18 august 2025 "The Queen of Csárdás" at the Open-Air Theatre
After the undisputed success of the premiere performance of "The Csárdás Queen", the operetta in three acts by Imre Kálmán - on February 26 in the full hall of the Burgas Opera, and the subsequent successful performances - on March 5, April 2, May 29 - also on the stage of the Opera, and on May 30 - in Haskovo, the most beloved title in the genre will once again conquer the audience in Burgas - with temperamental music, a whirlwind plot, wonderful direction, captivating sets and costumes, and most of all - with the beautiful love story that always sounds relevant - on August 19, Tuesday, from 8:30 p.m. on the stage of the Summer Theater - Burgas. The performance is another event on the calendar of the Burgas Music Festival "Emil Chakarov", held for the eighteenth time by the State Opera - Burgas and the Municipality of Burgas and is in the series of events with which the Burgas Cultural Institute is included in the long-term program related to Burgas' candidacy for European Capital of Culture in 2032. The energy that they have invested in the process of creating the attractive and exciting production "The Queen of Csárdás": director, conductor, set designer, costume designer, choir master, choreographer, assistant directors, accompanist, artists - soloists, orchestra, choir and ballet, as well as specialists from the technical services, is tangible and will be transformed again on the stage of the Summer Theater on Tuesday, as it was during the unforgettable premiere performance and the subsequent performances, which were created according to a standard - not only as a finished musical and stage product, but also as an invested creative charge that was passed on to the the full hall, experiencing art in its purest form.
Behind the podium on Tuesday stands again the distinguished conductor, master of the emotional and passion-stirring baton – Ivan Kozhuharov. Under his conducting, the musicians of the orchestra, with concertmasters Vanya Zlateva and Hristo Belchev, achieve exceptional organicity of the performance and manage to convey the musical messages – with the necessary mood, charge and precision, both in the bravura passages and in the quiet dynamics – in the lyrical moments. Just a few days ago – on August 13th of this year, Ivan Kozhuharov conducted the memorable performance with a large audience of another brilliant production of the Burgas Opera – “My Fair Lady”, also directed by Prof. Alexander Tekeliev, and on July 31st he was behind the stage of one of the most popular operas – “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi, also directed by Prof. Tekeliev. Concertmaster Vanya Zlateva was awarded the Special Award of the Bulgarian Union of Music and Dance Artists for contribution to musical culture. The award was presented by Mr. Stanislav Pochekanski, Chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance Artists, before the Solemn Concert on the occasion of May 24th under the baton of Yordan Dafov – on May 23rd of this year in the Opera Hall.
The performers of the main roles in “The Queen of Csárdas” on August 19th will be captivating and exciting. They will organically build their characters and with tangible pleasure will tell the exciting story - through music, text and acting. The role of the variety artist Silva Varescu will be played for the first time on the stage of the Summer Theater by the charismatic mezzo-soprano Ioana Kadiyska, who is the embodiment of the character she presents - with a beautiful enchanting timbre and captivating stage presence. Her heroine was beautiful, charming, captivating, exciting. Her partner - the leading soloist of the National Musical Theater "Stefan Makedonski" Penyo Pirozov /guest/ is also expected to be extremely impressive and impeccable in one of his crown roles - of Edwin, devotedly in love with the beautiful dancer. He is distinguished by an aristocratic posture and a noble approach to the presented character, as well as soft warm nuances of the voice. The famous duets of Silva and Edwin will once again excite the audience. An artistic typhoon on stage on Thursday will be the baritone Yani Nikolov – in the role of Bonnie, Silva's fiancé, a favorite of all the ballerinas of the variety show, but whose heart is captured only by Stassi. The tenor creates a vivid image – with a remarkable sense of humor and a wonderful artistic performance. The charming mezzo-soprano Maria Yurkovskaya will reincarnate in the role of the coquettish Stassi, building her role with finesse, ease and a remarkable sense of humor – both as a singing argument and as an emotional presence. She achieves the necessary lightness, frivolity, and charming capriciousness for the role, characteristic of sophisticated young ladies who want everything "now and immediately".
On Thursday, the audience will once again see the charming performance of bass Diman Panchev - in the role of the writer Ferry, who changes the ending of his novel depending on the fateful twists in "living life" and seeks the most successful ending to his novel, and life has its own unwritten rules to arrange human destinies. Tenor Miroslav Dimitrov will once again play the role of the cunning waiter Mishka, whose famous line: "A good waiter should know everything, and a good husband - nothing", is iconic. Soprano Lyudmila Mihaylova will convincingly, with remarkable wit, build the image of Edwin's mother -
– Csilicia /Cecilija/, the former Queen of the Czardas, who still keeps the rhythm of the dance in her heart…
Wonderfully fitting into the overall development of the storyline and the general appearance of the performance will be: Milen Dinolov – as the notary Kish, and Petar Tiholov – as the Prince, Csilicia’s husband, who reveals the secret that in his family there will now be two Queens of the Czardas – his wife and Edwin’s wife; Emil Peychev – as the General, who brings important news and pays no less important bills. All performers will achieve on stage the homogeneous presentation of the exciting story in the most convincing way possible.
The artists of the choir, with conductor Alexander Chepanov, will create the necessary dens,e large-scale sound of the common scenes in which key moments in the plot development occur.
In sync, presenting the glamorous completion of a lavish spectacle, will be all the artists and musicians of the third performance of the latest production of the Burgas Opera on Wednesday, as well as the specialists "behind the scenes" - the employees of the technical services, creating a truly impressive stage picture - with original solutions and skillfully woven and complementary multimedia decor.
The orchestra, choir and ballet of the State Opera - Burgas will take part in the spectacular production of the famous operetta "The Queen of Csárdás", which is performed in Bulgarian.
After the first performances of the latest production of the Burgas Opera, the director, Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, received well-deserved congratulations - both from specialists and from the audience - for the large-scale author's view of each element of the overall picture of the performance, which combines the best of traditions with an individual creative director's style. During the rehearsal process, every detail – in the text, the mise-en-scene, the emotional messages conveyed through the stage presence of the artists, everything was analyzed with the utmost precision, taste, flair ,and understanding of the essence of an operetta production. Namely – to capture the sensory perceptions – with a brilliant overall picture, to excite – with a skillfully told story about the obstacles of two lovers who are fatefully connected, but encounter challenges on their way to each other; with an intelligent approach to the development of the characters, with psychologism, a fresh sense of humor and a playful wink to the audience. Respect – for the work invested in the rehearsal process and the successful gluing of all elements of the production activity, also deserves the assistant directors: Lina Peeva and Petar Tiholov. An indispensable professional in the birth of the production is also Iliana Todorova, accompanist, who precisely worked out every detail of the score with the soloists during the rehearsal process.
The set design of "The Queen of Csárdás", the work of the award-winning master in the field of artistic decor Ivan Tokadzhiev, is stunning, as a masterful combination of classical stage solutions with the possibilities of multimedia effects. The costumes of Yana Dvoretska are completely in sync with the overall vision of the stage brilliance - both in terms of color solutions, and in terms of style, and as brilliantly crafted details. The choreography of Marina Zmeeva-Markova completely overlaps with the idea of a glamorous cabaret performance, according to all the canons of operetta. And the graceful ballerinas are not only in the role of variety dancers, but also... sing /in the stage number with Bonnie/. This fact is clear evidence of the multivalence of the artist, especially in the syncretic operetta genre.
Admirations on August 19 will again be deserved by all who will tell the eternal tale of the path to happy love, which has passed through obstacles and fateful challenges, under the baton of the renowned Bulgarian conductor Ivan Kozhuharov and in sync with the masterful and meticulously detailed direction of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, the captivating scenography of Ivan Tokadzhiev and the exquisite costumes created by Yana Dvoretska.
The performance is a real feast – a dazzling combination of music, scenography, costumes, choreography, masterfully inspired performance, and an impressive bond between all elements. Do not miss the spectacle that captivates the senses, mind, and feelings, combining the best of traditions with the most constructive from the sphere of innovative thinking and an original directorial approach! The stage will once again be filled with a splendor of music, mood, champagne, and infectious laughter with “The Queen of Czardas” – on Tuesday, August 19, at 8:30 PM on the stage of the Summer Theater – Burgas.
Tickets for "The Queen of Czardasha": at the Opera box office, "Clock" box office, the Summer Theater box office - after 6:30 p.m. on the day of the performance, on the Grabo.bg networks - https://grabo.bg/plovdiv/tzartizata-na-chardasha-02t5k?fbclid=IwY2xjawMP_GBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA3eDF2UHpxSEZFeGJhZ3RIAR7Tj3YqFqum_4GGuxM4eXGrN9E5GSKfXMKyl_J3I4HiQVruJwxIlrcbH6yUSw_aem_H6KKbyLvqwlIQomQfCzkOQ