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The German conductor Constantin Trinks talks to Gregor Tassie

The Sofia Opera and Ballet company’s Wagner Festival staged seven operas during July this year; six of which including the Ring cycle were conducted by Constantin Trinks, over just six days! This workload would break many musicians, yet Trinks took it all in his stride despite the often-intensive heatwave which hit Bulgaria this summer – often temperatures were touching 37ºC outside. Despite all of this, he directed outstanding performances achieving the maximum results from his singers, chorus and musicians.

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Gregor Tassie talks to Sofia Opera’s Iordanka Derilova about her career and her return to performing in Bulgaria

One of the highlights of the recent Sofia Ring cycle was the outstanding performance of the dramatic soprano Iordanka Derilova – both for her superb vocal talents and her complete characterisation as Brünnhilde. I had seen her Brünnhilde before in the Blu-ray recording of the first Sofia Ring in 2013, of which I wrote, ‘Derilova as Brünnhilde displays extraordinary stamina and vocal strength, and acting make her the star of the show.’ I was surprised that I had not heard her before, yet the Kammersängerin – who is the leading soprano in Dessau, has been singing on some of Europe’s finest theatres since 1998.

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Gregor Tassie talks to Sofia Opera’s Daniel Ostretsov about his career and opera in Bulgaria

My first acquaintance with the singers of the Sofia Opera was watching films of the first Ring cycle from 10 years ago, and apart from the innovative and often sensational staging by Plamen Kartaloff, one of the singers that I noticed was in Das Rheingold. ‘Daniel Ostretsov’s Loge is brilliant in voice and acting with a suitably apt costume.’  I was recently fortunate to meet up with Daniel between his Ring performances and The Flying Dutchman, the concluding opera of the 2023 Sofia Wagner Festival.

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