Belkanto's masterpiece "Lucia di Lammermoor" in a new reading
News публикувана на: 05.12.2015
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With a specially prepared premiere - "Lucia di Lammermoor", the host, the Stara Zagora Opera, will present the finale of the 46th Festival of Opera and Ballet Art.
в. "Dnevnik", 4 December 2015, Author Augusta Manoleva
On December 5, the demanding public (it turns out that there is an opera society here with insight, awareness, interests and manner. After all, it is the city of Anna Tomova-Sintova, Veselina Katsarova, Christina Morfova, Rositsa Batalova) will be able to appreciate the concept, the visuals and the vocal capabilities of the international creative team of the production. For the first time with a brand new major production, the director Ognyan Draganov, already known to his fellow citizens as the director of the Opera, presents himself to them.
This bel canto masterpiece by Gaetano Donizetti is one of those rarely staged in Europe. It is not currently being performed in any of our country's opera houses. Not only does it require bravura performance, but there is also an interweaving between the musical and dramatic score, which in turn allows for individual creative insight.
The teamwork coalesces around the different staging of the storylines that unfold in the work. The emphasis (based on the libretto) is also different - the scene of Lucia's madness. If the moment of madness is central to the opera, used as a device by many composers during this period, Draganov turns it into a reminiscence and a scene in which Lucia looks down on the world. The way she would like to see it. It is only after her death that the image of Edgardo materialises, which is solely in her imagination and desires. The heroine finds her beloved above, in the more beautiful world.
Both the costumes and the set design are subordinated to the conventionality of the two worlds: the world that revolves around situations and the world above - standing and watching the revolving reality.
Dimo Kostadinov's scenography is a conductor of the main idea, and the path is from conventionality to clarity. The set is made of light metal modules that can be combined in different ways, in a variety of configurations. The stage is rotating all the time, and the movement of the actors is constant. Everything is in white, silver and silver. With multimedia. The construction was thought of both for its portability (in possible tours) and with a view to stage equipment of the theatre (it could be used for other performances).
The costume designer was the Italian Salvatore Russo, a long-time artist at the Rome Opera. He has already worked with Ognyan Draganov and at the Opera in Ruse. "I made the costumes according to the director's idea - Lucia is crazy from the very first scene. It's like everything around her is fantasy. Seen solely through her eyes. The costumes are from the era after 1543, the struggles between England and Scotland when Mary Steward came to the throne. We are respected by the text, the music, and Walter Scott's novel, which reconstructs an old story woven into the opera's libretto. I first did the title in Rome. The costumes are always connected to the direction. And in Italy, it was quite old and tired," Salvatore said. Here it's completely different, so I create everything as if for another situation. One of the important things in creating costumes is the historical way of cutting. The cutting of the fabrics is according to original Scottish cuts." Of course this cutting is run through his idea, through the idea of directing and the materials that are used. 92 men's and women's costumes were made, using 1259 metres of base cloth, and 2100 metres for the stitching, embellishments and lace.
For the principal conductor Ivaylo Krinchev, Lucia is always a challenge because this example of bel canto literature requires a very careful approach in terms of the voices available. Tempo and dramaturgical characteristics must have their explanation and derivation through the soloists' capabilities. It is a boutique title because it is very difficult to be continuously present in the opera house poster . And restoration to the regular repertoire of opera always requires a rehearsal cycle with the soloists who enter it, because of the nuance in Donizetti's music. A musical palette that the composer has woven, but in a way that is easily perceived.
The second performance will be taken by assistant conductor Chris McCracken (UK), who has been with the ensemble since the beginning of the rehearsal period and is actively involved in the process. He also works individually with the singers, as the Opera House has difficulty with accompanists (in fact, opera rehearsers are precious - they are everywhere). Excellent professional - plays them straight from the orchestral score while all the pianists accompany from a piano extract. A fact that amazes even his experienced colleagues. Advantage, with Chris working out the part as the orchestral conductor sees it , refracted through the sonorities actually present in the orchestra. This is extremely important in learning - not just for tempo, intonations and rhythmic, but as a colour of sound, a character to be heard. Chris himself adds, My involvement is from working with the artists, through working with the ensembles, in the interpretation not just as music, enunciation of the text, but of every brick in this piece that is being built up before my eyes and getting to the final stage. It's an absolute privilege to be in the working process of this production. I like the atmosphere in the Stara Zagora Opera House.
Of course, what is opera without star soloists. Without beautiful voices. Here the audience will hear Besa Lugici (Kosovo), who will take on the complex character of Lucia. The young beautiful soprano is the winner of the Elena Nikolai Grand Prize at the First International Competition for Young Opera Singers "Elena Nikolai", Panagyurishte. Previously, she has won the first prize four times at the International Competition of the ''Ars Kosova'' Foundation, first prize at the International Competition ''Jorgjia Truja'', finalist at the International Competition ''Marie Kraja'', has specialized in Italy. With concerts and multiple guest appearances at various festivals in Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Germany, France, Croatia, Austria. She is known to the Ruse audience as Mimi from Puccini's "Bohemi" and from her performance in Mozart's Requiem this summer. She works with Christina Angelakova. "Maria Callas, as well as the Bulgarian soprano Darina Takova, are for me an outstanding example of the part of Lucia di Lammermoor and are the best," said the singer with admiration.
Enrico will be represented by Valery Turmanov (baritone), who, since his debut at La Scala (2010) as Martino in Rossini's L'occasione fa il ladro, has sung continuously in Italy. 2011, again at La Scala and again with Rossini, but as Ali in The Italian in Algiers. 2013, participated in the tour of La Scala in Tokyo with Verdi's Rigoletto, the role of Marullo. He has also been invited by the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome for the role of Kovalev from Shostakovich's The Nose. He has appeared in productions at the Como and Martina Franca festivals.
We will also hear bass Plamen Kumpikov as Raimondo. He has already performed in Lucia many times, but in a production in Italy. Artistic, liberated, elegant, with a controlled voice, these are the most frequent critic's assessments of his stage performances.
With the most intense curiosity, the producers await their favourite Ivaylo Yovchev, in the role of the beloved - Edgardo. The spotlight is now shining on him, because enormous confidence is the counterpoint to the great challenge. "I don't have the experience of the other colleagues. This is the second-biggest part I'm performing. The first was the central tenor in Verdi's King for a Day," the tenor admits. But, a good singer should always get his building chances and take them smartly. Ivaylo grew up in the Stara Zagora Opera Theatre. From a child - a continuator of the family tradition. His grandfather - tenor soloist Assen Popov, his godfather - the soloist of the Opera and his first teacher, Vasil Nedev sang here. His mother, a singer in the choir, his friend, the soprano Kamelia Stoycheva, also. "She was responsible for making me sing, she made me sing, she helped me," Ivaylo is grateful to her. So, 18th season. 5 years he was a private student of the distinguished professor Resa Koleva (the teacher of the world's Veselina Katsarova). Otherwise, he was invited to Rousse (debut 2012, with Alfred in "The Bat"), to Varna, to audition in Germany (out of 64 candidates, they chose him in the 7), now for the third year he is a soloist of the Stara Zagora Opera. He has been travelling with them since 2000 in America, Greece, Italy, Spain.
This is the fourth time director Ognyan Draganov has staged this title. Since his debut at the National Opera, Sofia, 2002; through Colombia, Medellín - the second largest city, 2006; Bucharest 2007. Now, the Municipality of Stara Zagora provides its own funds for the realization. All productions are absolutely different from each other. Only the title Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), acknowledged as Donizetti's best opera not long after it was written, unites them.