The traditional New Year Music Festival at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia coincides with the world’s most popular opera event – the opening of the season at La Scala opera house in Milan, which invariably sets down the trends in regard to opera staging, scenography and costumes. The date is December 7 and what makes the event even more special is that it is Daniel Barenboim’s last production as La Scala’s general music director. The Opera in Cinema format means that the only opera by Beethoven – Fidelio – can be seen live in Bulgaria, at the Lumière cinema hall in Sofia.

Another one of the forum’s objectives is to present some of the top productions by opera theatres in the country. This year they include Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore by the Rousse opera with conductor Naiden Todorov. The production is scheduled for 10 December with La Scala soloists cast in the leading roles of Verdi’s masterpiece. One of them – Mario Mellini took part in the festival’s debut edition 28 whole years ago. Here now is principal stage director of the Rousse Opera House Ognyan Draganov with more:

“What makes this work so intriguing is the lack of clarity as the story line unfolds, something that gives the stage director a free hand. I am planning some intriguing turns – for example a renowned Bulgarian artist will be presenting body art. The love between the characters will take on corporeal form, enacted by the actress. I am all for a classical interpretation – in this version I combine a traditional stage set with the power of the imagination.”

The New Year Music Festival is also hosting a charity concert by opera diva Raina Kabaivanska. The credit for this goes mostly to New Bulgarian University with patron Bulgarian President Rossen Plevneliev.

One of the forum’s organizers, Maryana Vassileva presents some of the highlights:

“There are many temptations from the world of chamber music on our playbill, the result of our desire to offer a diversity of concerts. We want to show up the chamber music genre in a new light, to reinforce the bond between performers and audience. I would like to highlight the concert by Lanner quartet, under the patronage of the ambassador of Hungary – a new and very interesting elite formation. The quartet will be taking us back to 19^th century ballroom music.”

The New Year Music Festival at the National Palace of Culture features 15 works, including piano recitals, ethno jazz as well an organ concert. The Bulgarian National Radio is also taking part in the festival with the Children’s Radio Choir with conductor Venetsia Karamanova which will perform on 20 December. This year the festival once again marks the important dates throughout the past year – the anniversaries of Boris Christoff, Pancho Vladigerov, Richard Strauss as well as the anniversary of the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School.

The spectacular climax in this colourful musical array is on the first day of the new year with the Spirit of France concert featuring the best of French classical music. You can see the full festival programme here

The audio file features the following performances:

-  Aria of Count di Luna from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, performed by Alexander Krounev;

-  Ave Maria by Schubert, performed by Antonia Radneva.

English Milena Daynova