Ivan Angelov, a conductor who has guest-performed in some of the most prestigious opera theaters, is the artistic director of the Opera Open Festival:

„We are trying to organize an event that is a follow-up of the Verdi festival, with some new highlights though. Our venue is the Roman Theater in Plovdiv, one of the emblems of the city. We have included some quite imposing shows. One of them is a two-hour version of Wagner’s Twilight of the Gods. We have invited the star of the Bayreuth Festival Elisabet Strid. The young Swedish soprano has already sung in Germany, Latvia and the United States. This will be her debut in Bulgaria. The program includes a concert commemorating the 100^th birth anniversary of Boris Christoff. The guest of this event will be basso Paata Burchuladze (Georgia), a celebrity of world opera appearing in leading theaters such as the Metropolitan and La Scala. He is the first Georgian proclaimed prince by the Russian Orthodox Church while the State Opera in Stuttgart has awarded him with the title Kammersänger. Of course, we honor the tradition and present a few Verdi works. One of them is the first night of Aida featuring an international celebrity – Chinese soprano Hui He. She is on the playbill of theaters from Vienna to New York. The soprano will sing in Plovdiv on 20 July. It goes without saying, Plovdiv audiences will also enjoy a few Bulgarian singers, notably, leading baritone Vladimir Stoyanov cast as Marquis of Posa in Don Carlos. In the show of Aida Chinese Hui He’s partner on stage will be Kamen Chanev, a tenor with a successful international career. I believe that the festival will live up to the expectations of audiences. We have sold tickets across Bulgaria. As to foreigners who come to the Roman Theater in Plovdiv, they are delighted and say that this magnificent stage should be used fully. This opera festival is a great opportunity to do so."

English Daniela Konstantinova 

The audio to this text features the following soundtracks:

1.  Fragment from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff

2.  Romance of Radames from Act I of Verdi’s Aida, soloist is Kamen Chanev with the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, conductor Luciano di Martino

3.  A duet from Act I of Don Carlos,soloists Nicola Ghiuselev and Vladimir Stoyanov