site.btaAnna Karenina Ballet, Nabucco to Be Staged as Part of Plovdiv's Opera Open Festival

Premieres of the Anna Karenina ballet and of Verdi's opera Nabucco and the return of the Orpheus and Eurydice show will all be a part of the 2022 Opera Open festival, which will take place at the Roman theatre of Philippopolis (aka the Ancient Theatre) here. The festival continues its policy of presenting a multi-genre programme featuring guest artists of international calibre, said Nina Naidenova, Director of the State Opera of Plovdiv. Her team sets a priority on developing opera tourism through a unique combination of live music performances with Plovdiv's ancient heritage.

This year's Opera Open is entitled "The Different World". According to Naidenova, the selected stage shows (Orpheus and Eurydice directed by Stefano Poda, Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Jesus Christ Superstar and Maria de Buenos Aires) are sure to fill their audiences with hope. A sort of "entrance" to the different world, imagined by the artists, will be the Children's Choir of Bulgaria's opening concert on June 19 when more than 400 children from across the country will send a message for peace.

The culmination of the festival will be the premiere of the Anna Karenina ballet on June 26. In it, Leo Tolstoy's literary genius meets Leo Mujić's great choreography. The show will be realized in cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia National Opera and Ballet with soloists Marta Petkova, Nikola Hadzhitanev and Emil Yordanov.

The audience of Nabucco will witness the biblical destruction brought to life by special effects experts from Nu Boyana Film Studios. The role of Zaccaria will be played by Martin Tsonev, one of the best bass opera singers from this country.

On July 7, the Ancient Theatre will see the return of Mozart's Don Giovanni directed by Michał Znaniecki. On August 24, audiences can see Tosca's story performed by soloists Tanya Ivanova, Jose Cura, and Carlos Almaguer with a giant fallen angel in the background. In early September, for the first time the Ancient Theatre will be the stage for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires, both directed by Veselka Kuncheva.

Other shows staged by the 2022 Opera Open include "Night of the Stars" by the Encho Keryazov Foundation on June 1, the "Sonata 57" jazz project by the Milcho Leviev Association for Culture and Education on June 15, the concerts "Il Volo Sing Moricone" on July 11 and "Laibach" on September 17.