site.btaDon Juan Opera to Be Staged Friday at Tsarevets Fortress as Part of Stage of the Ages Festival

The opera Don Juan by Mozart will be staged by the Veliko Tarnovo Theatre at the open stage of Tsarevets Fortress on Friday at 9 pm The performance is part of the Eighth Summer Opera Season of Stage of the Ages.

The stage of the Tsarevets Fortress will be transformed into a square, a lush garden, a noble's house, a cemetery, a pub, and in the spectacular finale, the palace of the Bulgarian kings will be engulfed in flames, the press centre of the theatre said. About 50 colorful and bright costumes, according to the style of the late 18th century, were created for the production. For greater authenticity, the outfits were made only with natural materials, cotton and wool, skillfully combined with lace and glitter.

The production is conducted by Georgi Patrikov, and directed by Petko Bonev. The 3D mapping for the performance was prepared by Lora Runevska from Elektrick.me. The stage design and costumes were designed by Asya Stoimenova. The production team also includes concertmaster Maria Pavlova, choreographer Katya Bogdanova and choirmaster Yanitsa Parvanova.

Soloists from Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece will perform on stage, singing and acting. The main roles will be played by Nikola Ivanov (Don Juan), Plamen Kumpikov (Don Juan's servant Leporello), guests from Serbia, Isidora Moles (Donna Anna), Nevena Milosevic (Donna Elvira), Stevan Karanac (Don Ottavio). The Greek Anna Faseia will play the role of Zerlina, and Nikola Popov will play the role of her beloved Mazetto. Viktor Krastanov will take the stage as the Commander. The orchestra, choir and ballet of the Konstantin Kisimov Music and Drama Theatre take part in the opera.

The performance was a success at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia in June with its provocative interpretation of Mozart's classic work.

The Stage of the Ages festival is  the first open-air opera festival in Bulgaria, which takes place in Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo, at the site of the medieval palace of the Bulgarian kings. Through the years it has become one of the most significant cultural events in Bulgaria, the festival's website says, It is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, with the media support of BTA, BNR, Municipal Radio - Veliko Tarnovo and the daily newspapers Borba and Yantra Dnes.