Eun Sun Kim Makes San Francisco Opera Debut of "Astonishing Vibrancy and Assurance"
“Everything from the highly characterized singing to the lush yet keenly honed reading of the score, under Kim’s baton, registers in a vividly visceral, emotionally penetrating way. Nothing feels or sounds gratuitous; just about everything, across three-and-a-half musically and dramatically absorbing hours, seems essential.” Eun Sun Kim’s house debut in San Francisco earns widespread critical acclaim.
June 28, 2019
Photo by Cory Weaver
Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim has earned widespread critical acclaim for her house debut at San Francisco Opera, where she leads a Rusalka cast that includes Rachel Willis-Sorensen, Jamie Barton, Brandon Jovanovich, and Kristinn Sigmundsson.
Read reviews:
“Magnificent musical values on display from top to bottom. Presiding over everything, in a company debut of astonishing vibrancy and assurance, was conductor Eun Sun Kim, who drew glorious playing from the Opera Orchestra and paced every scene freely but precisely.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“In her San Francisco Opera debut, conductor Eun Sun Kim assuredly drew splendid playing from an ensemble that proved its versatility (the instrumentalists spent the prior night playing Baroque). She brought forward the music’s visceral quality laying deep under the folkloric connotations. More, she succeeded to balance Wagnerian-like statements with subtle invocations of Mendelssohnian delicacy.”
Bachtrack
“A detailed and beautifully paced interpretation of the lovely score. Dvorak must have been thinking of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" for his passionate final duet between the Prince and Rusalka, and he was probably aiming for some Verdian flavor with scenes between the water nymph and her Water Goblin dad (think "Rigoletto") and appearances by the hideous witch Jezibaba ("Il Trovatore"). Regardless of theatrical influences, Eun Sun Kim underscored [Dvorak’s] unmistakable musical sound with sympathetic support from the orchestra.”
Bay Area Reporter
“A gripping company debut, bringing out the Czech pulse and phrasing under a shiny surface of supple orchestral playing. The Korean-born artist maintained impeccable balances with all the singers and kept the score unfolding with a sense of inevitability. She wrangled the big cast into a cohesive, propulsive engine.”
Seen and Heard International
“Kim draws warm incisive playing from the orchestra, adding to the dramatic impact and underpinning the moving final scene…”
Classical Voice
“Lush, accessible, frequently moving. The dependable San Francisco Opera orchestra, conducted by Eun Sun Kim in her company debut, outdoes itself, especially as the opera soars to its demonic climax.”
Theatrius
“Kim made a strong impression with her company debut, leading a performance that was powerful and passionate. She coaxed glorious playing from the Orchestra…an auspicious debut for her, and the audience responded enthusiastically.”
Parterre Box
“Kim’s shimmering, beautifully contoured performance of the Dvorak’s melody-immersed operatic masterpiece, elicited a brilliant response from the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.”
Opera Warhorses
“Kim drove the emotional flow, pulling the vibrant Dvorak colors from the triple winds of the opera orchestra, urging full-throated force from its strings.”
Opera Today
“Musically and vocally, too, it is carried off with highly impressive results. Within Dvořák’s lush orchestration there’s a whiff of Wagner, a sense of Strauss and a touch of Tchaikovsky among his influences and conductor Eun Sun Kim, in her company debut, captures the darkness, the gossamer-like, the bombastic and mystery of the score with elan.”
OperaChaser
“In this capacious and captivating production at the War Memorial Opera House, everything from the highly characterized singing to…the lush yet keenly honed reading of the score, under conductor Eun Sun Kim’s baton in her fine company debut, registers in a vividly visceral, emotionally penetrating way. Nothing feels or sounds gratuitous; just about everything, across three-and-a-half musically and dramatically absorbing hours, seems essential. The music has a cumulative force, culminating in a duet for Rusalka and the Prince of such excruciating tenderness and bone-deep truth that the Liebestod of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde can’t help but come to mind. Everything has amplitude and authority… Rusalka, the last and clearly best of the company’s three summer productions, is a triumph in all ways. This wonderfully wrought work, last seen her 24 years ago, has returned to the San Francisco Opera stage in a stirring, disturbing, exhilarating way, sure to etch itself in the audience’s memory.”
San Francisco Classical Voice
Lidiya Yankovskaya Delivers 'Strong WNO Debut'
“Yankovskaya does a terrific job as a conductor of this score bringing out the many colors and styles of music with her thirteen musicians who prove game to the challenge.” Lidiya Yankovskaya makes her Washington National Opera debut leading the world premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents.
January 16, 2019
Photo by Scott Suchman
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya has just made her house debut at Washington National Opera, leading the world premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents, an opera set in the American South that explores religious traditions and family.
Read reviews:
“Russian conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya made a strong WNO debut at the podium, skillfully bringing together the disparate sounds in the pit.”
Washington Classical Review
“The most interesting parts were Sankaram’s atmospheric orchestrations, brought out by Lidiya Yankovskaya in the pit.”
The Washington Post
“Her orchestrations, performed by a fully game Washington National Orchestra under the direction of Lidiya Yankovskaya in her WNO debut, emphasize the unease of Kayla's reluctant return home to her estranged family. The orchestra not only creates unusual noises with bassoons minus the mouthpieces, but there is also what may be the first use in opera of the children's toy called the whirly tube, those ribbed plastic hoses that emit an otherworldly sound when swung around.”
Broadway World
“Sankaram also has integrated some curious contemporary instrumentation for a small orchestra, including electric and acoustic guitar, a drum set, water phone, and, most delicious of all, “whirly tubes” with their mysterious sound and snakelike waving. Lidiya Yankovskaya does a terrific job as a conductor of this score bringing out the many colors and styles of music with her thirteen musicians who prove game to the challenge.”
DC Theatre Scene
“Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya ably shaped the score: Its spare orchestration is built on string drones and slithering glissandos and colored with punchy special effects, such as the whirly tubes that make a soft, creepy hooting sound, associated with Kayla’s memories, and the glockenspiel that plays as her father brands her as a sinful daughter of Eve and that later accompanies her triumphant assertion, ‘I am the light.’”
Wall Street Journal
Snakes on A Stage: Lidiya Yankovskaya in Washington Post
“What makes an American opera? Many of the support programs designed to promote new work create the somewhat amusing spectacle of American artists such as Kamala Sankaram, whose father is from South India, or the opera’s conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya, whose family emigrated from Russia when she was 9, compressing themselves into someone else’s ‘American’ template.” Ahead of her house debut at Washington National Opera, the conductor spoke with Anne Midgette about the world premiere of Taking Up Serpents.
January 6, 2019
Ahead of her Washington National Opera debut conducting the world premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya spoke with the Washington Post about new music, speaking in tongues, and reconciling personal experience with an opera’s subject matter.
Performances will be at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on January 11 and 13; tickets can be purchased via WNO.
What makes an American opera? Companies across the country seem to be perpetually asking this question. The Metropolitan Opera is said to have turned down Rufus Wainwright’s opera “Prima Donna” on the grounds that it was in French and therefore not an American opera. Other companies turn to Hollywood — the Minnesota Opera has presented operatic versions of “The Shining” and “The Manchurian Candidate” — or book adaptations — the San Francisco Opera has offered “Dolores Claiborne” (based on the Stephen King novel) and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” (based on the Amy Tan novel). Many of the support programs designed to promote new work create the somewhat amusing spectacle of American artists such as Sankaram, whose father is from South India, or the opera’s conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya, whose family emigrated from Russia when she was 9, compressing themselves into someone else’s “American” template.
“Going into this opera, that worried me,” Yankovskaya says. “It’s much more difficult to express something you’re not intimately familiar with yourself. But then, of course, I’m not intimately familiar with what it’s like to be a courtesan in Europe,” which hasn’t stopped her from conducting “La traviata.”
Lidiya Yankovskaya Leads 'A Flexible And Richly Idiomatic' Iolanta
“Yankovskaya’s supple command of musical shape and dramatic continuity was never in doubt.” Chicago Opera Theater Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads the Chicago premiere of Tchaikovsky’s final opera.
November 18, 2018
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya recently led the Chicago premiere of Iolanta, Tchaikovsky’s final opera, at Chicago Opera Theater.
Though Yankovskaya was appointed Music Director of COT in 2017, the 18/19 season opener marked her debut in the orchestra pit. Critics praised her leadership, citing it as a new beginning for Chicago Opera Theater.
Read reviews:
“Yankovskaya…led a flexible and richly idiomatic account of this score. She showed clear sympathy with her compatriot’s music—keeping the music flowing through the unbroken 90 minutes, balancing deftly to bring out Tchaikovsky’s woodwind accents, and building lyric climaxes to resplendent payoffs.”
–Chicago Classical Review
“All follow Maestra Yankovskaya with ease, and she brings the piece to full flower…For anyone who has had recent doubts about the vitality of opera, it’s a pure tonic.”
–Chicagoland Musical Theatre
“Maestra Yankovskaya’s debut in the pit was promising and gratifying. She brought out all the pathos and grandness in the lush score, without ever overpowering the singers, quite an accomplishment in an intimate theater with such an exposed orchestra pit.”
–Buzz Center Stage
“Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya in her company debut, [this is] a production that is as dazzling as it is emotionally and musically complex. Led by Yankovskaya, the orchestra’s music buoys each character’s journey.”
–Picture this Post
“Under the baton of Lidiya Yankovskaya, Tchaikovsky’s score became transcendent. With the thorough preparation of the score and empathy with the composer (both having Russian roots and then Western influences), she lovingly guided the singers and orchestra through every ebb and flow of the music, shifting from tenderness to passion, while keeping the pace of the opera moving ahead.”
–Opera Wire
“COT is going in the right direction. This show marks a new beginning for COT, especially with Lidiya Yankovskaya. The music-making was at such a high level, and the singing was so committed and engaged. I felt like I was hearing this opera for the first time – that this is fresh, this is new, and this is something I need to pay attention to.”
–Opera Box Score
“Lidiya Yankovskaya’s rapid rise among U.S.-based conductors of her generation seems to be driven as much by her exceptional talent as her eagerness to take on ambitious, out-of-the-way artistic projects. On Saturday, the 32-year-old Russian-American maestro made her official debut…conducting a fringe-repertory piece that’s close to her heart and place of origin: Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. Yankovskaya’s supple command of musical shape and dramatic continuity was never in doubt. One can only hope COT’s new music director – a staunch champion of Russian opera in the 22 years since she arrived on these shores – will favor Chicago with more Russian rarities in the not-too-distant future.”
–Musical America
Corinne Winters Interviewed on Italian Radio
"L'italiano è la lingua più bella del mondo!" Soprano Corinne Winters joined SBS Italian Radio to discuss her love for the Italian language and the juicy roles of the Italian operatic repertoire.
May 4, 2018
““Italian is the most beautiful language in the world!””
After wowing audiences in her Australian debut in La traviata at Opera Australia, American soprano Corinne Winters spoke with SBS Italian Radio, in an interview with Carlo Oreglia.
Photo by Fay Fox
Corinne Winters Makes Australian Debut
“Winters glides, she soars with a magnificence of coloratura that is merely the theatrical expression of a wholly consistent characterisation, sometimes coolly self-possessed in the face of tightly controlled desire, sometimes enraptured, sometimes very convincingly at the edge of despair. This is a very contemporary Violetta – musically flawless but with a convincing and enshrouding self-possession…” Corinne Winters brings her signature role to Opera Australia in the beloved Elijah Moshinsky production of La traviata in Melbourne.
April 17, 2018
““A commanding, sometimes cool, sometimes rent Violetta from the American soprano Corinne Winters…””
American soprano Corinne Winters makes her Australian debut in the beloved Moshinsky production of La traviata at Opera Australia. Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, La traviata runs through May 11. Tickets can be purchased via Opera Australia.
Photo by Jeff Busby
Read more reviews:
"The ideal vehicle for introducing a star soprano... The Opera Australia debut of American Corinne Winters was rapturously received. Winters brings an abundance of knowledge to her signature role. She is as much an actor who sings as an operatic star. Her ease and fluidity on the stage allow her to relax into the character and focus on many elements which breathe life into a character. Ms. Winters’ dark and rich vocal tone handled with ease the many vigorous demands Verdi makes of his protagonist. This was a captivating portrait which drew well-deserved applause."
ConcertoNet
"Warm and expressive, ultimately catching fire during Violetta’s demise in the final act..."
Bachtrack
"Riveting performances... As Violetta lies distraught and dying, Winters comes into her full strength, giving a genuinely moving performance. Singing Violetta’s lament, “Addio, del passato,” Winters in full control and is seen and heard at her best."
Man in Chair
"Winters was at her best as the ailing Violetta of Act III, capturing the despair and desperation of a dying woman with affecting authenticity, her voice pale and pianissimo."
Canberra Times
"Winters’s vocal range and emotive portrayal of Violetta were on display and it was impossible not to be entranced."
The Plus Ones
"Winters worked the festivities vivaciously in creamy-rich voice as Violetta... Stirred by emotion and pondering if Alfredo could be the one when left alone singing “È strano! ... Ah, fors’è lui,” Winters bloomed marvellously. It was the emotional emphatic bursts on single phrases that genuinely crowned her performance."
Herald Sun
“The rich sound and particular texture of Winters' voice is unique. A powerful actor, her final act was especially potent with her voice often floating with sustained fragility.”
ArtsHub
“A commanding, sometimes cool, sometimes rent Violetta from the American soprano Corinne Winters… It is hard to fault Winters. She glides, she soars with a magnificence of coloratura that is merely the theatrical expression of a wholly consistent characterisation, sometimes coolly self-possessed in the face of tightly controlled desire, sometimes enraptured, sometimes very convincingly at the edge of despair. This is a very contemporary Violetta – musically flawless but with a convincing and enshrouding self-possession that rises to meet the implicit tragedy with which Verdi, almost against the odds, transfigures melodrama into tragedy.”
The Saturday Paper
Corinne Winters Is 'On The Couch' With Australian Arts Review
"It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon, but daring to be oneself, especially when it means standing alone, is real bravery..." Ahead of her Opera Australia debut as Violetta in the beloved Moshinsky La traviata, Winters speaks with Australian Arts Review.
April 13, 2018
““It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon, but daring to be oneself, especially when it means standing alone, is real bravery... Inspired people uplift others, creating a domino effect that has the power to change the world.””
Ahead of her Australian debut in the beloved Moshinsky production of La traviata at Opera Australia, American soprano Corinne Winters spoke with Australian Arts Review.
Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, La traviata runs through May 11. Tickets can be purchased via Opera Australia.
Photo by Fay Fox
'Think You Hate Opera? Corinne Winters Wants To Change That'
"Opera changes people on a molecular level. The unamplified voice is a frequency that changes them. Maybe my particular frequency, my particular aesthetic, won't move everybody – but it could move someone." Corinne Winters speaks with Spectrum in Australia’s The Age newspaper.
April 10, 2018
Photo by Fay Fox
““Opera changes people on a molecular level. The unamplified voice is a frequency that changes them. Maybe my particular frequency, my particular aesthetic, won’t move everybody – but it could move someone.” ”
Ahead of her Australian debut in the beloved Moshinsky production of La traviata at Opera Australia, American soprano Corinne Winters spoke with Spectrum in Australia's The Age newspaper. Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, La traviata runs through May 11. Tickets can be purchased via Opera Australia.
Corinne Winters Featured in Limelight Magazine
“Beautiful tone draws people in, but primal emotion breaks hearts – an easy thing to forget after years of higher education and trying to ‘get it right.’” Ahead of her Opera Australia debut, Winters appears in Australia’s Limelight Magazine.
April 6, 2018
Photo by Fay Fox
““Beautiful tone draws people in, but primal emotion breaks hearts – an easy thing to forget after years of higher education and trying to ‘get it right’.””
Ahead of her Australian debut in the beloved Moshinsky production of La traviata at Opera Australia, American soprano Corinne Winters spoke with glossy, print, and digital cultural outlets in Sydney and Melbourne.
Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, La traviata runs through May 11. Tickets can be purchased via Opera Australia.
Role Leads to the Soul: Corinne Winters in Herald Sun
"There are times in life where there just isn't a question that it's the right next step to take. With opera and my husband it has felt like that – like I didn't have a choice. It's that strong of a pull." Corinne Winters speaks with the Herald Sun, ahead of her debut with Opera Australia as their La traviata in Melbourne.
April 1, 2018
““There are times in life where there just isn’t a question that it’s the right next step to take. With opera and my husband it has felt like that – like I didn’t have a choice. It’s that strong of a pull.””
Ahead of her Australian debut in the beloved Moshinsky production of La traviata at Opera Australia, American soprano Corinne Winters spoke with the Herald Sun.
Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, La traviata runs through May 11. Tickets can be purchased via Opera Australia.
Photo by Fay Fox
Jamie Barton is 'La favorite' of Madrid Audiences, Critics
"An interpretation with personality, quality, variety of expression, authority in the extremes of the registers, and daring assurance..." Jamie Barton makes her role debut as La favorite in Teatro Real Madrid's bicentennial gala.
November 2, 2017
Photo by Javier del Real
Mezzo Jamie Barton made her Teatro Real Madrid debut in the theater's bicentennial celebration gala, singing her first Léonor in La favorite alongside tenor Javier Camarena.
Read reviews:
“Jamie Barton and Javier Camarena were the two triumphant protagonists last night. Camarena roused the audience, as did Leonor’s aria “O mon Fernand,” in which Barton achieved the high point of the night, in an interpretation with personality, quality, variety of expression, authority in the extremes of the registers, and daring assurance. The cabaletta finished with bravura, where before there was smooth introspection and always potent expressive concentration.”
ABC Cultura
“Jamie Barton stole the show with top-notch singing and vibrant acting. Her sumptuous mezzo is based on a solid centre, with fresh colours and a beautiful, quick vibrato, crowned with powerful high notes. She does not just live off these natural gifts but she strives for technical excellency, displaying very nuanced and contrasted phrasing, always coloured by a rich palette and by exciting chest notes. She excelled in all her duos, trusting her good form and a deep knowledge of the role. In the ecstatic “O mon Fernand” she showed how well she can control her voice with extraordinary piano singing and smooth legato. Marietta Alboni now has a worthy heiress.”
Bachtrack
“Debuting with an already fully developed interpretation, the justly deserved standout among the vocal cast was the American mezzo-soprano, Georgia native Jamie Barton, who offered a magnificent Leonor. A big voice – meaty, with generous volume and extensive range, and velvety. It’s also delicate, with an attractive timbre and impeccable placement, and a homogeneous lined-up sound. Likewise, the American singer is a great vocalist, possessing a good singing technique, dominating legato singing, dynamics, and style. All this was on stupendous display in her interpretation of Leonor’s grand scena in the second act, “Oh mon Fernand” and the subsequent cabeletta, in which she sang a high C the size of a house, that filled the theater and contributed to the celebration by adding to the theater’s history one of those memorable sounds that are heard there from time to time. A magnificent vocal performance.”
Codalario
“In the titular role, the mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton displayed a whole paragon of virtues: a big, extensive, and homogeneous voice, with a meaty round timbre, an interpretation with character, technical support, and perfect stylistic accuracy. Her Leonor had personality, magnetism, and moments of unparalleled vocal intensity, like her brilliant and vibrant cabaletta. She dominates the smooth singing just as she does the more vigorous passages and this double debut – with the role and at the Teatro Real – was a complete success for her. In her singing there is control, color, and temperament. Without a doubt, it’s a voice to follow – though certainly young, it has much to say.”
Platea Magazine
“The American mezzo Jamie Barton is the center of the action with a juicy and clear voice, in charge of attracting and engrossing the others.”
El Mundo
“Oren highlighted the extraordinary quality of the cast, led by Barton y Camarena.”
El Sombrario
"In Madrid we had the debut of Javier Camarena in the role, as well as the presence of mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Léonor. Both were excellent, though one must acknowledge that La Favorita del Re was also the audience’s ‘favorita’. Jamie Barton, who was making her debut in Madrid, has a wide and very beautiful voice, well-handled and expressive, and an outstanding top register. Her Léonor was superb from start to finish, and her interpretation of ‘O mon Fernand’ and the subsequent cabaletta were the highlights of the concert. She represents the continuation of the great tradition of American mezzo-sopranos, following in the footsteps of Marilyn Horne and Dolora Zajick. There’s really no comparison to Jamie Barton in this role today..."
Seen and Heard International
“Camarena and Barton carry the opera on their backs. She is a young diamond…and will do wonders in this and other roles. Her Leonor will surely be well-placed as the next in the line of those created by Stignani, Barbieri, Simionato, Cossotto, Verrett and Horne. The opposite of the usual, her voice shines most in the extreme registers of her range than in the middle voice, and in her much applauded debut at the Real – and in this particular opera – she has left an unbeatable impression.”
El Pais
Corinne Winters Digs Deep in New Daniel Kramer La Traviata
"No one could ask for more from the role: a Traviata who delivers glittering coloratura runs as well as intimate lyrical passages, extroverted self-expression, and bitterest pain with magnificent touching intensity.” Winters makes her Theater Basel debut as Violetta in a new co-production with English National Opera.
October 22, 2017
Photo by Sandra Then
““No one could ask for more from the role: a Traviata who delivers glittering coloratura runs as well as intimate lyrical passages, extroverted self-expression, and bitterest pain with magnificent touching intensity.””
Soprano Corinne Winters makes her Theater Basel debut in a new Daniel Kramer production of La traviata.
The production runs intermittently through February 25, 2018; tickets can be purchased via Theater Basel.
Photo by Sandra Then
Read more reviews:
“The star of the evening is soprano Corinne Winters, who in the lead role wholly convinced as both actor and vocalist… Winters shapes her role of Violetta Valery to the end, with differentiated vocals for every turn of phrase. Winters is a woman with the beauty of a Catherine Zeta-Jones and the voice of a young Anna Netrebko. She makes use of the enormous range of this part with all her facets and shades. Her Violetta is frivolous, girlish, in love, humiliated, and eerily strong. She pulls off the coloratura in the cabaletta 'Sempre libera' and moves us with consummate dynamics in the romance 'Addio del passato.'”
O-Ton
"Victim and driving force in one: Corinne Winters, Zürich’s memorable Mélisande, here in her signature role. She does not belong to the league of twittering sopranos who so often inhabit this role. No, her's is a lyric soprano without all of the extraneous high notes – a voice that actually sings the suffering, a vocal actress who intones her own requiem."
Badische Zeitung
Photo by Sandra Then
“The American Corinne Winters filled her role with vocal refinement and touching intensity – in the end, the entire audience lay at her feet without reserve.”
Aargauer Zeitung
“Corinne Winters gives a poignant Violetta. She does not rely on high, long-held top notes, but on emotion. It flows best in the third act - many a patron wiped a tear from his cheek.”
Der Neue Merker
“With Corinne Winters, the Theater Basel has an outstanding protagonist who gives this Violetta dignity and depth. Even in the dazzling first act, for which the stage designer Lizzie Clachan has built a round mirror hall in the art deco style, this attractive, doomed upper-class courtesan – in the midst of bodices, wigs and suspenders, in her slit white silk dress – is never vulgar. In the second act, she resembles a Madonna when she squeezes her bedspread like a cloak, and, kneeling on the ground, sings her love for Alfredo. Corinne Winters, in her multi-faceted interpretation, always returns to this intimate, warm tone. Her perfectly rounded dark timbre soprano can also harden in order to shine in the fortissimo outbursts above the full orchestra. In his opulent production, Daniel Kramer sets the stage on optical luster and strong contrasts. In the last act, the evening also gains a scenic appeal. Here Violetta dug her own grave. One last time Corinne Winters is entrancing with her compelling artistry, before this lover, carried by the warm orchestral sound, goes without quarrel to death.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Corinne Winters Is The Bee's Knees in San Diego's Art Deco Traviata
"As moving and vocally compelling as I have ever experienced...” Winters makes her San Diego Opera debut as Verdi's tragic heroine in a Marta Domingo production.
April 24, 2017
Photo by Katarzyna Woronowicz
““Sublime singing and acting...Winters showed why she’s one of the world’s top interpreters of the role. Her voice is creamy, delicate and flexible in the coloratura role, but she also brings a raw authenticity to her acting.””
Soprano Corinne Winters continues her 2017 trio of La traviatas with her debut at San Diego Opera. She is joined in Marta Domingo's art deco production by tenor Jesús Garcia and baritone Stephen Powell, with David Agler conducting.
The production runs through April 30; tickets can be purchased via San Diego Opera.
Read more reviews:
“Corinne Winters, who has made Violetta her signature role, gives a marvelous performance. She sparkles in the darker moments. Her high notes are magnificent; she is able to project her pianissimos perfectly, even in a recumbent position. Impressive technique, and a smooth, creamy, effortless sound throughout. When Winters is paired with velvety-voiced baritone Stephen Powell, magic ensues.”
Times of San Diego
"Corinne Winters gave an engrossing rendition of her role. Winters’ interpretation showed the audience both the public glamor of the celebrated nineteenth century courtesan and the private tragedy. Winters’ vocal and physical acting in the ensuing acts made her Violetta truly memorable. When she sang that love and understanding had come far too late, many audience members were in tears as the opera ended."
Opera Today
“It proved to be an auspicious San Diego debut for Corinne Winters in the title role. Her bright, lithe soprano jumped through all of the role’s coloratura hoops, yet it displayed warmth and body for her more lyrically sustained vocal confessions. Her incisive dramatic instincts energized every encounter, and her final act death scene was as moving and vocally compelling as I have ever experienced in this opera.”
San Diego Story
Corinne Winters Makes Much-Anticipated ROH Debut
"'Come scoglio' (Like a rock) applied rather more correctly to Winters’ singing technique than to Fiordiligi’s constancy.” Winters makes her Covent Garden debut as Fiordiligi in a new production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.
September 22, 2016
“A great actor, Winters had a regal calmness about her, which suited the gorgeous, rich warmth in her sound. Her ‘Per pietà’ was phenomenal, paced beautifully; she always found room for her best sound, and still she had lovely agility saved for the end. Winters negotiated extraordinarily long lines in a slower-than-necessary quintet. [Her] singing is top-notch, full of style and individuality…”
Photo by Stephen Cummiskey
Corinne Winters makes her much-anticipated Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut in her adopted hometown as Fiordiligi in a new Jan Philipp Gloger production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.
Conducted by Semyon Bychkov, the production also stars Angela Brower, Alessio Arduini, and Daniel Behle. The production will be simulcast in cinemas around the world on October 17, with future showings throughout the season.
Read more reviews:
“Winters has a very pretty soprano voice, with warmth, real character and not a hint of wobble: her Act I aria “Come scoglio” (Like a rock) applied rather more correctly to Winters’ singing technique than to Fiordiligi’s constancy.”
Bachtrack
“This success is no doubt also down to a shining cast: Corinne Winters’s rich-toned Fiordiligi…”
The Stage
"Corinne Winters is superb in Fiordiligi’s famous aria “Per pieta” as she falls in love with the man who in real life is her sister’s fiance."
Daily Express
“Corinne Winters’s superbly conflicted Fiordiligi and Angela Brower’s more easy-going Dorabella — are well aware that they are falling for each other’s men.”
The Times
“Così is nothing if not an ensemble piece, and this cast is unusually well-matched vocally. Even so, there are standouts in the shape of Daniel Behle’s volatile Ferrando, and in the sheer spirit with which Corinne Winters’s by that point almost suicidally troubled Fiordiligi attacks every note of Per Pietà.”
The Guardian
“Winters is a splendid tormented Fiordiligi and sings her two highpoint arias with panache.”
Plays to See
“Winters’ Fiordiligi is indeed as ‘steady as a rock’ vocally: she has a bright, ringing top and she agilely leapt through ‘Come scoglio’.”
Opera Today
“American Corinne Winters was an indecisive Fiordiligi with a warm and beautiful soprano. She was particularly good in the arias ‘Come scoglio’ and ‘Per pietà’, delivered with touching sensitivity and sadness. Fantastic.”
Fanáticos da Opera
“Probably the best sung Così that I have ever seen. With American soprano Corinne Winters glorious as Fiordiligi…it produces a wonderful evening.”
Daily Express
“When Fiordiligi (Corinne Winters) pours out her torment in “Per pietà” and then succumbs to the rapture of forbidden love in the duet “Fra gli amplessi”, it’s clear Mozart isn’t being ironic but the staging doesn’t quite support this emotional truth. With her impressively weighty voice, Winters isn’t perhaps an ideal Fiordiligi, but she has a thrilling stage presence and offers an intriguing and detailed performance.”
Blouin Art Info
“As the two with the most stage time, Dorabella (Brower) and Fiordiligi (Winters) have the most daunting of vocal tasks. But carry it they do, with Winters’ mastery of melisma and technical delivery being particularly noteworthy. This is a young cast, but one that carries the mantle of Mozart’s great work without strain.”
Exeunt Magazine
“Three performances stand out in particular, and the first is that of Corinne Winters as Fiordiligi. This may be her Royal Opera debut, but she seems totally at ease as she ensures that ‘Per pietà, ben mio, perdona’ becomes a definite highlight of the evening. Her voice is extremely rounded so that the high notes almost do not seem to be because they feel so rich and full.”
musicOMH
“Both Corinne Winters and Angela Brower give delightful accounts of the young women. Winters in particular sings a Fiordiligi of rare range and beauty, with surprisingly strong mezzo notes as well as a radiant upper range.”
What’s On Stage
Rolando Sanz to Make Metropolitan Opera Debut
Sanz to appear in Mozart's Idomeneo, under the baton of Maestro James Levine. The production will be simulcast in cinemas worldwide via Met Live in HD.
June 24, 2016
Photo by Kristin Hoebermann
Tenor Rolando Sanz makes his Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2016/17 season in Mozart's Idomeneo, under the baton of Maestro James Levine. The production will be simulcast in cinemas worldwide via Met Live in HD.
Sanz returns to the Met roster for productions of Verdi's La traviata, Strauss's Salome, and Beethoven's Fidelio. Sanz also sings Beethoven works in concert as tenor soloist in the Mass in C Major and Choral Fantasy with Spoleto Festival USA and as tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Asheville Symphony.
For tickets and more information, visit www.rolandosanz.com.
Jamie Barton Makes Acclaimed Royal Opera House Covent Garden Debut
"Jamie Barton is a first-rate Fenena." Barton joined operatic legend Plácido Domingo on BP Big Screens around the U.K. and smaller screens around the globe via a Royal Opera House YouTube live stream.
June 9, 2016
Photo by Catherine Ashmore for Royal Opera House
This month, mezzo Jamie Barton made her Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut as Fenena in Verdi's Nabucco, opposite Plácido Domingo in the title role.
The second performance was shown via live, free outdoor relays as part of the BP Big Screens initiative, and was watched by fans around the world via the ROH YouTube live stream.
The cast also stars Liudmyla Monastyrska, John Relyea, and Leonardo Capalbo. Conducted by Maurizio Benini, performances run through June 25. Tickets are available on the Royal Opera House site.
Domingo, Monastyrska, and Barton will also appear in the Metropolitan Opera 2016/17 production of Nabucco, conducted by James Levine.
Read reviews:
"Jamie Barton is a first-rate Fenena."
The Guardian
"Jamie Barton as Fenena reveals a rich and full mezzo-soprano that is also capable of displaying great sensitivity."
musicOMH
“Making her Royal Opera debut as Nabucco’s true daughter, the American mezzo uncovered a good deal more in Fenena, impressing with her warmth and richness of tone matched by a purposeful line and convincing dramatic engagement.”
Opera
"I wish the score had provided more opportunities for the young lovers Ismael and Fenena – what little Jean-François Borras and Jamie Barton did as Ismaele and Fenena was very fine."
The Telegraph
"Jamie Barton made a promising Covent Garden début as Fenena, showing good timbre and nice control of line. Fenena and Ismaile are considerably lesser roles than the other three, but Barton and Jean-François Borras made a good fist of them, particularly effective in ensemble."
BachTrack
"Jamie Barton and stand-in tenor Jean-François Borras play lovers Fenena and Ismaele; the former in beautiful voice…"
Londonist
"Making her debut with the Royal Opera, American mezzo Jamie Barton seizes her lyrical opportunities as Nabucco’s true offspring Fenena."
The Stage
“Monastyrska’s Abagaille had a worthy rival for once. Admittedly Fenena is a sketchy role: Verdi had not yet fully realized the value of contrasting or opposing females, the structure that grounds Trovatore or Aida. But this Fenena was Cardiff Singer of the World in 2013 and the winner of last year’s Richard Tucker Award, the redoubtable Jamie Barton in her Royal Opera debut. This was luxury casting indeed, affording the extraordinary pleasure of watching and listening as, in the finale of the first act, each ‘sister’ anchored opposite sides of the stage and soared over the ensemble.”
Opera
Corinne Winters Makes Opernhaus Zürich Debut
"Winters exudes the fascination of a very exceptional woman in every moment." Corinne Winters sings Mélisande in a new, psychoanalytically inspired Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Pelléas et Mélisande.
May 10, 2016
Photo by Toni Suter
““Able to transport the hearts of the audience with intense, exemplarily restrained artistic power, and incredible vocal qualities and feelings throughout. Corinne Winters is the fragile Mélisande not only superficially, but is also in her timbre an ideal candidate for this traumatized, enigmatic being. Her direct and wonderfully easy and appealing soprano captivates with its evenness, with force or pale fragility according to the mood.” OPER AKTUELL”
Corinne Winters makes her Opernhaus Zürich debut this month as Mélisande in a new Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.
The psychoanalytically inspired production, conducted by Alain Altinoglu, also stars Brindley Sherratt as Arkel, Jacques Imbrailo as Pelléas, and Kyle Ketelsen as Golaud. Performances run through May 29.
Read more reviews:
"Altinoglu’s orchestra plays transparently and elegantly, and the singers on stage follow with corresponding expression and timbre. Above all, Corinne Winters, who, as an inconspicuous drug addict, exudes the fascination of a very exceptional woman in every moment."
Deutschlandradio Kultur
"The two meet each other with an almost beastly, incorporeal hypersensitivity – Corinne Winters and Jacques Imbrailo, both debutants at the Opera House – acting and singing with touching delicacy and entirely skillful empathy for one another. Pelléas understands that a serious, unspoken trauma prevents Mélisande from physically loving even him. Winters plays this with distressing credibility."
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
"Lying on the couch with frightened eyes and a dark, glowing soprano is the American Corinne Winters, who reveals that she has experienced something terrible. Though Golaud increasingly loses his patience with her hints, short sentences, and non-answers, the audience who sees and hears her is fascinated: her acting could not be more on point."
Tages Anzeiger
"That this complex concept is so perfectly implemented by this highly balanced ensemble speaks not only of of their acting talent, but also of Tcherniakov’s extremely precise direction – he has found for each person their own body language. Corinne Winters is an ideal Mélisande, this traumatized young woman who – we imagine – experienced something terrible in her childhood. Here again the fabulous artist: Corinne Winters possesses in her clear voice a fine range of colorations that reflect her emotional state of mind. Once dreamy, delicate, velvety, then again disappointed, almost shouting, but never abandoning either the vocal tone or seeming true. Just great."
Der Neue Merker
"The manifestations of trauma are the meat here, and Corinne Winters (Mélisande) played that for all it was worth. She eventually even traded her casual black sweats for a rather unsightly Egyptian caftan; which was incongruous, but hardly as strange as the unkempt hair that made her more of a homeless person than a woman who might win hearts. Nevertheless, win hearts she did."
Bachtrack
“With her warm sounding soprano, Corinne Winters gives us a really impressive Mélisande and acts fantastically. She sings the highest notes with extraordinary ease. Her warm timbre fills the whole opera.”
Plays To See
“Winters can express such fragility with her inflection and ringing soprano.”
Vorarlberger Nachrichten
“Corinne Winters is dazzling. Defiant rejection and vulnerable fragility are equally present in the young American’s portrayal, and in her flexible voice the raw mixes with the seductive. In addition, she had superb diction, as did everyone in this very special, exquisite ensemble.”
Peter Hagmann
“Corinne Winters as Mélisande finds with her versatile soprano the balance between rebellious and helpless responses, her spiritual destruction and the slow extinction of her life force created with touching intensity.”
Beckmesser
“Happily, although there was not a single Frenchman among the cast, the Debussy style of language and voice as one was always there. Corinne Winters, a small, fragile person in a tracksuit, is a lithe and sensitive Mélisande, both childlike and sensual.”
Badische Zeitung
“The singers were very well placed in this colorful Debussy sound, especially the young American Corinne Winters as Mélisande, with many vocal variations and an intensely watchable portrayal of this rewarding soprano role.”
Musik und Theater
Corinne Winters to Make San Diego Opera Debut
Corinne Winters will sing her signature role of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata in Marta Domingo's Roaring Twenties era production.
April 19, 2016
Corinne Winters will make her San Diego Opera debut in the 2016/17 season, singing her signature role of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata.
Next season, Winters will tackle the famously difficult role in three different productions, also appearing as Violetta at Seattle Opera and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
In San Diego, she will be joined onstage by Joshua Guererro as Alfredo and Stephen Powell as Germont. Stephen Lord conducts Marta Domingo's Roaring Twenties era production.
Performances will run April 22-30, 2017.
Corinne Winters to Bookend Her 2016/17 Season at Royal Opera House
Corinne Winters will make her ROH Covent Garden debut as Fiordiligi in a new production of Così fan tutte in the fall and return in the summer in her signature role of Violetta in La traviata.
April 6, 2016
Corinne Winters will open her 2016/17 season with her Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut this fall as Fiordiligi in a new Jan Philipp Gloger production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.
She will return to close out her season as Violetta in the beloved Richard Eyre production of La traviata, marking her first London Violetta since her explosion onto the international opera scene in the 2013 English National Opera production.
Così fan tutte performances will run September 22 – October 19, 2016, and will also feature Angela Brower as Dorabella, Daniel Behle as Ferrando, and Alessio Arduini as Guglielmo. The October 17 performance will be screened live in cinemas in over 35 countries.
Winters will appear in La traviata June 27 – July 4, 2017, alongside Atalla Ayan as Alfredo and George Petean as Germont. The July 4 performance will be featured as a live, free relay to several outdoor screens as part of BP Big Screens.
Tickets for both productions will be available via the Royal Opera House website.
Jamie Barton to Sing First Eboli at Deutsche Oper Berlin
Jamie Barton will make dual role and house debuts in Verdi's Don Carlo as part of Deutsche Oper Berlin's 2016/17 season.
March 17, 2016
Photo by Stacey Bode
Jamie Barton will make dual role and house debuts as Princess Eboli in the Italian version of Verdi's Don Carlo at Deutsche Oper Berlin in the 2016/17 season.
Conducted by Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, the cast also stars Liudmyla Monastyrska as Elisabeth, Teodor Ilincai as Don Carlo, Etienne Dupuis as Rodrigo, and Giacomo Prestia as King Philip.
Performances will run June 24 – July 6, 2017, and can be purchased via the Deutsche Oper website.
Jamie Barton sings "O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlo with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2016.