07 august 2025 "Rigoletto" Is the Third Event of the "Opera of the Sanctuary"

A magnificent performance, combining Verdi's brilliant music, dramaturgy revealing the entire palette of human passions, the masterful direction of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, exceptional singers who will experience every tone and phrase, weaving it into the overall sound of the tragic story, will be created on August 9, Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. on the open stage of the Thracian sanctuary of Begliktash. In the picturesque place - under the mystical starry dome of Strandzha, near Maslen Nos, the spectacle of one of the most beloved operas - "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi will come to life, under the baton of Prof. Dr. Ivaylo Krinchev, chief conductor of the State Opera - Stara Zagora and a lecturer at the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov". Prof. Krinchev, winner of the 2020 Emil Chakarov Award, was also behind the conductor's podium at the second event of the 2025 Opera of the Sanctuary festival – another Verdi masterpiece – Il Trovatore, on August 2 of this year.

“Rigoletto” is the third event of the festival, which is being held for the sixth time on the difficult terrain among the natural decor of the ancient megalithic blocks of the sanctuary, realized by the State Opera – Burgas and the Municipality of Primorsko. In August 2024, the production, adapted for the non-standard conditions for an opera performance, the work of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, was presented with great success for the first time – with impressive visual effects and excellent soloists, orchestra, choir and ballet, and a wide public response.

The ever-present story of meanness, temptation, seduction, false hopes, insidious impulses, sin, curse and sinister denouement, woven into the classic reading of one of Verdi’s impactful operas, will come to life on Saturday among the rocks of Begliktash. Through the means of syncretic operatic art, the musical and stage story of the hunchbacked jester Rigoletto will be presented, the only joy in his simple life – his beautiful daughter Gilda, the conscienceless Duke, a unifying image of meanness, as well as all the heroes of the tragic tale of betrayed trust.

The conductor – Prof. Dr. Ivaylo Krinchev will lead the musicians of the Burgas Opera Orchestra – with concertmaster Hristo Belchev, into the essence of the work and its messages carried through the centuries. The male choir with conductor Alexander Chepanov is expected to build brilliant dynamics, especially in the quiet register sounding like fateful steps, reminiscent of the ephemerality of our lives, and the orchestra to once again achieve the dense sound corresponding to Verdi's dramatic and philosophical messages, with beautifully performed solos and remarkable cohesion.

The soloist composition is also remarkable: each of them - with exceptional individual qualities and at the same time - achieved remarkable cohesion on stage. All performers: soloists, orchestra and choir, will build in a dramatic whole a memorable spectacle, touching the senses, shaking and provoking deep reflection - about true values, about the variability of feelings, about the power of fateful cards, rearranging human destinies. The well-crafted full-blooded characters, the wonderful soloists will recreate the dramatic plot in an unforgettable way in the place endowed with ancient magical power.

On August 9, as in the memorable performance of "Rigoletto" at last year's "Opera of the Sanctuary" festival, the image of the jester Rigoletto will be recreated by the remarkable baritone Marian Jovanoski, soloist of the National Opera of North Macedonia and the State Opera - Burgas. Shocking - with his contradictory essence, conveyed in the most affecting way possible, the baritone will perform the role of the sad jester Rigoletto, who receives his fateful retribution and whose father's heart is broken, realizing the unbearable pain of the worst loss - of a beloved child. Marian Jovanoski is exceptional in building the complex image, both in the muted register and in the emotional outbursts. His Rigoletto is not only affecting, but also awakening a number of questions from the moral and philosophical code. The impressive voice of the baritone Maryan Jovanoski will spread throughout the Strandzha Mountains, touching everyone present with the incredible power of pain that he manages to convey in a beautiful and moving way.

The role of Gilda on Saturday will be played by the charismatic soprano Ilina Mihaylova /guest/, soloist of the State Opera - Varna and the National Music Theater "Stefan Makedonski". She will reincarnate again - with professionalism, a sense of character development and vocal mastery, in the image of the naive girl, living in her own little dreamy world, cut off from reality. Meeting a skilled seducer, in the person of the Duke, she falls into his demonic trap, which portends her certain doom. Ilina Mihaylova is Fine, ethereal, naturally beautiful, carrying vitality and at the same time - a sense of tragic doom, brilliant in vocal terms and as a representation of the most characteristic of the image of the gentle girl Gilda. She merges completely with the director's concept and the context of the production itself, as well as with the interaction with her other colleagues - at the highest professional level. The wonderful soprano is the embodiment of the gentle innocent girl Gilda, trusting to the point of naivety, having lost her honor, but not her kindness - her charm and talent will burst forth again on stage among the rocks, like a clear mountain stream.

Here is the emotional response of the soloist Ilina Mihaylova, which she shared after last year's performance of "Rigoletto" at the sanctuary: "Rigoletto in Begliktash - a Thracian sanctuary, energy and inspiration flooded all of us! The moments. singing on the centuries-old stones, were imprinted deep in my soul. Thank you, friends - it was a great experience!"

And in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio, the renowned soprano said: "The role of Gilda is one of my favorites. I have sung it in many places, under different directors, but every time the overture sounds, I know it will be new, different. Every time I try to enrich the role with new vocal and artistic techniques! I am looking forward to hearing the overture in Begliktash, so that our fairy tale can begin!"

At the will of the Duke of Mantua, the smug, unscrupulous seducer and bon vivant, the Venezuelan tenor Reynaldo Droz - a guest - enters the performance under the open sky of Begliktash. Droz is a graduate of Raina Kabaivanska and winner of the 12th International Opera Competition "Anita Cerqueti" in Montecozaro, Italy. For several seasons, he has been a regular soloist at the State Opera - Varna. He has performed as a soloist in productions of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and on other stages in Bulgaria. He made his first guest appearance with great success in a production of the Burgas Opera in October 2024, in the role of Rudolf in the opera "La Bohème" by Giacomo Puccini. The Duke's emblematic aria "La donna e mobile" in his exciting performance will certainly be enthusiastically received by the audience. The temperamental tenor, carrying the passion and fire of the South, is expected to completely merge with the emotional arc of the other characters in the sad story with a foreknown end. A beautiful cantilena timbre and brilliantly crafted phrases, as well as the height of the artistic performance, are shown by Reynaldo Drots in the image of the cruel, fickle and selfish Herzog, who made Gilda's heart fall fatally in love with him.

Bass Delyan Slavov takes on the role of Sparafucile. The image inspires fear and horror, as befits the presented character of a hired killer who destroys human lives - without scruples, counting the silver coins in his purse. The bass timbre symbolically recreates the collapse of the human soul in the disastrous trap of the temptation to easily acquired money.

The character of a true seductress, but hiding a compassionate heart behind her beautiful appearance, will be recreated by the charming mezzo-soprano Joanna Kadijska, who is also distinguished by a rich deep timbre. – in the role of the seductress Madalena, who, in addition to sins, hides a compassionate soul under her frivolous behavior. She is expected to fit perfectly into the role and achieve a kind of emotional peak in one of the semantic accents of the opera "Rigoletto" – the ensemble at the end of Act IV, which is considered one of the most difficult parts of Verdi's work to perform.

The remaining soloists will also be impressive and fully integrated with the overall sound of the performance on stage on Thursday. At the performance on August 9, they are expected to build solid characters, carrying the tragedy of Verdi's score and psychologism beyond the petty issues of existence. Bass Kostadin Mechkov will take on the role of Count Monterone, who is disgraced - because of the honor taken from his daughter, and, in his powerlessness, casts a curse that, through the unknown paths of fateful interconnections, reaches those who caused the misfortune. Mezzo-soprano Kalina Popova will be affecting and feminine as Giovanna, Gilda's close maid, who empathizes with her mental torments and metamorphoses. Soprano Stefka Hristozova and bass Petar Tiholov will be aristocratic in the images of Countess and Count Ceprano – part of high society with its refined and at the same time – cruel, orders; Stefka Hristozova will also be in the role of the Page. Baritone Yordan Hristozov will develop the image of the nobleman from the retinue around Duke Marulo, who lives in the intriguing world of high society, and who, although Rigoletto considers him a friend and asks him for mercy, turns away from him, being part of the overwhelming majority, laughing at the Jester's plight. Tenor Milen Dinolov will be in the role of Matteo Borsa, also part of the noble retinue.

The direction, specially adapted for the extraordinary stage space, by Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, will reconfirm that a global outlook and a progressive vision are essential elements for the ultimate success of such a grandiose project. The artist of the classical production is Ivan Popov, assistant director – Petar Tiholov, accompanist – Raina Popova. The opera is performed in the original – in Italian, and has subtitles in Bulgarian, the work of Srebrina Slavova, which allow one to follow the dramatic plot and dialogues in detail.

The characters of one of Verdi's most famous operas, to which the composer himself did not hide his biases, will give the audience diverse experiences – from the admiration of the power of pure love, destroyed by heartlessness, to the tragic hopelessness of trampled naive impulses. Those present on the open stage of the Thracian sanctuary will be warmed and emotionally shaken by the sad plot. It is no coincidence that the great Italian composer stated that if he had to save only one of his operas, he would choose "Rigoletto". The in-depth directorial reading of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, reading the codes of the human psyche, proves the power and message of these words.

Verdi's masterpiece will unfold the tragic story in an inimitable way under the starry sky of mystical Strandzha on Saturday. An impressive element, conveying the halo of a live fairy tale, will be the multimedia, the work of Nikola Peshev, which will make the rocks "come to life", revealing wonderful pictures, combined with technical effects, recreating natural phenomena. On the rocks themselves, the fairy-tale house of Rigoletto and Gilda materializes - as if it came out of the stories of the Brothers Grimm. The multimedia effects will illuminate the sanctuary with piercing lightning, giving a uniquely affecting way to the tragedy of the story of the poor fool, who enters his own emotional trap, forced to experience the most terrible pain - the loss of his child. Each element of the effects will be in sync with the emotional states of the characters, giving the aura of something unique to the sacred place.

At the performance on August 9, under the baton of Prof. Dr. Ivaylo Krinchev, the magnificent cast of soloists, the orchestra and the choir of the Burgas Opera will not only masterfully perform the score, characterized by its beautiful melody and psychological saturation. They will also tell – with captivating artistry, the eternal story of hell and heaven in a human soul, of destructive impulses, of retribution, of the cards of Fate, which are arranged according to our own choices, of meanness, betrayal, purgatory, redemption. All the components of a powerful spectacle are combined – the entire palette of feelings and relationships woven into human existence, exists, lives, continues to excite – with the skillful, profound interpretation of existential themes, in Verdi's masterpiece "Rigoletto".

Verdi's music contains a dramatic charge, tells stories, weaves feelings into the musical text, reveals images, carries messages beyond time. Strong experiences and emotions are guaranteed on August 9 at 8:30 p.m. under the starry dome of the Begliktash sanctuary.

The next two events of the "Opera of the Sanctuary" festival are two titles by Giuseppe Verdi: "Aida" – on August 16, and "Nabucco" – on August 23, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for "Rigoletto" - at the box office of the Opera House, the "Clock" box office, at the box office of the Tourist and Information Center - Primorsko, as well as on the networks of Grabo.bg - https://grabo.bg/burgas/operata-rigoleto-0qzzw5

and Eventim.BG - https://www.eventim.bg/bg/bileti/rigoleto-primorsko-trakiyskoto-svetilishche-beglik-tash-669726/event.h