Bulgaria Wagner, Tristan und Isolde: Soloists, Dancers, Refrain and Orchestra of Sofia Opera and Ballet / Constantin Trinks (conductor). Sofia Opera and Ballet Theatre, 23.7.2023. (GT)

Following the profitable premiere of the brand new Sofia Ring held over six days in early July, the next operas of Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal and The Flying Dutchman within the 2023 Wagner Competition have been keenly anticipated. This 2015 manufacturing was carried out after a yr of preparation with Richard Trimborn. Many elements of the corporate’s first Ring cycle of 2013 are seen on this revival, particularly with its innovatory and visionary conception.

Plamen Kartaloff explains his manufacturing, ‘The complicated philosophy of Richard Wagner’s poetic masterpiece I sought to grasp in a totally comprehensible, emotional, dynamic and extremely expressive musical and theatrical language. Wagner himself needed to see on stage the theatre of his music. However the acute requirement for the vocal stamina of singers, no lesser situation is that they should be nice actors.’ A singular facet of the 2015 manufacturing is the prologue that opens the opera earlier than the orchestral prelude and permits the viewers a touch of the opera’s again story.

The manufacturing was created to grasp a real emotional drama, as Kartaloff writes: ‘The music and lyrics of Tristan und Isolde spring from essentially the most intimate fibres of skilled heartaches. Like residing shadows, out of an unrealised dream of affection oblivion, passionately and with out concern, our characters fly off into their area manufactured from goals and feelings of illusory happiness. The delusion of their stellar love journey shouldn’t be sinful. With their fiery flight from actuality, the highway of their life leads them from an inseparable like to their alternative in flight to happiness in loss of life. In order that they save themselves and their love. As in no different opera, right here with Wagner, the main heroine doesn’t die. She is reworked into mild, which is the true of the everlasting and most real love. Carrying away her favorite creature to be ever collectively and stay collectively ceaselessly.’

The prequel opened with a placing video of the sweeping waves of the ocean, enhanced by a wind machine behind the inclined stage that allowed figures to maneuver throughout it to convey an impression of an odd ghostly historical past. We noticed the younger Isolde and her saving Tristan after the well-choreographed conflict with the knight Morold, who was to get the annual tax that King Marke of Cornwall paid to Eire, however as an alternative of taxes, they obtained the severed head of Morold. Tristan himself was severely wounded in battle and managed to succeed in the shores of Eire on a ship. Princess Isolde, famed for her energy to heal with herbs, cured the lethal wounds of the younger man who recognized himself as Tantris. When Tantris was virtually healed, Isolde by chance discovers that he’s the assassin of her fiancé Morold and decides to take revenge. She had already raised the sword when Tristan checked out her within the eyes and the hand of the princess fell powerless. Isolde fell in love with Tristan.

The orchestral prelude to Act I opened splendidly on the verdantly wealthy strings, and the opening scene depicted the sleeping Isolde whereas her maid Brangäne waits over her. Isolde is instructed of her betrothal to King Marke, and the Brangäne of Anna Werle by her exact facial actions, demonstrated nice performing as Radostina Nikolayeva’s Isolde appears to bear the load of her tragic destiny in her singing.

The scene of blending the potions was cleverly enacted. As Tristan embraces Isolde they’re circled on a revolving platform till Marke’s males arrive. The Tristan of Martin Iliev confirmed a effective dramatic tenor voice in his skilfully crafted portrayal whereas the sudden arrival of the ship in Cornwall was spectacular with the sensible help by Constantin Trinks’s musicians, most notably by the brass group.

In Act II, we see King Marke’s courtroom with a backdrop by which Melot lurks spying on the betrothed Isolde. Isolde is now wearing a silvery garb on a dais whereas Brangäne is in attendance. As Isolde sees Tristan, she recognises her burgeoning love and joins him. A display screen portraying the superbly unique colors of the citadel gardens descends for the love scene. That is enacted with the 2 lovers approaching one another in a singular presentation as if floating within the air, giving a fairly uncanny dreamlike love story – and virtually hypnotic within the imagery accompanied by wonderful harmonies of orchestral sound.

Melot is watching the lovers and warns King Marke of the betrayal and he interrupts them. The characterisation of King Marke by Petar Buchkov is deeply shifting in his magnificent voice and performing. The struggle between Tristan and Marke’s courtiers ends with Tristan’s collapsing and his aide Kurwenal taking him to security.

In Act III, all of the struggling of the dying Tristan was evinced by the haunting cor anglais solo portraying the tragedy about to unfold. The loyal Kurwenal of Atanas Mladenov was magnificent in his performing/singing – one other of the night’s highlights. The struggle scene was portrayed with large drama and led to Isolde’s magnificently carried out Liebestod. As Tristan is dying, King Marke is instructed how Brangäne’s mistakenly gave Isolde the love potion, and lastly Isolde awakens and so they embrace for the ultimate time.

Werle’s Brangäne was the best efficiency of the night time along with her intricate facial and physique actions and her dulcet-toned mezzo-soprano voice. The Tristan of Iliev was excellent in voice, as was his performing the position of the tragic hero, whereas the Isolde of Nikolaeva was wonderful in characterisation and he or she sang with a superbly wealthy spinto soprano. The Mladenov’s Kurwenal was terrific, and the King Marke of Petar Buchkov was loyal in his darkly enticing bass.

The magical, virtually dream-like idea of this staging was enhanced by the units by Miodrag Tabacki, whereas the lighting by Andrei Hajdinjak enormously assisted Kartaloff’s visualisation with splendidly efficient colors in opposition to a backdrop of the night time. The excellence between the color scheme of the costumes introduced out all of the disparity of the totally different characters; Isolde was in a vibrant silvery gown, whereas Tristan wore black in opposition to the softer colors of the browns and greens of the opposite singers, and the costumes have been medieval, or in some circumstances ageless. Once more the choreography all through, together with the struggle scenes was beautifully directed by Kamen Ivanov and Riolina Topalova enhancing the quickly shifting drama. On the centre of the musical efficiency was Constantin Trinks and his wonderful orchestra who’ve by no means performed higher, enhancing on every night below this effective German conductor.

In all, following upon the premiere of the brand new Ring cycle staged initially of July, this 2015 revival was a triumphant success for Plamen Kartaloff’s 2023 Wagner Competition.

Gregor Tassie

Manufacturing:
Director – Plamen Kartaloff
Musical preparation – Richard Trimborn
Set designer – Miodrag Tabacki
Costume designer – Leo Kulash
Lighting designer – Andrej Hajdinjak
Choreographer – Riolina Topalova
Multimedia – Electrick.me
Head of Manufacturing – Nela Stoyanova
Assistant Director – Vera Petrova
Refrain director – Violeta Dimitrova
Stage combating – Kamen Ivanov

Solid:
Tristan – Martin Iliev
Isolde – Radostina Nikolaeva
Brangäne – Anna Werle
King Marke – Petar Buchkov
Melot – Veselin Mihaylov
Kurwenal – Atanas Mladenov
A Younger Sailor – Angel Antonov
The Shepherd – Krasimir Dinev
A Steersman – Nikolay Petrov