site.btaVeliko Tarnovo’s Trademark Sound and Light Show Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Veliko Tarnovo’s trademark show, Sound and Light, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Friday evening. National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova joined residents and visitors of Bulgaria’s medieval capital for the open-air show which was part of the initiatives commemorating the 140th anniversary of the Unification of Bulgaria and took place in the square in front of the historic Tsarevets Hill.

Also in attendance were MPs Dimitar Nikolov and Mariana Boyadzhieva and Veliko Tarnovo Mayor Daniel Panov.

For the first time in its 40-year history, the Sound and Light Show at the historic Tsarevets Fortress was performed with live music. It was played by the Ruse State Opera and kaval flute player Theodosii Spassov as a guest musician, under the baton of Maestro Vladimir Boshnakov. The concert featured works by prominent Bulgarian composers associated with Veliko Tarnovo, many of which have been performed over the years on the open-air stage at the palace of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

The evening concluded with festive fireworks and enthusiastic applause from a crowd that had filled the square in front of Tsarevets Hill to capacity.

Following the concert, National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova remarked that Sound and Light is not merely a tourist attraction, but something that uniquely expresses Bulgarian culture and national tradition.

Theodosii Spassov encouraged everyone to visit the picturesque town often and to enjoy the panorama, enriched by music and lights.

With this concert, the official programme of this year’s “Stage of the Ages” Festival came to a close. The programme featured eight performances: The Marriage of Figaro, Faust, La Traviata, Carmen, Tsar Kaloyan, a concert by the Johann Strauss Virtuosen Orchestra, Romeo and Juliet, and the closing gala event.