The premiere of The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet will take place on May 28 on the stage of the Sofia Opera House. It is directed by Professor Svetozar Donev and conductor will be French diplomat and musician Didier Talpain. He is very fond of French opera and in Bulgaria he conducted "Robert the Devil" by Giacomo Meyerbeer at the National Opera in Sofia, "Le comte Ory” by Gioachino Rossini at the Varna Opera and others. During the Summer Festival in Plovdiv he took part in the stage version of The Pearl Fishers, featuring soprano Irina Zhekova and several French musicians.

Didier Talpain has studied flute, bassoon, music analysis and chamber music, as well as conducting at the French National Higher Conservatory and at the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. He took up the conductor’s baton and conducted his first concert in Paris at the age of 18. He is an acknowledged expert of 18th and 19th-century music. Here's what Didier Talpain said about the upcoming premiere of “The Pearl Fishers”:

"Georges Bizet composed about a dozen operas. Of course, ‘Carmen’ is one of the best loved operas worldwide. As to The Pearl Fishers, this work was written in 1863 when Bizet was barely 25-years-old. The premiere took place in the Lyrique Theatre in Paris and after several performances, the work simply vanished from the repertoire of the theatre... Nevertheless, the plot attracts music lovers to this day with the power of true friendship, the love, drama and endless emotions of the characters Nadir, Leila and Zurga ... Еxquisite elegance is Bizet's musical hallmark. But he is not easy to perform. Rather, the work is a challenge to the musicians, as well as the conductor. This is a grand opera. My work together with conductor Valentin Spasov and with the orchestra gives me great pleasure."

Here we should perhaps say that "The Pearl Fishers” has been a special favourite with prof. Svetozar Donev. “When it was first staged in 1980 I was captivated by the exotic and bizarre plot and the relations between the characters that I often thought of as being archaic. Today my opinion is different and I see the opera in a different way,” the director says. This is the third time the opera has been included in the repertoire of the Sofia Opera House.

Didier Talpain is former councillor for culture at the Embassy of France in Bulgaria and director of the French Cultural Institute in Sofia, during the 2010 - 2013 period. Here is what he told us about the Saga of Thracian Kings Exhibition at the Louvre:

"This exhibition is a really beautiful project. It was thrilling from the start - the preparations took several years. I'm happy to have been given an opportunity to be part of the team and that my colleagues made this amazing cultural event come true," Didier Talpain said in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov

Edited in English by Milena Daynova