The 2026 season of “Stage of the Ages” officially starts on the open stage in Tsarevets Fortress in the former palace area with the opera “Journey to Reims” by Gioachino Rossini (Il viaggio a Reims, dramma giocoso in one act). A semi-staged performance of the opera will feature Bulgarian and international guest soloists and Vratsa Symphony Orchestra, as well as young soloists from the national scholarship program of the Cultural Perspectives Foundation, conducted by maestro Hristo Pavlov and maestro Rubén Sánchez Díaz.

Recognized as one of Rossini’s best compositions, his last comic opera “The Journey to Reims”, or “Golden Lily Inn”, is a challenging work that requires 14 bright and virtuoso soloists (three sopranos, one contralto, two tenors, four baritones and four basses). In addition to their solo parts, they also perform common virtuoso ensembles. At its premiere, the opera was performed by the greatest voices of its time.
The dramatic content of the work is easy to perceive and relate to modernity and the music and dramaturgy – spectacular, virtuoso and emotionally affecting, therefore a prerequisite for a great potential of impact on the younger generation of audience.

Featuring:
Ina Kancheva, Petya Petrova, Aitana Sanz, Maria Rita Kombattelli, Paolo Nevi, Bozhidar Bozhilov, Alek Avedisyan, Maurizio Bove, Yosif Slavov, Teodora Tosheva, Antonio Mandrillo, Yuri Nikolov, Todor Kotopanov.

Directed by:
Petrinel Gochev
Stage design:
Yuliana Voikova-Neiman