Mayor Zhivko Todorov: Culture leads the country forward and it is always ahead of all others

News публикувана на: 21.03.2025

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Mayor Zhivko Todorov met with the director of the State Opera Stara Zagora Ognyan Draganov and the world-famous conductor, tenor and composer Jose Cura. The occasion was the upcoming first premiere of Rigoletto, which José Cura will conduct. In its centenary year, on 28 and 29 March, the country's first permanent out-of-town opera house will present a new production of Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece. "The team that works at the Opera House is wonderful, extremely active and the whole city is proud of what you do and I congratulate you. We are honoured to welcome the foreign maestro, a world-renowned name in the opera world. Thank you for being in Stara Zagora and helping to promote this anniversary." With these words the Mayor addressed Jose Cura and Ognian Draganov. He reminded the journalists present that Rigoletto was first performed on the Stara Zagora stage in 1934 and the upcoming premiere will continue a good tradition. "Let this 100th anniversary be just a prelude to all the good things to come and I wish you another 100 years to enjoy the trust of the people, the popularity you have and to continue to protect this institution that preserves the spirituality of Stara Zagora," Zhivko Todorov wished. He pointed out that with the participation of big names like Maestro Kura, the interest and self-confidence of Stara Zagora citizens are provoked. And in recent years more and more people prefer the Opera. "In such difficult times of soullessness and the difficult transition we went through - from a communist state to democracy, I think that the State Opera Stara Zagora has many times outpaced the development of all other institutions with its innovativeness, its openness to all European trends. I am convinced that culture is what leads the country forward and it is always ahead of everyone else. That is why we will follow you. Thank you!" said the Mayor. Jose Cura told journalists about his relationship with the talented Kamen Chanev, his wife Tania Ivanova and the creation of a competition in his name. As chairman of the jury of the second edition of the competition for young tenors "Kamen's Voice", Cura comes to Stara Zagora for the first time. On meeting Ognyan Draganov, he discovered "the motor, the engine and the electricity of the theatre". "He is an example of enlightenment and love for what he does. So when he invited me to conduct Rigoletto, I very quickly said YES because I had already seen what he was doing." The maestro said he was driven by a desire to do something special and together they did it successfully. "The orchestra, the chorus, the soloists, the whole theatre enters a magical moment where things change from the inside out, where the musicians are inspired during rehearsals. "It's very special. And even if it's just that, it's worth being here!", José Cura is adamant. Ognyan Draganov presented Mayor Todorov with the 100 years of Stara Zagora Opera sign. He noted that this was the only successful attempt in Bulgaria to create an opera theatre in 1925 and now it is one of the emblems of our city. "I am happy that preparing this celebration for 2 years Maestro José Cura is our guest and we find in his person an exceptional musician who is a man of opera and deep in his soul carries the energy and tradition. Such people as him and our artistic director Veselina Katsarova, as Maria Gulegina and all the great artists you will see during the year are important to make our opera theatre recognizable, in addition to bringing an energy to continue the opera work forward", said the director of the Stara Zagora Opera. A great success for Stara Zagora State Opera is the project won under the Programme for Support of Creative Projects in the Field of Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture for the realization of the new production of the opera Rigoletto. Under the project it is planned that the performance will be presented this year on the open stage of the Koprinka Dam, on the stage of the Antique Forum "Augusta Traiana" in Stara Zagora and in Veliko Tarnovo, during the Festival "Stage of the Ages" at the Tsarevets Fortress. The new stage realisation of Rigoletto brings together an elite international creative team including the world-renowned opera singer and conductor José Cura, opera director Ognian Draganov and Romanian artist Catalin Ionescu-Arbore, who is the author of the impressive costumes and original set design. A constellation of operatic voices will shine in the lead roles on both opening nights: Kiril Manolov and Italian baritone Elia Fabian will be in the role of Rigoletto, Emilia Ivanova and Simona Kodeva /Jilda/, Matteo Falcher and Boris Taskov /Duke of Mantua/, Daniela Dyakova and Tereza Brakalova /Madalena/, Alexander Marulev as Sparafucile, Momchil Karaivanov and Stoyan Buyukliev /Borsa/, Zhivko Dobrev /Monterone/. The choir and orchestra of the State Opera - Stara Zagora take part. Choirmasters Mladen Stanev and Stefania Ruseva, concertmaster Paulina Zaharieva. State Opera - Stara Zagora throughout the creative season celebrates its remarkable centenary with a series of special events, performances and concerts. Rigoletto was first staged in Stara Zagora in June 1934. There have been 9 plus one productions of this Verdi work in the history of Stara Zagora Opera - with a single performance in the ZZU sports hall in 2000 when the production team and most of the soloists were Italian and the production was commissioned for Tivoli, Italy. The most recent realisation (October 2010) was also by a production team from abroad and is quite avant-garde. With it the company toured the stages of the Netherlands and Belgium.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture.