04 november 2025 "Stoyan Popov" Award Winners - in "The Barber of Seville"
A series of comic moments, dynamic stage action, cheerful emotions, contemporary satire presented in a fun way, a tangible artistic bond of everyone on stage await the audience on November 6 at 7 p.m. on the stage of the State Opera - Burgas in the performance of "The Barber of Seville" by Gioacchino Rossini. After a one-year absence from the creative calendar, on Thursday magnificent artists will reincarnate in fresh roles in one of the most entertaining productions of the Burgas Opera - with an intelligent sense of humor, personal charm and gushing energy. The roles of the coquette Rosina and the most famous barber in the opera world - Figaro, are performed by the laureates of the International Opera Competition "Stoyan Popov" 2025, which ended last week in the hall of the Burgas Opera: Maria Yurkovskaya and Andrey Yurkovsky. More than four years after the brilliant premiere /on October 8, 2021/, the new staging of Rossini's masterpiece "The Barber of Seville" directed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, skillfully combined with the original scenographic and costume design solutions of Denis Ivanov, continues to be a hit - with the ever-current themes, dizzying directorial techniques, avant-garde appearance, whirlwind artistic presence, a pinch of eroticism and guaranteed smiles. The updated version of the opera continues to prove that the challenge of the new approach is accepted with understanding and is a sure way to get out of the comfort zone - to broaden one's horizons and enrich perceptions. Once again, the new interpretation of Rossini's masterpiece will be presented - as a fury of comic situations, fresh banter, sincere laughter and references to contemporary reality, on the Burgas stage. With each performance, the production is enriched, the artists add new psychological nuances to the images. One thing is unchangeable - everyone plays with visible pleasure and has fun with the catchy plot with elements of social satire. The artists manage to build a complete theatrical image of the performance, adding to the brilliant vocal performance a sense for all the ideas embedded in the staging decisions of Prof. Tekeliev. "The Barber of Seville" on the Burgas stage is not only an opera - in its classical form - although nothing from Rossini's musical score has been changed, the result is a wonderful complex spectacle, bringing not only wild laughter, but also a number of messages in the contemporary life context. Under the whirlwind baton of the great Bulgarian conductor with an impressive international career Ivan Kozhuharov, brilliant artists will perform on November 6. Baritone Andrei Yurkovsky, winner of the third prize at the Stoyan Popov International Opera Competition, made a brilliant debut in the role of Figaro during the performance on June 14, 2024 in the Opera Hall, will again enter the hilarious role of the famous barber, but in the style of Elvis Presley and the era of rock of the 70s, and on Thursday. The charming mezzo-soprano Maria Yurkovskaya, who won second prize at this year's Stoyan Popov Competition, also made a remarkable debut in the role of Rosina in June 2024, will once again enter the image of the playful coquette. The two soloists, who are partners not only on stage but also in life, recreate the comic characters with mastery, dedication and genuine charisma. Nikolay Motsov /guest/, lyric-spin tenor, professor at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” – Sofia, will once again be in the role of Count Almaviva /in the new production – Sheikh Almaviva/, after a wonderful stage performance of the premiere performance and several subsequent performances on the Burgas stage. Colorful, emotionally affecting and with each passing performance – enriched with new artistic nuances, is his stage performance. The tenor expands the parameters of the complex humorous image with inventions that fit into the overall concept of the production and are warmly welcomed by the audience, thirsting for entertaining originality. The bass Kostadin Mechkov will be, as always, super-comic in the image of Doctor Bartolo’s old bore, who unsuccessfully seeks the attention of the beautiful Rozina. Mechkov builds the role with a gushing sense of humor, a sense for the specificity of the image and vocal mastery. Brilliant vocal mastery, fresh stage presence, original artistic etudes and stage charm will be presented by the bass Delyan Slavov in the role of one of the most famous intriguers in the opera world – Don Basilio. The famous Aria of Slander is emblematic in the opera world, and not only – as an emanation of the insidious acts leading to disastrous results. Soprano Nona Krastnikova will once again cause a storm of laughter with her sympathetic, daring, provocative heroine Berta, who does not hide her affinity for men, wine and... something else and builds the character with enough self-irony. A fresh, artistic whirlwind of emotions will also be the baritone Yordan Hristozov – in the roles of Fiorello, close to Count Almaviva, and the Officer, who restores order to the artistic chaos that has occurred in the storyline.
The wonderful artists from the choir of the Burgas Opera, conducted by Alexander Chepanov, also fit into the general upbeat mood. The choristers who have individual intriguing acting tasks, filled with a great sense of humor and dynamics.
Their irreplaceable contribution to the realization of another exciting spectacle under the sign of high quality is also made by the assistant directors Petar Tiholov and Lina Peeva, the concertmaster of the orchestra Vanya Zlateva, the pianist Iliana Todorova, who performs the piano recitatives during the spectacle, Raina Popova, who prepares the performers for the brilliant sculpting of the parts on stage, the author of the subtitles - Srebrina Slavova, the specialists from the technical services and all those who are outside the light of the stage spotlights, but with their work contribute to the overall well-maintained appearance of "The Barber of Seville".
The spectacle is not recommended for persons under 12 years of age!
Tickets for Rossini's comic opera "The Barber of Seville" can be purchased at the Opera House box office, the "Clock" box office /in front of the Bulgaria Hotel/, as well as on the Grabo networks - https://grabo.bg/burgas/sevilskiiat-brasnar-0d69kzg
Their irreplaceable contribution to the realization of another exciting spectacle under the sign of high quality is also made by the assistant directors Petar Tiholov and Lina Peeva, the concertmaster of the orchestra Vanya Zlateva, the pianist Iliana Todorova, who performs the piano recitatives during the spectacle, Raina Popova, who prepares the performers for the brilliant sculpting of the parts on stage, the author of the subtitles - Srebrina Slavova, the specialists from the technical services and all those who are outside the light of the stage spotlights, but with their work contribute to the overall well-maintained appearance of "The Barber of Seville".
The spectacle is not recommended for persons under 12 years of age!
Tickets for Rossini's comic opera "The Barber of Seville" can be purchased at the Opera House box office, the "Clock" box office /in front of the Bulgaria Hotel/, as well as on the Grabo networks - https://grabo.bg/burgas/sevilskiiat-brasnar-0d69kzg
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