Maria Guleghina Uses Sheer Force to Conquer "Nabucco"

The Iron Lady (Photo: Marty Sohl/MET)

"Maria Guleghina sang Abigaille, a perennial role for her in this house, with great power and prowess, maneuvering between the coloratura passages and full-voice attacks with apparent ease. The Ukrainian soprano lacks beauty in her chest voice, unfortunately so, since the role has many moments of low-lying potential money notes. Guleghina made up for it with dramatic intensity and sheer vocal power, enough to be convincing in the opening scene where she enters wielding a sword, and her pleading despair in her touching final scene." [Source]

Could This Be the Bridge of Dreams For Sopranos?

Opera News does a wonderful spread on soprano Mojca Erdmann in their "Sound Bites" series which features a photo by Johannes Ifkovits that looks mighty familiar. See why this may be the bridge dreams are made of (as well as one of the photographer's favorite locations) after the jump. Read the article here.

Metropolitan Opera Guild Luncheon to Honor Marilyn Horne

The lady of the hour: Miss Horne

77th Annual Guild Luncheon
Jackie! Celebrating Marilyn Horne

October 31, 2011 12:15 PMWaldorf-Astoria

The honoree of this year’s Annual Guild Luncheon is the legendary Marilyn Horne. Join us as we salute one of the greatest singers of our time, with appearances by her colleagues and friends, video performances and a vocal tribute by Stephanie Blythe. Guests at the luncheon will include June Ander­son, Lucine Amara, Mar­tina Arroyo, Har­o­lyn Black­well, Judith Ble­gen, Richard Bonynge, Nedda Casei, Barbara Cook, Frank Corsaro, John Corigli­ano, Dwayne Croft, Tyne Daly, Ray­mond Gniewek, Florence Henderson, Martin Katz, Jean Kraft, Shir­ley Love, John Mac­urdy, Spiro Malas, Terrence McNally, Marnie Nixon, Betsy Norden, Roberta Peters, Eve Queler, Samuel Ramey, Regina Res­nik, Ren­ata Scotto, Rita Shane, Bryn Ter­fel, Ben­ita Valente, Deborah Voigt, Fre­der­ica von Stade and Robert White.

TICKETS
Regular Tickets: $250 ($125 tax-deductible)
Benefactor Tickets: $475 ($350 tax-deductible)
President’s Circle Tickets: $750 ($625 tax-deductible)
Benefactor Tables for Ten: $4,750 ($3,500 tax-deductible)
President’s Circle Tables for Ten: $7,500 ($6,000 tax-deductible)

Buy tickets for the event by clicking here.

Third Time May Be a Charm for Palais Garnier Restaurant

"After three attempts since 1875, a restaurant opened its doors on the eastern facade of the building in 2011. It was designed by French architect Odile Decq. The chef is Christophe Aribert." [Source]

"Recessed within the historical building, visitors pass the facade's original pillars to enter the undulating interior. The mezzanine space is carefully integrated to resist touching the existing structure's walls, columns and roof. The contemporary addition compliments the classical details of the vaulted stone ceiling without altering history. Accommodating and seating 90 guests at one time, the large floor plate is suspended with concealed steel plates. A glass wall encompasses the interior isolating the space from the existing shell. The billowing white structure touches down to the lower level producing integrated organic supports." Lots of really great photos here. One more image after the jump. [Source]

Violent Beauty: Operatically-Tinged Photographs of Ori Gersht

Israeli photographer Ori Gersht was born in 1967. He is a professor of photography at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, Kent, England. One particular series he produced that has extraordinary beauty: "The large-scale photographs entitled Blow Up depict elaborate floral arrangements, based upon a 19th Century still-life painting by Henri Fantin-Latour, captured in the moment of exploding. Gersht´s compositions are literally frozen in motion, a process dependent on the ability of the advanced technology of photography to freeze-frame action. This visual occurrence, that is too fast for the human eye to process and can only be perceived with the aid of photography, is what Walter Benjamin called the ‘optical unconsciousness’ in his seminal essay ‘A Short History of Photography’. Flowers, which often symbolise peace, become victims of brutal terror, revealing an uneasy beauty in destruction. This tension that exists between violence and beauty, destruction and creation is enhanced by the fruitful collision of the age-old need to capture 'reality' and the potential of photography to question what that actually means. The authority of photography in relation to objective truth has been shattered, but new possibilities to experience reality in a more complex and challenging manner have arisen." [Source] A brief biography of the photographer and few more photos are after the jump.

Opéra National de Paris and Bibliothèque Nationale Project

If you missed "Les Tragédiennes de l’Opéra," the exhibit presented from June 9 - September 25 at Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra in the Palais Garnier, you can still experience it by buying the guide book assembled by Albin Michel: "Opera is enriched by its divas. All-powerful goddesses, objects of every fantasy, they are also slaves sacrificed to their art, to composers and to their public. Through them and through their science, their destiny, their cult-worship, and their power, the history of opera unfolds. This exhibition will evoke for the first time some of the great figures linked to the Palais Garnier, that erstwhile brand-new temple devoted to opera and all its excesses: among others, Rose Caron (who gave first performances of Reyer’s works as well as the roles of Sieglinde in The Walkyrie and Desdemona in Otello), Gabrielle Krauss (first performer of Gounod’s last works), Sybil Sanderson (Massenet’s muse for Thaïs), and Lucienne Bréval, the very model of the noble singer, who would reign here for thirty years…In the opening years of

the new century, modernity entered the theatre with the fiery temperaments of Aino Ackté, Emma Calvé and Mary Garden with her scandalous Salomé. This exhibition will rekindle the memory of these exceptional women through photographs, objects, jewellery, costume sketches and rare documents. Presented inside the Palais Garnier itself, the exhibition will also evoke the passage from one century to another which is as much to be felt in the repertoire as in the image reflected by these goddesses and their relationship with the public." Purchase price of the book is 49.00 €. [Source]

Check out a photo of Geneviève Vix as Salome at the Palais Garnier in 1926 (Estampe de P. Godard BmO, Musée n° 826).

Renée Fleming Models For LOC Operathon 2011

Marketing 101: Put the star in the goods.
(Photo: Jonathan Tichler)

Set for October 15, 2011, the Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold the biggest fundraiser of their season. "Operathon 2011" is co-sponsored by American Airlines, Official Airline of Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Bank of America. You can donate directly to the company or purchase merchandise that will help support the opera. Start shopping here. "Fascinating interviews with major stars and Lyric insiders plus music from your favorite operas. Lyric's annual on-air fundraiser is a project of the Lyric Opera Chapters. The 16-hour marathon proceeds benefit Lyric's education and community-engagement programs. In addition to the star studded broadcast, you also have an opportunity to buy unique Lyric Opera merchandise plus premiums and restaurant certificates." And if you want to emulate the company's

leading diva Renée Fleming, you can order the scarf she models on the cover the the "Operathon 2011" brochure: "Even our cover girl Renée Fleming couldn't resist this season's luxurious silk scarf! Designed exclusively for Lyric Opera by Lee Allison, this year's scarf captures the dazzling purple and blue hues of the Tales of Hoffmann set. 34" square. Comes in a gift box. $125. Buy it here. [Source]

New York City Opera Announces Cast Updates

The latest updates are available for all operas being performed across Manhattan by New York City Opera. Not much in terms of surprises, but some singers to watch for during the season include Laquita Mitchell, David Pomeroy, Jennifer Holloway, Rebecca Bottone, Philip Cutlip, Amanda Majeski, Kelly Markgraf, Joélle Harvey and even seasoned professional Rodney Gilfry will be performing. Conductors will be Gary Thor Wedow, Christian Curnyn, Jayce Ogren and Steven White. For more information about NYCO, click here. Full cast listings are after the jump.

Soprano Nino Machaidze Marries Baritone Guido Loconsolo

The happy couple in 2008.

Watch a performance of the couple in concert from 2010 singing "Là ci darem la mano" after the jump.

MET Sirius XM Radio Tonight: "Nabucco"

Listen to the Metropolitan Opera perform Verdi's Nabucco live tonight at 7:30 PM EST on Sirius XM radio. Intermission guest: Stephen Costello.

Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala Dinner Photos

Henry Kissinger, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb, bass-baritone Erwin Schrott, soprano Anna Netrebko, Sid Bass, Mercedes Bass and Oscar de la Renta.
(Photo: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg)

“'Let’s just say, I think this is my time,' Anna Netrebko suggested after her performance in Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera’s opening gala last night. 'Tomorrow it’s going to be someone else’s.' Netrebko sang in a new staging of Donizetti’s opera about Anne Boleyn, whose beheading started a trend at the court of Henry VIII. Netrebko had taken her seat at the post-performance supper. The meal was spiced lamb and pearl couscous. The decor included giant banners of Holbein paintings, candlelight and bowls filled with flowers, grapes and pears. It was a sumptuous conclusion to Anna’s final mad moments when she swept her long hair away from her neck and ran off to her beheading. Netrebko, seated next to her director, David McVicar, recalled staging the moment. 'We worked together, and we came up with the simplest solution,' McVicar said. 'He is the one who decides,' Netrebko said. 'What I work on, is if I have enough rings on my fingers to really sparkle.' 'She is the true queen of the opera,' Mercedes Bass, chairman of the gala and wife of oil billionaire Sid Bass said, as waiters passed around sherry trifle. 'She controls the stage.' The Basses funded the production, the Met’s first of the opera. The Met plans to produce Donizetti’s two other Tudor operas, even though Netrebko has declined to sing in them." Click here to see more photos of the event. [Source]

Fashion at the Opening Night of the Metropolitan Opera

Photographer Patrick Michael Hughes focuses on the glamour of an opening night crowd attending the performance of Anna Bolena last night at the Metropolitan Opera. "The people of Manhattan are always fashion-forward. DNAinfo.com captures the latest style and accessory trends, from sunglasses to shoes and handbags to hairdos, as they're worn out on the streets." Click here to access the photo gallery of images. One more image after the jump.

Opera star Bryn Terfel arrives with Susana Llanio who is wearing an Escada gown.

Watch a Video Excerpt of Anna Netrebko as Anna Bolena

Click on the photo to launch the video excerpt of "Coppia iniqua."

Accolades Start Pouring In For Anna Netrebko's Performance

Anna²: Netrebko meets Bolena
(Photo: Kathy Willens/AP)

The first reviews are starting to appear online for Anna Netrebko's opening night debuting Donizetti's Anna Bolena for the first time ever in the Metropolitan Opera's history. First off will be the glowing review from Mike Silverman for the Associated Press: "Netrebko, always a naturally charismatic presence on stage, has now at age 40 grown into the vocal demands of the role. Her dark, syrupy, slightly melancholy tone has deepened and taken on more power, without any noticeable loss of lyric freedom at the top of her range. In fact, she has worked hard to cultivate a respectable trill — something she was criticized for lacking in earlier forays into the bel canto repertory. So she can melt our hearts one moment with a soft high C of great delicacy, then pin us to backs of our seats the next with a ferocious outburst of notes cascading over more than an octave. That mournful song about her past, 'Al dolce guidami castel nation' ('Lead me to the dear castle where I was born'), accompanied by English horn, is part of the opera's concluding scene in which Anna's mind wanders as she prepares to meet the executioner's ax. But hearing offstage revelry as Henry weds her successor, Jane Seymour (Giovanna in the opera), restores her wits, and she denounces them in a fiery finale, 'Coppia iniquia' ('Wicked couple'), which Netrebko delivers with dazzling virtuosity. Although she sang the role for the first time just last spring in

Vienna, Netrebko has already put her stamp on it. One particularly telling moment comes at the end of Act 1, when Henry has ordered Anna and several other characters thrown into prison. He tells her that a panel of judges will weigh the evidence against her — and the realization that her fate is sealed begins to sink in. 'Giudici! ... ad Anna!' ('Judges! For Anna!') she cries. Then she repeats the same lines — spoken more than sung — and finally turns the words around, 'Ad Anna! Giudici!' Many sopranos spit out the words in defiance, but Netrebko makes us feel her terror at what they imply." [Source]

Ildar Abdrazakov as King Henry VIII and Netrebko as his young bride. (Photo: Ken Howard/MET)

"Never mind Anna Bolena. One might as well name the show Anna Netrebko....Netrebko sang the reflective passages sweetly, with shimmering pianissimo tone and a lovely legato. She earned admiration for holding nothing back in forte outbursts. She comported herself with queenly dignity as needed, and with unaccustomed restraint." [Source]

Just a girl who wants to go back to the castle where she was born. (Photo: Sara Krulwich/NY Times)

"Ms. Netrebko sang an elegantly sad aria with lustrous warmth, aching vulnerability and floating high notes. When the audience broke into prolonged applause and bravos, Ms. Netrebko seemed to break character and smiled a couple of times, though her look could have been taken as appropriate to the dramatic moment, since the delusional Anna is lost in reverie about happy days with her former lover. Then at the end of this 'Mad Scene,' when Anna, restored to horrific reality, curses the king and his new queen, Giovanna (Jane Seymour), and stalks off to her execution, Ms. Netrebko dispatched Donizetti’s cabaletta, all brilliant coloratura runs and vehement phrases, with a defiance that brought down the house." [Source]

The royal couple off to a rocky start and a bloody finish. (Photo: Kathy Willens/AP)

"The new monarch — ruling not over England but the Met — is Anna Netrebko, whose radiant performance at the company’s opening night Monday catapulted her to 'prima donna assoluta': undisputed superstar. Already celebrated for her glamorous face and voice, the fiery Russian-born diva has developed into a great tragic performer. Her climactic, 30-minute mad scene set in the Tower of London ranged from despair to rage. It’s music that demands everything in a diva’s arsenal, and Netrebko delivered, her ravishing soft high C’s and delicate trills contrasting with slashing coloratura plummeting through the full soprano register. In the last moments, her voice easily soared over the full chorus and orchestra as Anna marched off to her execution." [Source]

As more articles are written, they will be linked to this posting.

Stars Come Out For Metropolitan Opera's Season Opening Night

NY1 reports from the red carpet on some of the stars attending the Metropolitan Opera's opening night of the 2011-12 season with Anna Bolena. Check out the video interviews with Maxwell, Leelee Sobieski and Tyra Banks, by clicking here. Also in attendance were (from left to right) Archie Panjabi, Katie Couric, Martha Stewart, Crystal Renn and Tyra Banks. Check out some large images of the stars here.
And in case you missed the Metropolitan Opera posting of the in-depth conversation with Anna Netrebko and David McVicar about the production, check it out below:

From the Vault: Pilar Lorengar Spanish Songs with Félix Lavilla

Released on Discos Columbia S.A. in 1973, this program of Spanish composers is exquisitely performed by soprano Pilar Lorengar and pianist Félix Lavilla. Some of this repertoire was recorded by Ms. Lorengar with pianist Alicia de Larrocha and with orchestra under conductor Jesus Lopez-Cobos for Decca Records. Perhaps that is why this LP has not been re-issued on CD or MP3. Thanks to Tenorisimo1975 on YouTube, you can hear all the tracks except one ("Cuando tan hermosa os miro" of Turina) in the playlist below. Columbia's back-catalog is owned by EMI, so perhaps one day someone will see fit to release these items as a tribute to a great singer.

Tres tonadillas (Granados)

El majo discreto; El mirar de la maja; El tra la lá y el punteado

Seis canciones castellanas (Guridi)

No quiero tus avellanas; Cómo quieres que adivine, Mañanita de San Juan

Homenaje a Lope de Vega (Turina)

Cuando tan hermosa os miro; Si con mis deseos

Cantares (Turina)

Asturiana (Nin)

Tríptico de canciones (García Leoz)

De Cádiz a Gibraltar; A la Flor, a la pitiflor; Por el aire van

Madre unos ojuelos VI (Toldrá)

Cantarcillo (Toldrá)

Cuatro madrigales amatorios (J. Rodrigo)

¿Con qué la lavaré?; Vos me matásteis; ¿De dónde venís, amore?; De los álamos vengo, madre

Stephen Costello Gets Some Limelight Love From WSJ

Stephen Costello (l) with Keith Miller (r)
in Anna Bolena (Photo: Ken Howard)

"Mr. Costello—who arrived for our interview wearing green soccer sneakers, precise facial hair and a slightly rumpled yet European blazer with jeans—began his opera training later than most singers do. He played the trumpet for 15 years, then attended the University of the Arts in his hometown, initially to study musical theater, before going to the prestigious, opera-only Academy of Vocal Arts, also in Philadelphia. Based now in Tennessee with his opera-singer wife, Ailyn Perez, Mr. Costello comes to New York often for continued study with his voice teacher. He also makes a point of seeing Broadway shows when he's here. 'I'm trying like crazy to see Book of Mormon. I have three connections. I'm hoping one of them will work out,' he said, adding that he had already asked the Met's head wig and make-up artist, Tom Watson, who has a number of Broadway credits, including Wicked. 'I said, 'Please tell me you did Book of Mormon. He said no.' The subject of wigs,

Costello with Anna Netrebko as the
title character. (Photo: Ken Howard)

however, brightened Mr. Costello a bit, because in this production of Anna Bolena, he doesn't have to wear one. 'It's kind of nice to use your own head,' he said. "Usually, you've got this wig on, and there's someone poking at you.' That said, the role of Percy calls for other costume constraints. When his character is jailed, he has to sing with his hands bound in front of him. 'It's kind of difficult to breathe, but I'm trying to figure out a way to get comfortable in that scene,' he said. And in an earlier scene, he has to wear a hooded cape, which he's supposed to pull off his head when he enters. But the historically accurate costumes are held against the body with a series of hidden ties that constrict the range of movement. 'The problem,' he said, 'is that it ties under your armpits. So I can only raise my hands so high.' But it's all in a day's work, and at the end of the day Mr. Costello is prone to relax with a burger at the P.J. Clarke's near Lincoln Center: "They have beer. It's my spot.'" [Source]

"Lucrezia Borgia" with Renée Fleming at SFO Gets Reviewed

"Ask Miss Manners and I'm sure she'll agree: When a company like the San Francisco Opera adds a work to its repertoire specifically as a vehicle for your return, it's only right to pitch in and give a fiercely committed performance, one that will justify the decision. Yet here was Donizetti's implausible tragedy Lucrezia Borgia, taking the stage of the War Memorial Opera House on Friday night for the first time. And here was soprano Renée Fleming, returning to the company for her first opera in a decade, and turning in a lazy, theatrically vacuous performance in

the title role. Seriously? Is that how the game is played in the big leagues? Permit me to doubt it. Fortunately, there was enough strong vocalism on display from the rest of the cast to make Friday's opener seem like more than just a misguided vanity vehicle. And in the pit, a brisk, responsive company debut by conductor Riccardo Frizza helped give the evening a sense of streamlined momentum that was otherwise absent. But Fleming - swanning about distractedly as if reprising her role of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire - added little to the mix, and director-designer John Pascoe's nonsensical and unsightly production, imported from the Washington National Opera, only made the evening more dispiriting." [Source]

"A few strange things happened to Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia on the way to its first performance Friday at the San Francisco Opera, a mere 178 years after its La Scala premiere. First is that Renée Fleming in the title role of this star vehicle picked up a dozen hitchhikers, who sang gloriously. Costumed sensationally, La Fleming looked gorgeous and sang in a range from fine to diva-great. Yet she had lots of company

in that department. Second, that the star and passengers - the whole thing - sank. John Pascoe’s clueless direction drained whatever life the work - three hours of generic Donizetti and melodrama in the class of The Drunkard - might have offered. The sets were impressively professional, if needlessly moving, and the costumes opulent. Yet the stage direction recalled the “Amateur Hour,” with goose-stepping "troops" of four or five, fascist salutes, Roman salutes, Etruscan salutes, lighting striking every time something of significance happened, and plentiful awkward or ridiculous mechanical movements." [Source]

[Above images feature Renée Fleming in the title role of Lucrezia and tenor Michael Fabiano as Gennaro. Photos: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera]

Newsweek Magazine Captures Anna Netrebko's Saucier Side

The diva feted in campaign fur.
(Photo: Christopher Anderson/Magnum)

“'Lots of opera singers are just boring. Bo-o-o-ring. C’mon: get a life! Be more extra—extra—' Extravagant? Extroverted? Is this what most opera singers lack? They’re qualities Netrebko has in abundance, part of what helps her records, in Germany and Austria at least, outsell Beyoncé, led Musical America to name her Musician of the Year in 2008, lifted her into Playboy’s list of 'sexiest babes in classical music,' and have made her that most unique of creatures: an opera singer with pop-star status. But maybe another word is better, one that Netrebko loves to use: razzle-dazzle. Or as she put it in her distinctly Russian English, 'RRRaazzzelll-Dazzzzelll': rolling the R’s, prolonging the Z’s, deepening the vowels. She makes the corny term sound like a sorcerer’s incantation. Netrebko discusses the virtues of razzle-dazzle on the terrace of an Alpine castle, encircled by Sound of Music mountains and dark forests, perched above a Technicolor turquoise lake. The castle has been converted into a luxury hotel, frequented by Arab sheiks and posh German-Austrians. As I order a drink, she grabs my hand and whispers: 'Be careful what you order. Last night I come to have some drinks, relax. I order schnapps. They bring this tiny thing. Tiny! I tell them, ‘That’s not a drink! Bring me a double!’ They bring me a double. Tiny! I say, ‘Bring me a triple.’ Finally: a normal drink. Then they bring the bill: 150 euro! For a schnapps! It’s just vodka!' The world’s most famous soprano, Anna Netrebko, can’t find the right word. This is a rarity." And after a performance of Tchaikovsky's Iolanthe the interviewer, Peter Pomerantsev, joins Ms. Netrebko and the opera's cast: "Performing with Netrebko this evening are a whole bunch of Russian singers. After the concert they’re drinking at a darkened table in the bar opposite the Opera House. Everyone’s dressed in jeans, T-shirts, and flannel shirts. The bass-baritone, Evgeny Nikitin, covered with tattoos, looks like a punk drummer. The singers drink and smoke with the resolve of soldiers on short leave, and talk of upcoming concerts like tours of duty. Like Netrebko, they are products of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre and of one great master, the conductor Valery Gergiev." [Source]

Diana Damrau Fall Release to Include Album of Liszt Lieder

TRACK LISTING:
01 Der Fischerknabe
02 Im Rhein, im schönen Strome
03 Die Lorelei
04 Die Drei Zigeuner
05 Es war ein König in Thule
06 Ihr Glocken von Marling
07 Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh
08 Der du von dem Himmel bist
09 Benedetto sia'l giorno
10 Pace non trovo
11 I vidi in terra angelici costumi
12 Freudvoll und leidvoll
13 Vergiftet sind meine Lieder
14 Freudvoll und leidvoll (1860)
15 Es rauschen die Winde
16 Die stille Wasserrose
17 Bist du!
18 Es muss ein Wunderbares sein
19 O lieb
Diana Damrau, soprano
Helmut Deutsch, piano
Virgin Classics
Product ID: 0709282
Release dates: Germany - 10/21/11; USA & France - 11/1/11 

Buried (MP3) Treasure: Birgit Nilsson

As record labels explore the cost effectiveness of the MP3 format, many are digging deep into their archives to find recorded material to re-issue from previous CD incarnations or in some cases for the first time since their original LP release. Click on the Amazon widget to hear MP3 audio samples.

Happy Birthday: Alexandrina Pendatchanska

"È strano…Ah, fors'è lui…Sempre libera"
La Traviata (Verdi)
[Live recording from 1987]

Soprano Alexandrina Pendatchanska was born September 24, 1970 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her grandfather, Sasha Popov, was a violinist and conductor and the founder of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and her mother, Valerie Popova, was an internationally acclaimed soprano who sung regularly at La Scala in Milan from 1983 to 1986. Pendatchanska studied piano from early childhood and graduated from Bulgaria's National School of Music, where she studied piano and singing. Her mother was her voice teacher. She made her professional debut at age 17 in the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. Two years later she won the Antonín Dvořák Competition in Karlovy Vary. In 1988 she placed second in the International Vocal Competition in Bilbao and went on to win the 1989 UNISA singing competition in Pretoria. Her first international engagement took place in Bilbao, Spain, where she sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Since that career launch in 1989, she

"Esprits de l'air, esprits de l'onde"
Esclarmonde (Massenet)
[Live recording from 1992]

has sung in some of the world's greatest theaters including Teatro dell 'Opera di Roma, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Verdi Trieste, Monte Carlo Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Bregenz Festival, Washington Opera, Hamburgische State Opera, Santa Fe Opera and the Rossini Festival in Pesaro. One of her greatest feats came in November 1992 when she performed the title role in Massenet's Esclarmonde at the Teatro Regio in Turin when she was 22 years old. The role's originator, Sybil Sanderson, was 24 when she created the infamously difficult role. Pendatchanska took on such diverse in her early career as Königin der Nacht in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (Cape Town), Ophelia in Thomas's Hamlet (Monte Carlo, Vienna), Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto (Cardiff, Monte Carlo), Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma (Rome) and Elena in Rossini's La Donna del Lago (New York). From 1997-2001, she sang the roles of

"Essa corre al trionfo!" Ermione (Rossini)

Elisabetta in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, Lucrezia Contarini in Verdi's I due Foscari, Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'Amore, Alaide in Bellini's La Straniera, Madama Cortese in Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims and the title roles of Puccini's Suor Angelica, Rossini's Ermione, Verdi's Luisa Miller. Her current repertoire includes the roles of Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, Vitellia in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito and the title roles of Rossini's Semiramide and Händel's Agrippina. Her orchestral engagements include Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, L'Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Philadelphia Orchestra, L'Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Solisti Veneti, the Russian National Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of the ORF, Vienna Symphony Orchestra and L'Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa

"A vos jeux, mes amis" Hamlet (Thomas)

Cecilia, in works such as Verdi's Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Honegger's Le Roi David, working with such esteemed conductors as Myun-Whun Chung, Charles Dutoit, Eliahu Inbal, Jesús López-Cobos, Nello Santi, Bruno Bartoletti, Maurizio Benini, Bruno Campanella, Daniel Oren, Evelino Pidò, Vladimir Spivakov and René Jacobs. Highlights of recent seasons include the New Year's concert with the Russian National Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov in Moscow; her debut in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées where she sang Stonatrilla in Gassmann's L'Opera Seria conducted by René Jacobs; Rossini's Ermione at the New York City Opera; Giulio Cesare at the Innsbruck Festival; Vivaldi's La Fida Ninfa with the Ensemble Matheus at the Festival d'Ambronay; Don Giovanni in Toulouse; Semiramide and Don Giovanni at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, the Innsbruck Festival Weeks and the Festival in Baden-Baden; Luisa Miller at the German Opera Berlin; a new production of Il Turco in Italia at the Bavarian State Opera; La Clemenza di Tito in Bari, Lyon and at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Other recent performances include the Petite Messe Solennelle under the baton of

"Forse un destin che intendere"
Parisina d'Este (Donizetti)

Riccardo Chailly in Leipzig and London; Orlando Paladino at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin and at the Innsbruck Festival with René Jacobs; new productions of Idomeneo at the Théâtre de La Monnaie in Brussels, Maria Stuarda in Toronto and La Finta Giardiniera at the Theater an der Wien. Her discography includes Glinka's A Life for the Tzar (Sony), Rachmaninov's The Bells (Decca), Donizetti's Parisina d'Este (Dynamics), Sartorio's Giulio Cesare in Egitto (ORF), Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, Don Giovanni and Idomeneo with René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi), an album of Verdi duets with Nicola Ghiuselev and Vladimir Stoyanov (Gega) and two solo recordings titled Opera Arias (Capriccio) and Genuine (Integral Classic). Her performances in Roberto Devereux and I due Foscari are available on DVD. [Source, Source]

Bonus: 20-year old Alexandrina Pendatchanska singing "O zittre nicht" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte: