SOFIA, Bulgaria — Until relatively recently, productions of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle were restricted almost entirely to the largest opera companies, which had the financial resources, stage facilities, and orchestra-pit size needed for such a monumental undertaking. With its gigantic cast and orchestra and elaborate stage requirements, the Ring can be a daunting undertaking and has bankrupted more companies than any other operatic adventure.
In the past few decades, however, Rings have been popping up in unlikely smaller locations, generally using versions for reduced orchestra and often benefiting from modern video technology, which eliminates the need for elaborate stage machinery and multiple extensive sets. The Longborough Festival, which has staged an acclaimed Ring in a theater with only 500 seats, is an extreme illustration of this trend, but there have been examples across the globe. As opera companies have scaled back on much of the repertoire, Wagner has been one of the few growth areas.
Sofia Opera and Ballet, whose house seats 1,000, would have seemed an implausible Ring site if only because of the daunting cost per seat. Until 2009, the company had almost no experience with Wagner for political reasons: The Communist government had prohibited Wagner due to his appropriation by the Nazis. Democracy and the end of Soviet control occurred in 1990. Then, in 1994, Plamen Kartaloff, a charismatic professor, stage director, and committed Wagnerite, became general director of the company.
Starting with a concert version of Lohengrin in 2009, Kartaloff proceeded to build the company into “the Bayreuth of the Balkans,” introducing its first full Ring Cycle in 2013. That cycle appeared regularly in Sofia, toured elsewhere, including to Moscow, and turned Sofia into a destination for the Wagner cult. In 2023, that Ring was replaced by a new production, which was repeated in 2025 and again this season for a single cycle (May 26-31).
Wagnerites are fiercely divided between the modernists, who favor productions built around allegory, often with an overarching concept, and the literalists, who want to see the whole panoply of gods, monsters, and magic portrayed onstage with minimal context. Kartaloff’s production — he is stage director for all operas here — definitely falls into the latter camp. Asked about this in a written exchange, he responded: “When the director follows the inner logic of the score and drama, he gives the audience the opportunity to vicariously meet Wagner, not the director’s interpretation of himself.” His production is not without symbolism, however. And unlike most newer Rings, it uses video projections only for background, favoring abstract sets and a range of fantasy costumes.
Austrian stage designer Hans Kudlich’s sets used a triskelion as the base design for the entire cycle, with large raised geometric designs shaped vaguely like the letter “a.” These pods, which evoked ancient Celtic and Greek mythology, were displayed in various configurations and angles throughout the cycle. Kartaloff has referred to them as depicting the spiral of life, from birth to greatness to death and regeneration, perhaps the ultimate metaphor for the Ring. Valhalla was represented by a shiny, rather gaudy frame that could suggest a building, a spear, or a phallus — a clever summary of Wotan’s primary obsessions. Other set elements included metal cages for Nibelheim (inside are Nibelungs who can strike anvils), a tent-like structure for Hunding’s hut, and a metal box frame for Mime. Lighting, by Andrej Hajdinjak, and background video projections worked together to make this a vividly colorful production.
Costumes, by Hristiyana Mihaleva-Zorbalieva, ran the gamut. Das Rheingold sometimes resembled a Halloween party, as the gods paraded around in uniforms that might have been borrowed from a Star Wars sequel (Freia’s frilly extravaganza of a gown, with apples attached, deserves special mention), and the Rhinemaidens swam around and bounced on trampolines in sparkly swimsuits. But the attire settled down a bit after that. Wotan got a variety of colorful leather robes, and most of the men wore simpler leather jackets that suggested ancient warriors. Siegfried was in blue jeans and a fancy leather jacket with a large red metallic epaulet, resembling a bird’s wing, on one side. Sieglinde and Gutrune got elegant gowns, and the Valkyries were issued red armor and helmets.
Speaking of Valkyries, the most memorable scenic device in this production was the use of bright-red, life-size horses for the Valkyries to ride, propelled on wheels by black-clad handlers. Meanwhile, the Forest Bird (Maria Pavlova) literally flew above the stage, like Peter Pan, suspended by elastic straps so that she could move up and down and sideways as she sang. We only saw the dragon’s head: a cartoonish version whose mouth opened to reveal sharp teeth.
One recurring feature was the appearance in the background of characters who were being recalled in the dialogue. For example, during Wotan’s Act Two monologue in Die Walküre, we saw Erda, and then the warrior heroes, appear silently upstage. Alberich kept creeping around all night. And Wotan showed up for the final scene of Götterdämmerung.
As the Siegfried introduction played, Sieglinde could be seen giving birth to Siegfried, aided by Mime, and then Mime chased a small boy, then an older boy, then a teenager — depicting their years together prior to the first scene.
The “Immolation Scene” that concludes Götterdämmerung was mesmerizing. We watched Valhalla collapse, with an evocative display of conflagration and flooding.
One distinctive aspect of this production is the reliance on an almost entirely Bulgarian cast: Only three singers in the vast Ring cast were from elsewhere. “The Bulgarian singers possess the necessary vocal and dramatic potential to perform Wagner, and they prove it on stage,” said Karatloff. “What’s more important is they work in a joint artistic environment with a shared style and theatrical thinking which gives the performance entirety, an organic feeling and inner connectedness. This choice is, first and foremost, a matter of trust in your own school and of a conscious decision to give the stage to artists who have the potential to make a career out of this exceptionally complex repertoire. In this sense, the project also has a natural educational function and serves as a means for self-development.“ It worked surprisingly well, aided considerably by the intimate size and resonant acoustics of the theater here, a boon to smaller voices.
The role of Wotan/Wanderer was triple-cast. In Das Rheingold, Veselin Mihaylov had a distinct baritonal sound and was dramatically secure, though the voice seemed too small to sing these roles in larger houses. For Die Walküre, the part was sung by Greek bass-baritone Aris Argiris, with ample power to sing in any house. He dominated the stage with a distinctive, handsome dark-hued voice and regal bearing, revealing the full range of his character’s emotions and suggesting vulnerability beneath the swagger. His farewell to Brünnhilde was searing. Krisztián Cser portrayed the Wanderer in Siegfried. His dark voice has a rich timbre. A charismatic actor, he brought a sense of nobility, dignity, and serenity to his character.
Brünnhilde was performed by two singers. In Die Walküre, Gergana Rusekova displayed an attractive voice with a nice timbre. She has the notes, but she lacked the vocal heft to soar above the orchestra, even in this voice-friendly theater, and she is dramatically static. In Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, Radostina Nikolaeva sang the role with a lyric-spinto soprano capable of expressing the full range of emotion. She, too, was sometimes covered by the orchestra, but her incisive top notes were thrilling.
With a powerful, rustic voice, Plamen Dimitrov portrayed Alberich as the dark and malignant force he is meant to be. As Loge, Daniel Ostretsov was a vocal and dramatic delight, prancing and dancing with wry, winking expressions. Krassimir Dinev’s Mime struck the right balance: just enough of a whiny, nasal sound to delineate his character without falling into caricature. His voice is powerful, his portrayal kinetic.
Vesela Yaneva was an especially interesting Fricka, determined and frigid rather than nagging, with a resonant mezzo-soprano. She doubled as Schwertleite. Violetta Radomirska was a commanding Erda in Das Rheingold. Her dark contralto has a supernatural quality ideal for the role. In Siegfried, Erda was portrayed by Yaneva.
Martin Iliev was a fierce, combative Siegmund. He returned as his son Siegfried, boyishly energetic in Siegfried and more noble in Götterdämmerung. The voice is powerful and biting, without much subtlety or dynamic range, and with significant vibrato and occasional intonation issues. As Sieglinde, Alma-Lisa Bandalovska displayed a lovely voice with a secure top, somewhat underpowered in the middle and lower range. The noted Austrian bass Kurt Rydl was a malevolent force as Hunding. Riveting at age 78, he dominated his scenes, and the voice is huge.
Atanas Mladenov portrayed Gunther as shy and distracted, a bit frightened. An excellent actor, his baritone was precise and expressive. Bandalovska returned as Gutrune, artfully expressing the contradictions in her complicated character: manipulated, then both complicit and betrayed.
Petar Buchkov sang Fafner and returned as Hagen. In both cases, he used his deep, resonant bass to dramatic effect, becoming wistful when he spoke to Siegfried as the dying dragon and conniving and confident as Hagen.
German conductor Constantin Trinks is a veteran Wagner conductor who understands how to shape the Ring, punching up the variations in tempos and dynamics, sometimes at the expense of the singers. There were occasional brass errors and minor problems with string tone, especially exposed in this theater. Still, this was a thrilling performance of the score by the 75 musicians, a large ensemble for such a small house.
The Sofia Ring is an impressive success, musically and dramatically. Bulgaria is a small country and not a wealthy one. But its musical tradition is a source of pride: It has a history of producing great singers like Boris Christoff, Ghena Dimitrova, and Sonya Yoncheva. Kartaloff uses his compact jewel of an opera house as a showcase for the current generation of Bulgarian singers, and his intelligently staged Ring is a worthy destination for Wagner fans worldwide. This season’s Wagner Festival continues with Lohengrin on June 12 and Tannhäuser on June 14, each for a single performance. Next summer’s festival has not been announced. For further information, go here.
