Talent, faith, love, past, present and future – all this will be in the air at the Bulgarian Army Stadium on 31 August. The reason: the comeback to Bulgarian fans of world-acclaimed opera singer Andrea Bocelli.Under the baton of conductor Marcello Rota, who has been working with Bocelli for 18 years,more than130Bulgarian musicians are going to present a special program including a range of the most popular operatic arias from Il trovatore and La traviata by Verdi, pieces by Joaquin Rodrigo and Astor Piazzolla, songs from the albums Incanto, Passione, Sentimento and Vivere.Along with the Italian tenor performers in the event will include Bulgarian soprano Svetlana Vasileva, pop star Ilaria Della Bidia, bandoneon player Mario Stefano and the music creation of Bocelli himself, a classical guitar duo CARisMA – Carlo Corrieri and Magdalena Kaltcheva. Carlo and Magdalena met in 2010 at a music festival in Pisa. The two fell in love and decided to work together. After a brief performance in the home of Andrea Bocelli he decided to support them and this was how CARisMA came into being. For Magdalena fate and luck are things that a person should create himself.

„During our first meeting with Bocelli I was much stressed. I could not even understand much Italian. After I and Carlo played our pieces to Andrea he was silent for a short time and then said something I could not make out. Carlo was very pale, looked at me and told me Andrea had suggested to us to record a disc in his studio in the coming month”, Magdalena goes back to 2011. A few months later the album Confessions was released.

Miss Kaltcheva chose music as her ultimate vocation early in childhood. She was born in Sofia 26 years ago and still remembers long hours of playing the classical guitar with her two brothers. Her systematic music training began at age 9. At13she wasadmitted for studies at the Music Academyin Weimar, Germany,in the class of JurgenRostandsince age 19she has been leadingmaster classes.In 2007,Paco deLuciainvited herto become a supportingmusicianat his concerts, but her schedule did not allow that and she declined the proposal.TodayMagdalenaandher loveCarloaccompanylive performancesof their teacher Bocelli.

"PlayingwithAndrea Bocelliis veryemotionaland cannotbe explainedin words.Heis our mentoron stage andbehind it.I am veryhappy tobe ableto presentthis creative relationship betweenthe three of usto Bulgarian audiences.The most valuableadviceI have received fromAndrea Bocelliis,‘Alwayshaveyour visionandno matter whatyou are told to change, never change that unless there is a compelling urge inside you to do so.”

The second disc of CARisMA duo is due soon on the music market and Magdalena still keeps it secret whether pieces from it will be played to the Bulgarian audiences on31 August.„We will do our best to create a positive mood for the audience so everybody leaves the concert smiling”, vows young Bulgarian guitarist Magdalena Kaltcheva.

English Daniela Konstantinova