22 july 2025 "Samson&Delilah" Is The First Event Of "Opera On The Sanctuary"
The first event of the "Opera of the Sanctuary" 2025 festival, whose sixth edition is coming up, is the opera "Samson and Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saens, under the baton of Prof. Dr. Grigor Palikarov. The large-scale opera production was presented for the first time two years ago on the open stage of the Thracian sanctuary in the summer of 2023, causing a sensation. On Saturday, July 26, at 8:30 p.m. under the starry dome of the ancient sanctuary, the lucky ones who have obtained tickets will witness a magnificent performance among the megalithic blocks. The "Opera of the Sanctuary" festival is being held for the sixth time, with the joint organizational and logistical efforts of the State Opera - Burgas and the Municipality of Primorsko.
The opera by Camille Saint-Saëns is intertwined with themes of love, passion, temptation, prediction, betrayal, revenge, redemption, God's retribution, and doom.
The impressive direction of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev is tailored to the specifics of the terrain at the foot of Strandzha Mountain; the conductor, the soloists, the orchestra, and the choir are first-class; the feeling of contact between Nature and Music is magical.
Admirers of the beautiful music of the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and the dramatic biblical plot will have the opportunity to follow the epic ancient history on Saturday evening, July 26. The original scenography, relying on a minimalist style, and compensatorily lavish costumes, the work of Catalin Arbore, Romania, the profound directing techniques of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, the skillful conducting of Prof. Dr. Grigor Palikarov, the first-class artistic cast and the original thematically selected multimedia environment, skillfully interwoven into the natural decor of the stone blocks, promise that the spectacle will become a memorable performance. Those present will experience the drama of the Jew, gifted with divine power – Samson, and the beautiful Philistine woman, who uses her feminine charm to tempt, deceive, betray, and destroy him – Delilah.
On the open stage on Saturday, the main roles will be played by established opera artists who give the images psychological depth and achieve a remarkable emotional impact: the distinguished mezzo-soprano Daniela Dyakova, the soloist of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and the State Opera – Burgas – the tenor Daniel Damyanov, the baritone Alexander Krunev, the basses Kostadin Mechkov and Diman Panchev, etc.
Memorable – in terms of emanation, vocal achievements, presence, and artistic fusion with the images, will be the soloists: the image of Dalila will be embodied by the renowned mezzo-soprano Daniela Dyakova, who is impeccable in every stage performance – with dignity, taste, and the exceptional impact of her voice. The accent in the opera title is one of the most beautiful melodies – Dalila’s Aria /“Mon cœur s’ouvre a ta voix”/ from Act II, which is considered one of the most impactful in opera art. In her interpretation, Dyakova, in the role of the beautiful temptress – the Philistine Dalila, is characterized by an in-depth examination of the complex image and an impactful, professionally presented performance. The image is her crowning incarnation, in which she invests her entire artistic appearance - as a philosophical and psychological construction, a beautiful timbre, fully corresponding to the part, a powerful and at the same time mastered, vocal sculpting of the difficult arias, duets, and ensembles. The image of Samson, endowed with Divine power, leader of the Jews oppressed by the Philistines, will be recreated by the soloist of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and the State Opera - Burgas, Daniel Damyanov. He will unfold the wealth of his artistic, emotional, and singing capacity in the construction of the role - with the entire spectrum of experienced and transformed feelings. The role of the High Priest of Dagon /the god of the Philistines, who conquered the Jewish people/ will be played by the baritone with a rich international stage career - Alexander Krunev, who will convincingly and effectively give the characteristic harshness of the image, the personification of Evil, inspiring respect and awe. He will instill in the character the characteristic radiance of power and cruelty – both in the insidious plan to assassinate Samson and in the attractive ritual of sacrifice.
The other soloists will also have a bright presence, who will skillfully enter the dramatic context and will be as authentic as possible on stage. The role of Abimelech, satrap of Gaza, will be played by bass Kostadin Mechkov. The role of the Old Jew will be played by Diman Panchev, bass, and the role of the Messenger of the Philistines will be played by tenor Georgi Bozveliev, the First Philistine – Milen Dinolov, tenor, and the Second Philistine – Ivan Grozev, bass.
Each of the soloists is in amazing musical, artistic, and psychological synchrony with the other characters of the tragic story, which, despite the fact that it is from distant historical times, sounds relevant for every stage of human civilization.
The mass choral and ballet scenes are impressive – both in terms of musical complexity, plot visualization, and opulence. The choir is distinguished by its delicately crafted dynamic nuances and phrasing – especially in the polyphonic transitions, which are characterized by their high complexity.
The choir is also a main actor in the plot and the musical text – both in the quiet nuances and in the bursting moments requiring strong expression.
The orchestra performs in a brilliantly shocking manner the extremely difficult passages in the complex score of Camille Saint-Saëns – with the melodiousness and depth typical of French music. Under the precise baton of Prof. Dr. Grigor Palikarov, a monolithic integrity of the complex score will be created – with precise dynamics and brilliantly presented polyphonic beauty. The ballet is a true emotional-visual accent of the spectacle – with the attractive mass scenes – a masterpiece of sensory perception. The artists of the ballet company will be delightful, impressive in performance and extremely attractive – in the two key moments – the lyrical enchantment of Samson – in the first act, and in the emblematic bacchanalia – in the third act. The masterful choreography, fully by the biblical plot and the profound directorial interpretation of Prof. Tekeliev, is by Galina Kalcheva, and the ballet dancers’ rehearser is Marina Zmeeva-Markova. Concertmaster is Hristo Belchev, assistant directors: Lina Peeva and Petar Tiholov, accompanist – Igor Kiriyanov. The work is performed in the original – in French, with subtitles in Bulgarian, by Srebrina Slavova.
“Samson and Delilah” is a rarely performed title worldwide, precisely because of its exceptional orchestral difficulty, polyphonic sound of the choir, as well as arias and duets, which are aerobatics in opera art. The plot, based on biblical tales from the Old Testament, contains not only an intriguing line of narrative history, but also deep moral dilemmas, presented admirably through the means of musical and stage art, brilliantly argued through the complex polyphonic score of Camille Saint-Saëns. A dramatic line of dynamics recreates the contradictory psychological states of the characters.
The visual effects are also impressive, which fit ideologically into the overall concept of the large-scale musical stage project. The current 3D mapping and multimedia /work of Nikola Peshev/ will be used for a complementary sensory perception of the messages embedded in the biblical plot. Prison bars, flames, visualization of the Temple of Dagon, intertwined snakes, embodying the creeping and morally destroying Evil - in its purest form, a remarkable effect will be achieved, in sync with the captivating music and dignified performance of all artists and musicians. The audience will have the privilege of symbolically attending a sacred ritual.
The production of "Samson and Delilah," directed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, contains originally presented analogies with universal human themes, references to modernity and symbolism, in symbolic combination with the lavish costumes and props, refined to the smallest detail. The emphasis on red and black, the contrast between the fiery principle and death, as well as the thin line between them – on the border of life and non-existence, the fragility of the human being, powerless before the commands and decisions of the gods – all this is skillfully conveyed, through implicitly laid symbolic codes.
On July 26, the biblical legend about the destructive power of passion, ancestral commands, and Divine enlightenment will be told excitingly. The beautiful voices of the soloists and choir, accompanied by beautiful soulful music, will merge into an emotionally meaningful symbiosis, exalting the idea of love, betrayal, redemption, and sacrifice in the name of a higher goal. The nuances in the musical text will be conveyed by the magnificent performers – with thought, feeling, depth, with the corresponding emotional attitude: lyricism, awe, longing, tearing doubts – between the call of the heart and duty to family and homeland, painful awareness, dramatic return, apotheosis of inner strength, expressed also through God's protection. The magical place of Begliktash will be subject to the beautiful music of Camille Saint-Saens, combined with the impressive biblical messages about the temptations of love, the clash between different faiths, the transgression of ancestral commandments and the elevation of inner strength, associated with the Divine manifestation, which leads to just retribution - even at the cost of destruction.
Tickets for "Samson and Dalila" - at the box office of the Opera, the "Clock" box office, as well as in the Grabo networks - https://grabo.bg/burgas/samson-i-dalila-0ftq8?fbclid=IwY2xjawLsb_9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBpTm9zVHIyTTJVeGhWekhYAR6ELjhzNrGbsa2I0WFB75DjX97hNN8Rmkjx_7vf-dmIUcWG2uHQJCg-i6QGlQ_aem_oCqyAoOiyEM8Cq4IIj-pIQ
and Eventim - https://www.eventim.bg/bg/bileti/samson-i-dalila-primorsko-trakiyskoto-svetilishche-beglik-tash-669687/event.html
, Tickets are also sold at the box office of the Tourist Information Center - Primorsko. There is organized transportation - from and to Primorsko, the price is 8 leva in both directions. Contact number: +359 550 3 30 00.