The Ruse State Opera opens its new season on 18 September at 7.00 pm with Giuseppe Verdi’s "Rigoletto". The new production is directed by Nina Naydenova, with Dimitar Kosev conducting. The leading roles are played by Ventseslav Anastasov and his daughter Maria Anastasova, who is making her debut as Gilda.
At a special press conference today, Plamen Beikov, director of the Ruse Opera, emphasised that the performance marks the start of a season featuring a rich programme and the gradual return of productions to the theatre’s restored stage. He also reported on the technical work carried out in recent months – a new ballet floor, a new curtain, new stage rails (albeit only some of those required), improvements to the lighting, and the ongoing restoration of the technical facilities and premises.
A particular highlight of "Rigoletto" is the on-stage reunion between father and daughter from the long-established and much-loved Anastasov opera family. Ventseslav Anastasov described the opera as “perhaps the most iconic and most fitting opera for a father-and-daughter debut duet”. According to him, the role in Verdi`s opera must come at just the right moment in a singer’s development – “neither sooner nor later".
For Maria Anastasova, her debut as Gilda holds special significance precisely because it is taking place in Ruse, where her professional career began. "I'm so happy to be making my debut here"she said. During the rehearsal process, the relationship between father and daughter also changes on a professional level – Venceslav takes on the role of her teacher, whilst Maria regards him as her vocal coach.
The season’s programme also includes the ballet "Fire", set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, which will be performed on 26 September to mark the 120th anniversary of the composer’s birth, as well as the premiere performances of "Mozart" and "The Queen of the Csárdás". Upcoming productions include Puccini’s "La Bohème" and Verdi’s "Falstaff", the ballet "Doctor Zhivago" to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and a new musical. The Ruse Opera will also continue its touring programme both at home and abroad.
The ‘Cranes of Peace’ initiative, linked to the ballet "Fire", holds a special place in this season’s programme. The audience is invited to make and bring along paper cranes, which will be incorporated into the performance as a message calling for an end to war and violence.
The first performance for the public is on 18 September at 7.00 pm with "Rigoletto" – a production that marks the start of the new season and brings together two generations of the Anastasov artistic family on one stage.
Principal Conductor Dimitar Kosev, who is at the helm of the production, emphasised his personal connection with the Ruse State Opera and with the new production. He drew attention to what remains hidden from the audience – the work behind the scenes and the artistic process that transforms an opera or ballet into a complete stage production. It is precisely this ‘magic behind the scenes’ that forms part of his vision for "Rigoletto".
Before the performance, at 6.00 pm, the photography exhibition ‘Life Behind the Scenes’ by the theatre’s photographer, Shirin Javidova, will open in the foyer of the Ruse Opera House. Through evocative black-and-white photographs, the exhibition presents the side of stage life that remains hidden from the audience – the rehearsals, the preparations, the work of the technical teams and the moments leading up to the performance. The exhibition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Ruse State Opera and the 70th anniversary of the construction of its building. The exhibition has been organised with funding from the ‘Culture’ programme of Ruse Municipality by the ‘European Centre for Culture’ Association and will remain open for at least a month to welcome visitors.
