attention is Alexander Yosifov, who would have turned 80. Although he left us four years ago, his work lives on in all Bulgarian opera houses. On 3 December, an exhibition in collaboration with the Museum of Radio History at Sofia University will showcase his multifaceted activities as an artist-author of many musical and stage works, as a long-time chairman of the Festival of Opera and Ballet Art and as director of Balkanton. For the first time, footage of Boris Hristov during the recordings at St. Alexander Nevsky. The memory of Alexander Yossifov will be complemented by the presentation of an original film by Magdalena Manolova.

For the first time in Stara Zagora

On 4 December, for the first time in Stara Zagora, bass Ivaylo Djurov and pianist Denitsa Petrova will present one of the highlights of vocal art music - "Winterreise/Winterreise" to music by Franz Schubert and poems by Wilhelm Müller. This is Schubert's last great vocal opus. The plot here is a conventional notion: there is no intrigue, no climax, no finale in the conventional sense; rather, it is a gradual development of initial heartache, a dramatic monologue of the poet whose love is shattered, his feelings consumed by the harsh practicality of reality.

Art is a phoenix

Apart from the unexpected disturbing consequences of the epidemic, in 2020 State Opera - Ruse was struck by a serious accident. The fire created additional worries for the respected opera company. In spite of the obstacles, the people of Ruse found an opportunity to realize a new premiere of an intriguing title with an international production team. "Gianni Schicchi is the final movement of Puccini's operatic triptych The Mantle and Sister Angelica. The plot is based on the 30th Canto of the poem The Divine Comedy (1320) by the medieval Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). The libretto, created with enviable dexterity and captivating for its exquisite sense of humour, was written by Giovannino Forzano (1883-1970).

The Good Conquers

The finale of the festival will be set by the Stara Zagora Opera premiere of the ballet masterpiece by P. И. Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty". The production and direction are by Andrei Bosov, a performer and choreographer with an impressive career in Russia, the USA and many other countries. "Sleeping Beauty" is the finest classical ballet in terms of music and choreography. "Marius Petipa manages to bring together lyrical grace with the tension of dramatic action," says Andrei Bosov.

Thus, hoping for better years, the organisers of the first opera festival in Bulgaria expect to infect the loyal fans of music and dance with faith and optimism.

Good luck, Festival!

The necessary anti-epidemic measures will be observed during the festival.

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