Lidiya Yankovskaya Leads New Trittico in Opera Australia Debut • July 2024
Sydney, Australia
Photo by Keith Saunders
In her Opera Australia debut, Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts a new production of Puccini’s Il trittico that melds the visions of three directors in each performance. Yankovskaya spoke with several Australian outlets about bringing together all the forces of such a major production.
See features with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Stage Lync, ABC’s Duets Program, and ABC’s The Music Show.
Critical Acclaim
Photo by Keith Saunders
"Making a splendid OA debut, Yankovskaya was tremendously responsive to the mood and drama of each piece. There was a light, sprightly touch to the dance music in Il tabarro and then a huge, romantic sound for Giorgetta and Luigi's expression of longing. The tightening and loosening of the emotional strings was thrilling. In Suor Angelica the quiet underscoring of the conversation between Angelica and the Principessa was full of foreboding; Gianni Schicchi raced along happily. At every moment the music illuminated the story."
–Opera Magazine
“The Opera Australia Orchestra under the supple direction of conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya rises to the occasion, delivering a nuanced account of Puccini’s three very different worlds, yet drawing out chords and motifs that, like Hankin’s design, still manage to bind the evening together.”
–Limelight Magazine
“Opera Australia’s new production of Il Trittico is a three-way, all-in bet on the power of opera. Three one-hour, one-act operas compress this loopy genre’s extravagant range and untrammelled expression into one hugely satisfying evening. Il Trittico is a huge undertaking. While credit must go, ultimately, to Puccini for pulling off this operatic coup, this production is also powered by some stand out performances, not least from conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya making a compelling debut with Opera Australia. Yankovskaya’s cool navigation through the minefield of Gianni Schicchi is a high point.”
–Sydney Morning Herald
“Yankovskaya and the OA Orchestra weave perfectly Puccini’s soaring melodies and invention through these high dramas. It’s a night with everything.”
–Stage Whispers
“For a long time, a triple-bill of Il Trittico has been regarded as unwieldly, unlucky even – double-bills are far more common. This production, with each opera directed by a different director but all held together capably under the baton of Yankovskaya and sumptuous playing from the Opera Australia Orchestra should restore faith that Il Trittico should be seen complete.”
–J-Wire
“Superb playing by the Opera Australia Orchestra conducted with considerable aplomb by Yankovskaya; stamp this production of Il Trittico a triumph for all concerned, and a wonderful showcase for Opera Australia.”
–Australian Arts Review
“A scintillating night of opera that offers something for everyone with Yankovskaya engaged to conduct all three operas for her first Opera Australia engagement.”
–Canberra CityNews
“There was something very refreshing about having a new energy, impulse, and drive at the start of each of the evening’s three hours. The musical performances, under Yankovskaya’s direction, were of consistently high quality. Musically Il tabarro might be Puccini’s most impressionistic score. In Yankovskaya’s hands it was superbly suggestive of a fog-bound river at end-of-shift. It is an enjoyable presentation of one of the more unusual formats in the operatic repertoire, and immensely satisfying.”
–OperaWire
“Musical standards throughout were excellent, due primarily to the expressive and idiomatic conducting of Yankovskaya, who brought out the myriad colours and textures of Puccini’s brilliant Il Trittico score.”
–Australian Book Review
“A triple triumph – demanding to stage it may be, but cast and creatives unanimously rose to those demands, resulting in a show that was a triumph from start to finish. The unsung heroes (pun intended) were the orchestral players under Yankovskaya, who provided unflagging support in shaping the different emotional realms, including the deliciously crude playing of the winds in the off-key waltz in Tabarro, the smooth string parallelisms in Suor Angelica, and the delectably articulated accompaniment in Gianni Schicchi, where the singers’ lines were always audible (a crucial element in comedy).”
–Bachtrack