State Theatre Presents Aida Bulgarian State Opera

The State Theatre presents Bulgarian State Opera's production of Giuseppe Verdi's AIDA, Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 3pm. The opera in four acts will be sung in Italian with English subtitles. Tickets range from $30-65 (group, college student, and senior discounts available).

AIDA is grand opera-characterized by grandiose scale, a heroic and historical subject, a large cast and orchestra, sumptuous costumes and sets-and has long been a favorite showpiece for the world's leading singers. Opera America claims it to be the sixteenth most performed opera in North America.

Ismail Paska, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the AIDA, which premiered in Cairo, Egypt on December 24, 1871. The opera has since become a staple of the standard operatic repertoire and thrilled audiences with its majestic triumphal march and glorious arias. Radames, the Egyptian captain who is selected to lead the army against the invading Ethiopians, loves the slave girl Aïda, and learns too late that the Ethiopian king is her father. Pharaoh's daughter Amneris also loves Radames, and the love triangle comes to a tragic end in the famous tomb scene.

The cast of AIDA, led by conductors Krassimira Kostova and Jose-Luis Pareja, includes: Galina Stoyanova, Noboru Aomori, Larysa Malici, Yolanta Nikolaeva, Alexandar Tekeliev, Ivaylo Dzhurov, Petya Tsoneva, Kamen Chanev, Martin Iliev, Bjung Lee, Bisser Georgiev, Vincenzo Vinci, Ivaylo Dzhurov, Alexandar Tekeliev, Dimitar Kyurkchiev, Mariya Tsvetkova, and Yanitsa Nesheva.

About the Company

Established in 1996 by Ivan Kyurkchiev, the Bulgarian State Opera is based on the great traditions of the art of opera in Bulgaria and presents unique productions combining the best of the opera worlds of Bulgaria and all of Europe.

The performances of Bulgarian State Opera are co-productions of the major opera houses of Bulgaria, theaters that have launched the world careers of many eminent singers, including Gena Dimitrova, Stefka Evstatieva, Vesselina Katsarova, Nikolay Gyaurov, and many others. The company collaborates not only with Bulgarian opera theatres and symphony orchestras (among them the Sofia National Opera, Sofia Radio Orchestra and Mixed Choir, Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Plovdiv Opera and Philharmonic Society, Varna Opera and Philharmonic Society, Burgas Opera and Philharmonic Society, and the Stara Zagora Opera Theater), but also with opera houses from Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Chisinau (Moldova), Kiev (Ukraine), and Theatre Nemirovich-Danchenko (Russia).

The rapid artistic and professional development of the company is the result of the direction of distinguished conductors Metodi Matakiev, Luciano di Martino, and Hristo Ignatov; stage directors including Kuzman Popov and Pavel Gerdjikov; and, choreographers Krzyzstof Pastor and Craig Revel Horwood. The members of the orchestra, choir and ballet are carefully selected from among the best Bulgarian musicians, singers, and dancers.

The Bulgarian State Opera repertoire includes a wide spectrum of opera works: Otello, Nabucco, Turandot, Il Trovatore, Tosca, La Boheme, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, and productions of the Mozart and Verdi requiems, among other works.

You've seen the smash Broadway musical, now discover the opera that started it all! With its story of star-crossed lovers, conflicting loyalties, and even a double death inside a tomb, Verdi's Aida bears more than a passing resemblance to an even older classic, Romeo & Juliet. In this Insight, explore the fascinating history of the opera, get to know the story and characters, and learn what to listen for during the performance. -- www.statetheatrenj.org