“Catarina, Ou La Fille Du Bandit”
Ballet by Cesare Pugni
Based on Jules Perrot’s romantic ballet of the same name
Choreography Sergey Bobrov
Scenography Asya Stoimenova
Costumes Evgeny Ponomarev
State Opera Varna Ballet
“Catarina, Ou La Fille Du Bandit” is a spectacular re-enactment of the forgotten ballet by the librettist Jules Perrot and the composer Cesare Pugni. Sergey Bobrov’s stage production has been nominated in 10 categories for Russia’s largest award, the “Golden Mask”. The ballet, which has not been performed for over a hundred years, made its premiere in 1846 at London’s Royal Theatre. In the libretto Jules Perrot includes one of the characters from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s popular novel “Signor Formica”, the real Italian painter of the 17th century Salvator Rosa. The choreographer is fascinated by the true story of his capture by a gang of bandits, whose leader he falls in love with. Perrot turns the painter’s life into a romantic drama with both captivity and escapes, pursuits, comic makeovers and tragic epiphanies.
Bobrov’s stage production for the premiere in Bulgaria masterfully combines classical ballet techniques and enchanting virtuosity. In addition to the choreography the ballet impresses with the way of gestures, each of which has a specific meaning. An unorthodox solution is the three-part finale leading the viewer from a dramatic to a happy ending.
