Ukrainian Soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska Interviewed

"Ritorna vincitor" Aida (Verdi)

"Liudmyla Monastyrska, soloist at the National Opera of Ukraine, has a lyrical-dramatic soprano with rear beauty and power. She conquered the Kyiv audience by brilliant performance of such complicated and bright parts as Aida from the eponymous opera by Verdi, Santuzza from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, Liza from Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Amelia from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. Now she has a whole army of admirers in Great Britain as well. The foreign critics call her a rising singing star of world scale, a follower of the traditions of Solomia Krushelnytska, Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, and predict a brilliant future for the Ukrainian diva. Liudmyla is a bright representative of the Ukrainian vocal school. She was an external student of the famous pedagogue Ivan Palyvoda at the Kyiv Music College. At the National Music Academy of Ukraine she was taught by the

"La luce langue" Macbeth (Verdi)

wonderful singer Diana Petrynenko. In 1997, Liudmyla won the Lysenko Competition of Singers, where she impressed the jurors by wonderful performance of Aida’s aria (after this performance she was invited to work with the troupe of the National Opera of Ukraine). But due to various family reasons the singer did not perform on the Kyiv stage till 2008. And in a matter of three years Monastyrska’s name has become a flagship of the Kyiv Opera. She has also sung at the Municipal Theater of Opera and Ballet for Children and Youth and toured a lot. The singer has recently returned from London, where she took part in productions of Aida and Macbeth, performing the leading parts." [Source]

"Voi lo sapete, o mamma"
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)

The interview discusses such topics as whether she will return to sing for Kyiv audiences now that she has become internationally famous, experience of taxing conditions in a repertory theater, working with famous conductors (including Fabio Luisi, Antonio Pappano, Daniele Rustioni), her feelings on opera director's concepts, growing up in a non-musical family and how singing Ukrainian folk songs helps her to relax after a performance. Read the full interview here. A full biography is after the jump.





(Photo Credits: Bill Cooper [Aida], Clive Barda [Macbeth], Oleksandr Putrov [Cavalleria Rusticana])

BIOGRAPHY

A native of Kiev, Liudmyla Monastyrska made her stage debut at the Ukraine National Opera in Kiev as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Eugen Onegin in 1996. Having graduated from the Kiev Tchaikovsky Music Academy she became principal soloist of the Ukraine National Opera two years later. She has since appeared in leading dramatic soprano roles such as Aida, Amelia, Gioconda, Lisa, Nedda and Santuzza at the Ukraine National Opera and the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The 2009-10 season marked Ms. Monastyrska highly acclaimed last-minute debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin as Tosca - a role that immediately led to her much heralded Italian debut at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago under the baton of Alberto Veronesi. 2010-11 will mark her debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Lady Macbeth in spring 2011. Future engagements include, amongst others, her return to Deutsche Oper Berlin in Tosca and Macbeth in spring 2012 as well as her La Scala debut in Milan. Ms. Monastyrska and her family make their home in Kiev. [Source]