10 march 2025 New Zealand Conductor Takes the Stage at Don Juan

On Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m., in the hall of the State Opera - Burgas, the aesthetic challenge of touching the messages of "eternal music" awaits you - Mozart's masterpiece in two acts, "Don Giovanni" - one of the most performed operas in the world. Behind the podium is the conductor Sarah Beasley, a native of New Zealand, who impresses with an impressive creative biography and is the winner of a number of prestigious international awards. She conducted a performance of the opera "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi in October 2018 in the hall of the Burgas Opera.

The direction of "Don Giovanni" is by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev, the artist of the large-scale production, is Ivan Savov, who ended his earthly journey two years ago, but his work continues its independent stage life. The conductor of the choir, which is a full participant in the emotionally charged stage action, is the young choirmaster Alexander Chepanov. The plasticity of the opera production is by Grisha Roglev, who is also no longer with us. An important role in building the dramatic and musical suggestion is also played by the orchestra of the State Opera - Burgas, with concertmaster Vanya Zlateva.

A strong soloist ensemble will perform in dramatic images, saturated with emotion and philosophical references. On the stage of the Burgas Opera on Friday, the eternal theme of temptation, seduction, surrender to sin, fall, retribution, punishment and redemption will be unfolded. Each of the soloists will be emotionally-aesthetically-intellectually motivated by the remarkable directorial techniques to bring to the surface of their artistic essence the best, the constructive, and the impactful of the respective image. All performers in the performance "Don Juan" merge with the presented images, building - in dramatic integrity and emotional completeness, the characters, woven into the overall exciting story - about the deceptive seduction of power, about the de-centering of the inner compass regarding good and evil, about the surrender to sin, the intoxication of new conquests, the frivolous life, subordinated to the philosophy of the sweetness of wine and women. The choir of the State Opera - Burgas participates in the large-scale mass scenes, recreating the atmosphere of their time, with the characteristic details in clothing, behavior, and the dynamics of relationships.

The role of the irresistible charmer, a classic seducer with insidious actions serving his uncontrollable passions, who has entered thousands of conquests in his “secret list” – from innocent virgins to dignified ladies seeking fleeting attention, will be played by the soloist of the State Opera – Burgas Valeri Turmanov, who builds the image with scope, stage charisma and brilliant vocal technique. The image of the servant of the proverbial seducer Don Juan – Leporello, will be played by the multi-bass Kostadin Mechkov. The soloist of the Burgas Opera has had successful appearances in central roles in titles from the repertoire of the Burgas Cultural Institute, as well as in a number of chamber performances. The role of Donna Anna, who mourns the untimely loss of her beloved father, killed by Don Juan, will be played by the soprano Maria Tsvetkova-Madzharova, with virtuoso technique and beautiful nuances of voice in the highest register. The image of Donna Elvira – Don Giovanni’s former lover – will be recreated by soprano Nona Krastnikova, with psychological depth, skillful interpretation of Mozart’s music and artistry. The role of Don Ottavio will be performed by tenor Yanni Nikolov – he made a strong debut in the role in November 2023 on the stage of the Opera. Since then, the title has not been presented on the Burgas stage. The image of the beautiful and pure-hearted girl from the people, Zerlina, with personal charm and remarkable vocal technique, will be created for the debut by the young soloist of the State Opera – Burgas – mezzo-soprano Maria Yurkovskaya. She has been in the artistic staff of the Burgas Cultural Institute for several months and already has several significant roles in her portfolio: Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville", Mercedes in Bizet's "Carmen", and a few days ago she made a brilliant debut as Stassi in the premiere production of "The Queen of Csárdás" by Kalman, directed by Alexander Tekeliev.

The iconic image of the Commander in the performance of "Don Juan" on Friday will be played by bass Delyan Slavov, who has played all the bass parts in the opera title - both Don Juan and Leporello, and for the first time, he will play the role of the Commander. The image is presented as an instrument of Fate, which orders harshly but fairly.

In the role of Masetto, the fiancé of Zerlina, towards whom Don Juan does not hide his selfish motives, the Burgas audience will see for the first time the young baritone Andrei Yurkovsky, who has also recently become a soloist of the Burgas Opera. Yurkovsky made his brilliant debut as Figaro – in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville", Dancairo – in Bizet's "Carmen" – on the stage of the Thracian sanctuary of Begliktash, and Schonard – in Puccini's "La Bohème". His stage appearances are met with enthusiasm by the audience due to his professional attitude towards each creative task, the wonderful timbre, artistry, and technical mastery of his voice.

The two-act opera "Don Giovanni" is one of the peaks of his creativity