Sofia Opera and Ballet will perform 'The Ring of the Nibelung' in Wagner's homeland

Sofia Opera and Ballet will present one of Wagner's masterpieces - Die Walküre from the Ring of the Nibelung tetralogy. It will take place on the stage of the Neuschwanstein Festival Theatre at the foot of the legendary castle of the same name.

The dress rehearsal took place on September 29, and the premiere performances will be on October 1 and 3. Acad. Plamen Kartalov, the Head of Sofia Opera, will again gather loyal fans from all over the world after the huge success of the Wagner Festival in July in Sofia. BNT is a media partner of the event.

An inspiring new reading, remarkable scenography, brilliant direction, stunning performances - these are just some of the preliminary reviews.

There is no other opera in the world that presents Richard Wagner in the heart of his native Bavaria, in the German language, and with entirely Bulgarian performers.

The Neuschwanstein Festival Theatre in the town of Füssen, on the border between Germany and Austria, extends a special invitation to Maestro Kartalov for two premieres of Die Walküre, on October 1 and 3.

Images by Irina Tsoneva

"For the first time I experienced Bulgaria in a very kind and friendly way. We are organising a festival week in September with the Bulgarian Opera, but that doesn't mean we will end there. We want to continue showing Bulgarian productions on our stage - in our city of lute and violin masters. I think that this way, through the Ring of the Nibelung, we can show in Germany what Bulgaria is," the mayor of the town told BNT.

The setting is appropriate as the region is strongly associated with the composer. Wagner is returning home, precisely where the king lived who made his composition possible. Now the two meet in one place.