10 june 2026 Strong Emotions and Professionalism with "Rigoletto"

An extremely moving performance of Verdi's masterpiece RIGOLETTO was presented by the first-class soloists, orchestra and male choir of the Burgas State Opera this evening in the Opera Hall under the precise baton of Maestro Cesare Della Scucca /Italy/.
Ovations: soloists, musicians, choir artists and the ballet - for the beautifully recreated tragic story!

The plot of "Rigoletto" is incredibly exciting and does not leave any viewer indifferent - since the libretto by Francesco Maria Piave is based on Victor Hugo's novel "The King Amuses Himself". And Hugo is one of the authors who cannot help but touch the most intimate corners of the soul - with truthfully told human stories, fateful twists predetermined by the decree of the stars, deеp experiences of the characters seeking justice, recognition, love.

The evening of June 10 was under the sign of the two geniuses in the culture of the 19th century - Verdi and Hugo, combining the impact of the two arts - music and literature, in an impressive symbiosis with a deep emotional imprint, skillfully recreated into a musical and stage jewel through the masterful direction of Prof. Dr. Alexander Tekeliev.

As if on a film strip, scene after scene alternated, revealing different layers of the characters' souls and attitudes.

Conductor Cesare Della Scucca from Italy did not hide his bias towards the work even during the rehearsals, demonstrating profound, detailed knowledge of Verdi's score, as well as of the text performed by the singers. Admirable, as a comprehensive process of music-making and philosophical depth, was his conducting, as both artists and instrumentalists managed to follow his instructions and requirements, creating a remarkable musical and stage finished product.

All singers were completely devoted to the images they had built, experiencing every breath, phrase, aria, ensemble, merging with the melody of the soul.

Admiration for the uncompromising performance - with the entire spectrum of feelings, perfectly recreated- by the renowned baritone Marian Jovanoski - Rigoletto is definitely one of his most significant roles, in which he puts the maximum of his complex qualities of a first-class singer.

Emotional, artistic, excellently interacting with his colleagues on stage was the young tenor from Venezuela Reynaldo Droz, putting passion, motivation, vocal mastery, lined with personal charm, into the image of the Duke of Mantua.

The charming soprano Ilina Mihaylova was once again charming in the role of the trusting girl Gilda - with finesse, ease, gentle radiance, brilliant heights and beautifully sung muted tones in the quiet dynamics, carrying sadness and a trace of hopelessness.

Bass Delyan Slavov was impressive in the role of a hired killer who takes on the role of retribution, which, however, overtakes an innocent victim – both as a stage presence and as an emotional impact, especially in the ensemble at the end of Act IV – one of the strongest moments in the opera.

Beautiful and captivating was the mezzo-soprano Ioana Kadiyska – as the compassionate-hearted seductress Madaleno – with a warm and rich timbre.

All the other artists were wonderful: mezzo-soprano Kalina Popova – in the role of Giovanna, Kostadin Mechkov – as Count Monterone, Petar Tiholov, bass – in the role of Count Ceprano, soprano Stefka Hristozova – as Countess Ceprano and Page, baritone Yordan Hristozov – in the role of Marullo, Milen Dinolov, tenor – as Matteo Borsa.

Congratulations also deserve the artists from the male choir with conductor Alexander Chepanov - their performances, especially in the quiet dynamics, sounded like fateful steps.

The orchestral ensemble with concertmaster Hristo Belchev achieved a magnificent sound - Verdi's score sounded full-blooded, precise and at the same time extremely impressive.

At the end of the exciting performance, amidst the unending applause, the traditional basket of flowers was presented on behalf of the mayor of Burgas Municipality - Mr Dimitar Nikolov.


 June 10, 2026, 7:00 PM, State Opera Hall - Burgas
RIGOLETTO / RIGOLETTO
OPERA IN THREE ACTS BY GIUSEPPE VERDI
Performed in Italian with Bulgarian subtitles
Conductor – Cesare Della Scucca /Italy/ - guest
Director – Alexander Tekeliev
Artist – Ivan Popov
Conductor of choirs – Alexander Chepanov
Concertmaster - Hristo Belchev
Assistant directors: Lina Peeva and Petar Tiholov
Make-up and wigs - Kalina Popova
Subtitles - Srebrina Slavova
Props, prompter - Dora Furtunova
Wardrobe: Kicka Grozeva, Pepa Ruseva, Nedka Ivanova, Rositsa Atanasova, Yana Vlaeva

Actors and performers:
Rigoletto – Marian Giovanni
The Duke of Mantua – Reinaldo Droz
Gilda – Ilina Mihaylova
Sparafucile – Delyan Slavoff
Madalena – Ioana Kadiyska
Giovanna – Kalina Popova
Count Monterone – Kostadin Mechkov
Count Ceprano – Petar Tiholov
Countess Ceprano – Stefka Hristozova
Marullo – Yordan Tsvetanov Hristozov
Matteo Borsa – Milen Dinolov
Page – Stefka Hristozova
Orchestra and choir of the State Opera -