Leading theatre director Diana Dobreva stages Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at Opera Plovdiv

Leading theatre director Diana Dobreva stages Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at Opera Plovdiv

Opera Plovdiv presents the premiere of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte — a production by leading theatre director Diana Dobreva, under the baton of maestro Dian Chobanov. Created within a project aimed at developing new and young audiences, the performance on 29 November at 6 p.m. offers free admission for high-school students and university students in Plovdiv! The allegorical musical fairy tale about the triumph of enlightenment over darkness comes to life through the digital language of scenographer Petko Tanchev, the imagination of costume designer Marina Raychinova, and the choreography of Anna Pampulova.

The two-act singspiel (a type of comic opera alternating spoken dialogue with musical numbers) combines a spectacular fairy-tale plot with a hidden political allegory — the clash between the values of Absolutism and the Enlightenment. The themes in Die Zauberflöte allow the imagination to soar, offering a wealth of visual solutions and philosophical layers, which in Diana Dobreva’s aesthetic become an immersive experience.

The production marks the opera debut of the multi-award-winning theatre director, known for hit stage works such as Odysseus, Debelyanov and the Angels, Silk, Oedipus and the Prophets, and others. “Music has always been a tremendous source of inspiration for me — in theatre, in life. I can even say it is the art that feels closest to God, the one that moves the most along the vertical upwards. I am happy, and I accept it as a challenge, to create my first opera precisely in Plovdiv — the city that in the last 10 years has become home to the theatre I dreamt of creating,” says Diana Dobreva.

Scenographer Petko Tanchev uses mapping in the set design and incorporates geometric symbols that unfold on a contemplative and beautiful scale. “All elements and projections are light, original, and fluid — like Mozart’s music,” comments the video artist. Costume designer Marina Raychinova focuses on the idea of flight encoded in the opera — the flight of the bird, the flight of the human spirit — using the feather as a unifying detail in the fantastical costumes. The magic of the stage is enriched by choreographer Anna Pampulova, who uses movement to deepen the enchanted world of the characters and give them distinctive expressiveness.

As a Vienna-trained musician, maestro Chobanov approaches the musical preparation with precision: “Mozart’s style is a challenge, especially for musicians from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The Viennese expressive language is difficult because it is deeply tied to the spirit, culture, and traditions of Vienna — it requires not imitation, but understanding. We managed to create a credible Mozart — in his most theatrical opera, staged by Diana Dobreva. A production that will be interesting in terms of genre, stylistic interpretation, and final stage result.”

The roles in Die Zauberflöte are performed by soloists Mark Fowler, Evgenia Ralcheva, Milutin Jochic, Isidora Moles, Bozhidar Bozhkilov, Georgi Devedzhiev, Maria Anastasova, Iva Ananieva, Irini Christodoulou, Evgeni Arabadjiev, Konstantinos Albantis, and Vladimir Nikov. They are joined by the Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet of Opera Plovdiv.

The opera Die Zauberflöte offers free admission (with prior registration) for high-school classes, university students, and participants in creative schools, as part of Opera Plovdiv’s programme to develop new audiences.

The production is created under project BG-RRP-11.021-0003 “Together Again,” under procedure BG-RRP-11.021 “New Generation Local Policies for Culture for Large Municipalities,” funded by the European Union through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (NextGenerationEU), as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria, administered by the National Culture Fund.