“Rigoletto” Brought the Opera Back From the Other World

 

The spectacular production is in the spirit of the best known world examples. If only there were enough good singers

Our opera is not well in recent years. The change of the director divided the comments of music fans in two directions. Optimists shyly expressed hope that now things can take off, but pessimists bitterly cried over the wretched plight of this national theatre.

The first premiere of the season with Borislav Ivanov as director was “Othello”. The production did not provoke the expected interest, although it was at a decent level. The second, however, compensates.

The great interest in “Rigoletto” was mainly provoked by the return of this stage of Plamen Kartaloff, by the lavish costumes and scenery, and last but not least – by the appearance of the Opera’s director Borislav Ivanov as conductor-producer.
In fact Ivanov does deliver. And the costumes by Elena Ivanova are wonderful. One could swear that they are from the Renaissance, not sewn in the XXI century. By way of the costumes the artist has typified the individual personalities. The Duke is like a rooster among hens: bright, colourful, exuberant. Gilda is closed in shades of gray, and Rigoletto is an old, sad clown.
Most impressive is the scenography. Renowned graphic artist Lyubomir Yordanov has created something remarkable. Individual elements with columns are transformed in seconds before the viewer, creating the illusion of various royal halls.

Plamen Kartaloff shows “Rigoletto” in a different light – not with the masks, described by Verdi, but by human faces, whose make-up makes them stylized symbols of the two types of social levels: the richest, most privileged and untouchable, and the unprotected, ordinary people.
The weak spot of the show is in the unequal abilities of the singers. There are brilliant – like Rumen Doykov, Alexander Krunev, Anna Ivanova Todorova, Dimitar Stanchev, Elena Chavdarova-Isa, Svetozar Rangelov, Tsvetan Tsvetkov, the young ones Gergana Yancheva and Tsvetelina Maldzhanska. But there are those that plague the poor music lover with their efforts.
The lack of enough good singers in our country is totally a problem that affects not only the Sofia Opera. Most of our quality artists flee abroad, there remain few. In this case, the holes are filled by singers with diploma and medium qualities. Which unfortunately lowers the level even of the best product.

The set and costumes of “Rigoletto” are impressive. Such has not been seen for a long time in the Sofia Opera.

Thursday, 24.2.2005

http://www.segabg.com/online/new/articlenew.asp?issueid=378§ionid=6&id=00001

“Rigoletto” Brought the Opera Back From the Other World

The spectacular production is in the spirit of the best known world examples. If only there were enough good singers

DESI TODOROVA

Our opera is not well in recent years. The change of the director divided the comments of music fans in two directions. Optimists shyly expressed hope that now things can take off, but pessimists bitterly cried over the wretched plight of this national theatre.

The first premiere of the season with Borislav Ivanov as director was “Othello”. The production did not provoke the expected interest, although it was at a decent level. The second, however, compensates.

The great interest in “Rigoletto” was mainly provoked by the return of this stage of Plamen Kartaloff, by the lavish costumes and scenery, and last but not least – by the appearance of the Opera’s director Borislav Ivanov as conductor-producer.
In fact Ivanov does deliver. And the costumes by Elena Ivanova are wonderful. One could swear that they are from the Renaissance, not sewn in the XXI century. By way of the costumes the artist has typified the individual personalities. The Duke is like a rooster among hens: bright, colourful, exuberant. Gilda is closed in shades of gray, and Rigoletto is an old, sad clown.
Most impressive is the scenography. Renowned graphic artist Lyubomir Yordanov has created something remarkable. Individual elements with columns are transformed in seconds before the viewer, creating the illusion of various royal halls.

Plamen Kartaloff shows “Rigoletto” in a different light – not with the masks, described by Verdi, but by human faces, whose make-up makes them stylized symbols of the two types of social levels: the richest, most privileged and untouchable, and the unprotected, ordinary people.
The weak spot of the show is in the unequal abilities of the singers. There are brilliant – like Rumen Doykov, Alexander Krunev, Anna Ivanova Todorova, Dimitar Stanchev, Elena Chavdarova-Isa, Svetozar Rangelov, Tsvetan Tsvetkov, the young ones Gergana Yancheva and Tsvetelina Maldzhanska. But there are those that plague the poor music lover with their efforts.
The lack of enough good singers in our country is totally a problem that affects not only the Sofia Opera. Most of our quality artists flee abroad, there remain few. In this case, the holes are filled by singers with diploma and medium qualities. Which unfortunately lowers the level even of the best product.

The set and costumes of “Rigoletto” are impressive. Such has not been seen for a long time in the Sofia Opera.

http://www.segabg.com/online/new/articlenew.asp?issueid=378§ionid=6&id=00001

DESI TODOROVA

Thursday, 24.2.2005

 

 

 

 

 

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