History
Opera
The Ruse Opera has over a century-old tradition in opera, with first performances as early as the end of the 19th century. From a small amateur troupe to an established state cultural institute, it continues to inspire audiences with a rich repertoire and significant Bulgarian and international productions.
Formation of opera, choral and symphonic troupes in Ruse in the 19th century
Opera, choral and symphonic troupes began to form in Ruse as early as the 19th century. This process was a natural result of the communion with the European musical culture that reached Ruse through the Danube. Performances and fragments of various titles are performed with the participation of various choral formations and instrumental ensembles with ambitions to create serious operatic art.
The first serious and permanent structure that performed opera music was the one created in 1891 by Atanas Paunov and Trifon C. Trifonov Music Society "Lira". Thus, Wagner's Tannhäuser (1901), Verdi's Ernani (1904), Gounod's Faust (1910) and many other opera and operetta titles appeared on the Ruse stage. They succeeded in awakening the lasting interest of the Ruse citizens in the opera theatre. As a result of the growing popularity of the opera genre, in 1919 the Opera Society was founded - the institution which, after various transformations, we know today as the State Opera Ruse.
First premiere of the Opera Society and the beginning of the Bulgarian repertoire
The first premiere was on April 23, 1919 - the opera "Kamen and Cena" by Ivan Ivanov and Ventseslav Kautsky.In the first years dozens of performances by Bulgarian composers were performed, many of which are forgotten today. Among them are "Tahirbegovitsa" by Dimitar Hadzhigeorgiev and "Gergana" by Maestro Georgi Atanasov - a title that, due to the great interest of the audience, was staged several times in the period 1929-1947. Various operettas were also staged, the choice of many of which was dictated by their popularity at the time - "The Bells of Corneville", "Royal dindon", "Strong as a Turk" and others.
With the accumulation of practical experience, the conviction that serious operatic art is very difficult to realize with private means alone is firmly confirmed. This is why the Opera Society has been forced to suspend its activities several times over the years. Therefore, as part of the state policy, in 1949 the Opera Society Ruse was nationalized and transformed into the National Opera Ruse. The first premiere of the now state opera was the production of Verdi's La Traviata on 27 November 1949. The production left lasting traces in the history of the state cultural institute and gave the right directions for the development of the theatre.
In its first years as a state institution, the Ruse Opera existed under common administrative management with the Ruse Drama Theatre and was housed in the Revenue Building. In 1952, after the highly successful performance of Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the National Opera Review in Sofia, the Opera became a fully independent administrative entity and Georgi Chendov was appointed its first general manager. By 1954 the chief conductors of the Ruse State Symphony Orchestra, established in 1948, Konstantin Iliev, Dobrin Petkov and Ruslan Raichev, were also conductors of the Ruse Opera, and from the 1954-1955 season the Ruse Opera appointed its first chief conductor, Romeo Raichev.
First Years of the State Opera Ruse
In its first years as a state institution, the Ruse Opera existed under common administrative management with the Ruse Drama Theatre and was housed in the Revenue Building. In 1952, after the highly successful performance of Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the National Opera Review in Sofia, the Opera became a fully independent administrative entity and Georgi Chendov was appointed its first general manager. By 1954 the chief conductors of the Ruse State Symphony Orchestra, established in 1948, Konstantin Iliev, Dobrin Petkov and Ruslan Raichev, were also conductors of the Ruse Opera, and from the 1954-1955 season the Ruse Opera appointed its first chief conductor, Romeo Raichev.
Pivotal years for the development of Ruse Opera
The 1955-1956 season was one of the pivotal moments in the history of the Ruse Opera. In 1955 the young opera theatre presented its creative season on the stage of the National Opera in Sofia with the titles "The Pearl Fishers", "Cavalleria rusticana", "Rigoletto", "The Abduction from the Seraglio" and "Rivals". In the same year the new home of the opera was built - a building that became an emblem of the city, where the State Opera Ruse is housed to this day. The first premiere in the new opera house was on 5 February 1956 with "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky. The Ruse Opera began to build international ties - with Romania and Soviet Russia. A peculiar highlight in this joint activity was the premiere in 1965 of the new version of the opera "Katerina Izmailova" by Dmitry Shostakovich. Shostakovich himself lived in Ruse and took an active part in the preparation of the performance and worked closely with conductor Romeo Raychev and director Evgeny Nemirov. The composer became an honorary citizen of Ruse. "Rigoletto, Abduction from Sarai and Rivals. In the same year the new home of the opera was built - a building that became an emblem of the city, where the State Opera-Ruse is housed to this day. The first premiere in the new opera house was on 5 February 1956 with "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky. The Ruse Opera began to build international ties - with Romania and Soviet Russia. A peculiar highlight in this joint activity was the premiere in 1965 of the new version of the opera "Katerina Izmailova" by Dmitry Shostakovich. Shostakovich himself lived in Ruse and took an active part in the preparation of the performance and worked closely with conductor Romeo Raychev and director Evgeny Nemirov. The composer became an honorary citizen of Ruse.
Authoritative artists and cooperation in the Ruse Opera
In the following decades and until the recent history of the Ruse Opera, its staff has repeatedly worked with authoritative names of the founders of Bulgarian musical culture. Among them are the conductors Boris Khinchev, Mikhail Angelov, Dimitar Manolov, Ivan Filev, Veselin Baichev, Milen Nachev, Georgi Dimitrov, Metodi Matakiev, Naiden Todorov; directors Dragan Kardzhiev, Petar Raichev, Mikhail Hadzhimishev, Evgeni Nemirov, Dimitar Uzunov, Stefan Trifonov, Avram Georgiev, Plamen Kartalov, Pavel Gerdzhikov, Ognyan Draganov, Nina Naydenova, Ude Nissen, Mark Ermler, Richard Glassop, Konrad Leitner, Ion Rănzescu, Natalia Sats, Manfred Straube, Gian Giannotti, Ursula Horner, Matthias Vogt, Vera Nemirova; choreographers Assen Manolov, Margarita Arnaudova, Assen Gavrilov, Peter Lukanov, Hikmet Mehmedov, Silvia Tomova; the stage designers Asen Popov, Ani Hadjimisheva, Peter Popov, Venera Nasednikova, Dimitar Kirov, Maria Trendafilova, Ivan Savov, Radostin and Boyana Chomakov, Ivan Tokadzhiev, Boris Stoynov, Tsvetanka Petkova-Stoynova; the choral conductors Atanas Dimitrov, Tomina Sidova, Hristo Stoev and Steliyana Dimitrova - Hernani.
Popularization of Bulgarian operatic works
Ruse Opera also works actively for the popularization of Bulgarian operatic works. Operas such as "Tsar Kaloyan" by Pancho Vladigerov, "Yana's Nine Brothers" by Lyubomir Pipkov, "Ioannis Rex" and "Maria Desislava" by Parashkev Hadzhiev, "The reindeer kingdom" by Konstantin Iliev, "The Blue Bird" by Simeon Pironkov, "Cain" by Lyubomir Denev, "Polyhedron" by Neva Krasteva and ballets such as "The Goat's Horn" by Krasimir Kyurkchiyski, "Nestinarka" by Marin Goleminov and "Kaliopa" by Emil Tabakov, as well as the rock opera "Nostradamus" by Nikolo Kotzev are just some of the series of Bulgarian titles in the repertoire of the troupe over the years.
World famous artists on the stage of the Ruse Opera House
With its intense creative life, the Ruse Opera has always been attractive to international stars. Its stage has hosted artists of world fame and recognition such as Hristo Brumbarov, Todor Mazarov, Nikolai Gyaurov, Nikola Gyuzelev, Rayna Kabaivanska, Gena Dimitrova, as well as Anna Tomova-Sintova and Alexandrina Milcheva, Darina Takova, Kaludi Kaludov, Alyssa Zinovieva, Nicolae Herlia, Vladimir Atlantov, Gloria Lind, Silvia Shash, Ava Cooper, Zinaida Pali, Peter Glossop, Mario Malanini, Marzio Jossi, Leo Nucci, Octav Enigarescu, Pompey Herasthianou;
The Ruse Opera owns records in the golden fund of the Bulgarian National Radio and Bulgarian National Television. She has participated in numerous international festivals in Bulgaria and abroad - in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, Spain and elsewhere. The tours of the Ruse Opera Theatre in Romania, Greece, Ukraine, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, France and Portugal have also been a great success.
In 1999 the Ruse National Opera and the State Philharmonic Orchestra Ruse merged into one institution, which was initially called the Opera and Philharmonic Society Ruse, and since 2010 - the State Opera Ruse
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