|
|
| City Guide - Sofia - Culture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Culture Sofia certainly takes culture seriously although, during summer, its pre-eminence is closely rivalled by Plovdiv or Varna. The English-language weekly Sofia Echo supplement, 'Culture Shock', or the monthly Sofia City Info Guide can provide details of 'what's on'. Sofia's official arts centre, Natsionalen Dvorets na Kulturata (NDK, National Palace of Culture) 1 Ploshtad Bulgaria, Yuzhen Park (tel: (02) 9166 2300), is a colossal modern structure incorporating concert halls, exhibition spaces, congress facilities and the Lumière Cinema. Most major cultural events take place here, including rock concerts featuring foreign stars. The box office is to the left of the main entrance. Music: The Bulgaria Hall and Bulgaria Chamber Hall, 1 Aksakov Ulica (tel: (02) 987 7656), is the top venue for classical music. The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra plays here every Thursday night at 1930. Other nights, Bulgarian and foreign musicians give concerts and recitals. Sofia National Opera, 1 Vrabcha Ulica (tel: (02) 981 1549), hosts the main opera and ballet performances in one of Sofia's most impressive buildings. The foyers, balconies and main hall are painted with scenes from various well-known operas. Stefan Makedonski State Music Theatre, 3 Panayot Volov Ulica (tel: (02) 442 321), stages lighter operettas and musicals. Finally, Eastern Orthodox Church services offer a perfect opportunity to hear highly skilled choirs chanting amid incense and flickering candles. Theatre: The theatre season runs from early October to late June. Naturally, plays are staged in Bulgarian, but the high standard of the performances can make a visit to the theatre a memorable experience. Tickets cost Lv4-10. Naroden Teatar Ivan Vazov (Ivan Vazov National Theatre), 1A Vassil Levski Boulevard (tel: (02) 986 2252), is an impressive neo-classical building and home to the national theatre company. Works by eminent Bulgarians and classical writers are staged here. Kuklen Teatar (Central Puppet Theatre), 14 General Gurko Ulica (tel: (02) 987 3815), will appeal to children, with highly amusing morning, midday and afternoon puppet shows. NATFIZ (National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts), 108A Rakovski Ulica (tel: (02) 987 9862), puts on a range of experimental performances, including mime. Dance: The Sofia National Opera (see Music above) performs ballet in Sofia. Film: Sofia has around 20 cinemas, most of which show recent foreign films, predominantly American, in their original version with Bulgarian subtitles. Tickets cost about Lv5; prices are often reduced for matinee performances. The biggest cinemas are: Serdika, 1 Yanjo Sakasov Ulica, close to Vassil Levski Monument (tel: (02) 431 797); Vitosha, 62 Vitosha Boulevard (tel: (02) 988 5878); and Europa Palace, 35 Alabin Ulica (tel: (02) 870 707). In addition, Dom na Kinoto, 37 Exarch Yossif Ulica (tel: (02) 980 7838), shows arty European films, plus Hollywood classics. At the NDK, the Kino Lumière screens quality films on a weekly basis. Cultural events: Sofia Music Weeks run through late May to late July. The programme features classical music, attracting international soloists and ensembles, as well as ballet. The International Jazz Festival takes place in November, attracting local musicians and performers from former-Yugoslavia and the ex-Soviet Union. The Music Evenings, in early-December, draw Bulgarian classical musicians. Further information on the above festivals is available from the NDK. Folklore festivals are popular throughout the country. Although there are no notable events in Sofia itself, in early August, the nearby town of Koprivshtitsa stages the Folk Music Festival, Bulgaria's largest such event, attracting thousands of traditional singers and musicians from all over the country. Also in August, in Plovdiv, the International Folklore Festival takes place in the spectacular open-air Roman amphitheatre. Literary Notes Going back to ancient times, the Thracian world was best documented by the Greek author Herodotus. In a famous passage, frequently quoted in museums throughout Bulgaria, he claimed that the Thracian population was 'greater than that of any country in the world except India'. Much later on, Voltaire spent some time in Sofia and mentions the city in Candide (1759). Lamartine also cites Sofia in Le voyage a l'Orient. In modern literature, the central character of Julian Barnes' political satire, The Porcupine (1992), was inspired by Bulgaria's deposed Communist dictator, Todor Zhivkov. And Malcom Bradbury's comic novels, Rates of Exchange (1983) and Why Come to Slaka? (1986), are based on life in Bulgaria under Communism. Finally, Imagining the Balkans (1997), written by Bulgarian intellectual, Maria Todorova, examines the Balkans in general and what it means to live there. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
