"What the critics say...

2007-2008 SEASON

Love, Lust & Greed - Sondra brings Manon Lescaut to life in her role debut in Leipzig

"Sondra Radvanovskys' Manon sings with a primal power, making the full range of lust and despair seductively audible as an emotional outburst." (freiepresse.de, 14 May 2008)

"From act to act her voice blossoms ever more radiantly. From that of the young and uncertain woman to the full volume cries of later anguish and pain. Her voice is well guided, even beautiful in its modulation, though perhaps too direct, too self-assured, maybe even too powerful for a Manon split within herself.Her very last words, "my sins will soon be forgotten, my love will be eternal," have the stamp of assured certainty." (Süddeutsche Zeitung, 13 Maz 2008)

"...every facet of this contradictory character is projected through Sondra Radvanovsky's voice - purest joy and darkest despair, elegant seduction and ultimate release from painful torture." (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 13 May 2008)

"Sondra Radvanovsky lends this Manon, who is obliterated by the forces of love, lust and greed, an endlessly rich tableau of colors. Gently exhaled vows of love, sinful vocal nuances ensnaring the men, the harsh metallic thrust of despair. And when, at last, she moans - alone, lost and deserted on an empty stage - not a few in the audience reached for a handkerchief, if they haven't already held it in readiness since the transporting earlier intermezzo, which itself shifted standards." (Leipziger Volkszeitung, 10 May 2008)

As Elvira, Sondra triumphs over the flu on opening night at the Met

"Sondra Radvanovsky, singing through a vocal indisposition, proved to need not a bit of sympathy or indulgence. Hers was the most consistent performance of the evening, an accurate, graceful and impassioned account of every soprano phrase in the score. Her tone was firm over the wide range of this sweeping role, and no ailment jarred those ingratiating high diminuendos that have become a Radvanovsky trademark. This Elvira seemed more spontaneous and less of an automaton than is often the case." (Opera News, 2008)

"Sondra Radvanovsky is a hugely committed artist whose sense of text and strong projection are ideal for Verdi. An affecting actress, Radvanovsky ensured that although Elvira is thrown from one man to the next, she remained an active character, and I was impressed at her ability to ride the orchestra and chorus during the concertati." (Musical Criticism, 11 April 2008)

"The Met's revival is a step up for the evening's Elvira, Sondra Radvanovsky. Hers could well be a major career. She sang with a viral infection, rendering her usually potent soprano occasionally brittle and underpowered. But the important qualities came through: intense and convincing involvement, statuesque presence and sound musicianship." (New York Times, 19 March 2008)

"She gleamed quite nicely through all four acts" (New York Magazine, 18 March 2008)

"While her first notes, the cabaletta "Ernani, involami", is the most difficult in the whole opera, she came out wonderfully... But she not only improved throughout the opera, but in the one duet with her lover, she seemed faultless." (Concerto.net, 17 March 2008)

A superb debut as Elvira in Verdi's Ernani at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste

"Rising to the occasion was Sondra Radvanovsky, able to portray a beleaguered but determined woman, an Elvira of beautiful presence and florid voice, who impresses by the power and flexibility of her voice." (Il Piccolo, November 23, 2007)

"New to us was Sondra Radvanovsky, an American from Chicago, beautiful to look at, who displayed a rich voice, well controlled with luminous high notes and soft accents." (Messaggero Veneto, November 24, 2007)

"Sondra Radvanovsky, Elvira, is blessed with a huge voice... The opening aria, which everyone recognizes as being very difficult because it is sung 'cold', was beautiful with a wealth of colours and shading. Her Elvira is a temperamental young woman, fiercely in love, young and determined, passionate, magnificent. The best moment was in the finale of the opera, when, desperate, she turns on Silva with a savage fury and then immediately begs his forgiveness: the passage between the two opposing states of mind succeeded beautifully, softening the modulation splendidly." (Operaclick, November 24, 2007)

"…the sumptuous Sondra Radvanovsky takes us back to the young Verdi." (La Repubblica, November 11, 2007)

"The young and Junoesque Sondra Radvanovsky created a credible and distressed Elvira and from the vocal standpoint, displayed a powerful and burnished voice, open, capable of controlling the messe di voce and a sustained mezza voce." (ZENO, December 2007)

"One can say the same for the wonderful American Sondra Radvanovsky, who debuted in the role of Elvira...the breath-control is perfect and the tone also which moves in an expressive balance between the clear and darker colours with remarkable ease while remaining always true." (Vita Nuova, November 30, 2007)

"Luminous and fascinating" in her debut as Elena in I Vespri Siciliani in Genoa

"The cast was dominated by the vocal quality and stage presence of Sondra Radvanovsky, an Elena of strong temperament who, in the fourth act, received the warmest and most convincing applause by the entire house (and the only one, perhaps, not benefitting from an organized 'claque." (La Repubblica Genova, October 21, 2007)

"American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky sang Duchess Elena and she gave a totally brilliant performance, in spite of the initial warning that she was suffering a cold. She is one of the most important spinto sopranos of our time, with a dark voice of great beauty, outstanding phrasing and a powerful and bright vocal acuity. Add to all of this her attractive figure and her skills as an actress and it sums up her excellent perfomance...In this role she has no rival nowadays, to my mind." (Seen & Heard, 30 October 2007)

"Sondra Radvanovsky impressed with the fullness and beauty of her voice, creating a sensitive and powerful Elena. Ovations to her. " (Il Secolo XIX, October 20, 2007)

"…the luminous and fascinating Sondra Radvanovsky." (La Repubblica, October 22, 2007)

"…revealed a jewel in Sondra Radvanovsky: a beautiful timbre, a lovely legato, sensitive, with character: a perfect Elena." (Corriere della Sera, October 21, 2007)

"…and if anyone thinks, and not without reason, that the Verdi soprano is extinct, they would be proved wrong by Radvanovsky's Elena - vocally hot, powerful and flexible, lyric and dramatic, capable of agile dominance." (La Stampa, October 22, 2007)

"In the performance on Friday at the Teatro Carlo Felice, of special note were the bass Orlin Anastassov and the soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who interpreted Giovanni da Procida and Elena. They captured completely the power of the characters and left the public breathless with the beauty and warmth of their voices." (Mentelocale, 22 October 2007)

"We place very highly Sondra Radvanovsky, who has even improved her style and her technique since the Paris performances. She is now as at ease in the light passages as she is in the moments of authority. She creates a character of a Racinian violence, noble, sculptural." (lepetitjournal.com, October 23, 2007)

2006-2007 SEASON

Sondra makes her debut with the CSO in Verdi's Requiem

"Two of the Requiem's most affecting sections are the duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano soloist, and here the American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and the Swiss mezzo Yvonne Naef blended voices beautifully.... Radvanovsky made the terror and anguish of 'Libera me' palpable against the chorus' thundering its final shouts of the 'Dies irae.'" (Chicago Tribune, 16 June, 2007)

"Radvanovsky led the final 'Libera me,' essentially an opera scene within a requiem, with power and poignancy."(Chicago Sun-Times, 16 June, 2007)

Sondra "conquered" at the Luminato Festival's Opera Gala - LUNA

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky came and conquered. American-born, she is the leading international Verdian who now calls Toronto home, yet she never sings here. The crowd went crazy for her formidable range, woody-honey voice and impassioned singing." (Classical 96.3, 11 June 2007)

"The moment she began to sing it was clear that this is a performer who was born to do big tragic Italian roles. Her voice was large and radiant, and seemed drenched with tears no matter what she sang. It was almost shocking how much power she could muster in her upper range, though as she proved in the D'amor sul'ali rosee (from Verdi's Il Trovatore) she could also shrink to pianissimo in the same territory with no loss of tone or projection. Her sense of what she was singing was equally expansive: she even squeezed some fresh feeling from a hard-worn excerpt from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (O mio babbino caro)." (Globe and Mail, 11 June 2007)

'Trovatore' stirs Music Hall crowd in Cincinnati

"(The cheers and applause) continued so long after soprano Sondra Radvanovsky's powerfully emotive scene outside Manrico's cell (act IV) that she waved cheerfully for the audience to desist so the opera could continue...Radvanovsky's youth, good looks and creamy, flexible voice with its mezzo-like heft, mark her as a dawning diva." (The Cincinnati Post, 21 May 2007)

"Interest was high for Radvanovsky, who was reared in nearby Richmond, Ind., and inspired to pursue opera after trips to Cincinnati Opera as a girl. Now an international star, she has made Leonore one of her signature roles, performing it more than 135 times.
Hers was a dazzling, enthralling and well-paced performance of this demanding role. One of a new breed of opera singer, Radvanovsky possesses both physical beauty and vocal splendor, with a dusky lower register and rapturous high notes. Her sound filled the hall's immense space like none other.
The soprano's coloratura sparkled in her first act cabaletta, "Di tale amor." She poured out her heart in the emotional Act IV "D'amor sull'ali rosee" (On rosy wings of love) with stunning phrasing, and wiped away a tear at the audience's extended ovation. It was a spectacular scene, set against the hushed chorus intoning "Miserere" and the troubadour singing offstage." (The Enquirer, 20 May 2007)

Sondra makes her role debut as Lina in Stiffelio at Covent Garden

"Sondra Radvanovsky, for a while now a lyric soprano to listen out for, charted the line between conscience, desire and consequence with careful understanding. Her singing was ample of tone, projected with feeling and emotion to amplify her consummate acting abilities. Very much the lynch-pin of the drama, Radvanovsky's Lina forged the required link for the action around her." (Seen and Heard, April 2007)

"Sondra Radvanovsky sings the role of his penitent spouse with a glossy tone and Wagnerian strength. When she lets rip...the sheer size and range of her voice is undeniably thrilling. The top C she sings when she's finally forgiven brings the house down." (Bloomberg, 23 April 2007)

"...her portrayal of Lina, the unfaithful and despairing spouse, was musically and dramatically enthralling. Diva she is and her dynamic stage presence was matched only be her spellbinding, everlasting top notes." (MusicOMH, 23 April 2007)

"I found Sondra Radvanovsky’s performance as Lina even more compelling than Cura’s. ...there was something utterly arresting about her approach to the part that made Lina into a far more active character than I have ever witnessed in performances of this opera before. Lina’s prayer in Act One is usually rather dull, while the upbeat cabaletta to her Act Two aria has always seemed to me to be somewhat out of character. Not here; the combination of Elder and Radvanovsky reaped endless rewards." (Musical Criticism, 21 April 2007)

"One big voice, with a plangently Italianate colour. I loved the sound, the exciting no-holds- barred openness of her singing and there was one moment in act one where her terrible guilt dissolved into prayerful submission, and the biggest of notes became the palest of reflections." (Independent, 24 April 2007)

Sondra reprises one of her most renowned roles, Roxane, in Cyrano de Bergerac in Valencia, Spain

"Sondra Radvanovsky has a voice of extraordinary warmth, power, and flexibility….the soprano exerts a firm control over her breathing which allows for dynamic projection.” (Ópera Actual, March 2007)

"The majority of the applause and the victory, without doubt, was for Sondra Radvanovsky. The North American soprano has an impressive mid-range, solid, dense, homogeneous, with attractive colour and dynamic and tight control. ...she created the character of Roxane with praiseworthy faith and security. She is also a great actress." (MundoClasico, 22 February 2007)

"Sondra Radvanovsky, as Roxane, shone with a powerful voice of a somewhat dark timbre and a magnificent control. Her aria in the third act well deserved the ovation by the audience." (Las Provincias, 13 February 2007)

"Like Domingo, Sondra Radvanovsky perfectly interpreted her role and with superb technical quality. The complicity between the two was evident during the entire opera. One should remember that they have performed these roles together at the Covent Garden in London and the Metropolitan Opera of New York." (Portalatino, 12 February 2007)

"There was much strength in the cast, with another new and very pleasant surprise - the soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as Roxana. The projection of her voice, the delivery and dramatic instinct lent credibility to the character and rightfully excited the public." (La Razón, 13 February 2007)

Festive atmosphere at the Richard Tucker Music Foundation's annual gala

"Sondra Radvanovsky brought dramatic flair and a rich, lustrous sheen to "Ernani, Ernani involami" from "Ernani." (New York Times, 14 November 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky brought an aria from Verdi's "Ernani", and in doing so gave a masterclass on bel canto technique, with perfectly placed pianissimos, messa di voce, runs and trills. Her voice is large and dark (but not artificially so), the quick vibrato adding a quality of vulnerability." (Classical Source, 14 November 2006)

"From Sondra Radvanovsky came a shimmering, penetrating and darkly fluid 'Ernani, involami ... Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernani,' Elvira's florid entrance scena, with the cabaletta sung twice through, from Verdi's 'Ernani.'" (New York Q News, 14 November 2006)

Sondra Radvanovsky brings her "compelling and intense" Leonora to the Lyric Opera of Chicago

"The biggest standout being Illinois-born soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, whose shimmering vocal brilliance in the role of Leonora reminds us that there are still rare Verdi voices around that can adequately fill the cavernous Civic Opera House." (NewCity Chicago, November 2006)

"[Sondra] is one of the most gifted singers of her generation. From the start, Radvanovsky's Leonora is a woman on the edge, akin to a neurasthenic hysteric. The vocal and physical risks she takes are extraordinary as we see someone literally fall apart before our eyes as her predicament worsens. She practically owns the role and is considered the quintessential Leonora at the great opera houses of the world, except Toronto, I may add. Radvanovsky's distinctive, thrilling, spinto voice is marked by a succulent vibrato throughout. Her top is ringing and fulsome, and her bottom notes are rich in tone. Her articulation of language is masterful and her coloratura is precise. The Chicago audience went crazy for her." (Globe and Mail, 9 November 2006)

"Radvanovsky's performance drew wild "bravos" and applause several times during the evening and she clearly was one of the two favorite performers." (Star, 9 November 2006)

"American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky came into her own here on Saturday as Leonora. Her voice is more that of a mezzo -- and that can be just right in this dark opera -- and there is a quality of controlled vibrato to it that conjures up great styles of the past. Her acting is there every minute of the way, as well." (Chicago Sun-Times, 7 November 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky's...vibrant singing gained radiance and expressive intensity as it went along, culminating in an affecting and musicianly account of the heroine's big cavatina, "D'amor sull'ali rosee," that rightly garnered the biggest applause of the evening." (Chicago Tribune, 6 November 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky...adds another jewel to her Lyric Opera resume following her critically acclaimed Susannah in Carlisle Floyd's opera of the same name in 2002-03. The operas of Verdi are at the core of Radvanovsky's international repertoire, and her Leonora is prime territory, having performed it at the Metropolitan Opera and other leading opera houses in Europe and the United States. The tragic final act of "Il trovatore" is where Radvanovsky really makes her mark with "D'amor sull'ali rosee" and "Tu vedrai che amore in terra" two of several examples." (Daily Herald, 5 November 2006)

Sondra makes a marvellous debut at the Vienna Staatsoper as Elena in I vespri siciliani

"In her highly anticipated Staatsoper debut, Sondra Radvanovsky displayed no fear of Elena's treacherous music, which contains the widest tessitura for any Verdi heroine (extending from an E natural above high C to the F-sharp almost three octaves below). Vocally secure, confident and looking gorgeous, Radvanovsky used her rare gifts of natural expression and communication to bring depth to a two-dimensional character. "Arrigo! ah! parli a un core" showcased stunning breath control and ethereal pianissimos, capped by a seamless two-and-a-half octave chromatic run. Coloratura was perfectly enunciated throughout the performance, and the Bolero featured two stunning, sustained trills and a dazzling, secure high E. Radvanovsky triumphantly staked her claim as one of the world's foremost Verdians." (Opera News, December 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky with her confident implicitness made her debut at the Viennese State Opera as Elena, [which was] the rightly celebrated event. The young American proved to have exceptional creativity, which is effective completely irrespective of her environment. Phenomenal technique and a vocal wealth of colour are the prerequisites for her ability to give music the intense, dramatic presence it has had." (Der Standard, 25 September 2006)

"The frightening setting was unbelievably livened-up by the house debut of Sondra Radvanovsky with her first-rate London or New York reputation preceding her. In Vienna she convinced as duchess Elena with her marvellous acting, but above all with the soft timbre of her voice, associated with precise technique. The audience appreciated so much love for verismo with a storm of enthusiasm, especially for Sondra Radvanovsky." (Wiener Zeitung, 26 September 2006)

"It is not easy to cast the parts in 'I vespri siciliani". The Vienna State Opera proved a good hand with the choice of Sondra Radvanovsky for her house debut - a Verdi soprano with dramatic qualities - her voice heavier in the middle range, the highest notes distinctive, yet not too excessive. There may be different opinions about her fast vibrato, personally I found that by this the voice gained even more character. Radvanovsky is a singer with enormous energy and that is definitely what is needed in this part." (Oper in Wien, 26 September 2006)

2005-2006 SEASON

Sondra Returns to Tanglewood for Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Levine's Return to the Podium

Sondra Wows London Audiences with her "gale-force" Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac

"The evening's best music all falls to the lady, and in her Covent Garden debut, Sondra Radvanovsky made the most of it. Hers is an opulent spinto soprano with a glowing top that must blossom in Verdi." (Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky's intensely sung Roxane." (Guardian, 10 May 2006)

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky uses her big warm voice to great effect as Roxane." (Bloomberg, 10 May 2006)

"Roxane, object of Cyrano's secret affections, was sung winningly by American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who has not only a lyrical voice but the stamina to sustain a highly taxing role." (Musical America, 10 May 2006)

"Musically, it has its ups and downs. Roxane is sung by the American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, and she made a superb pairing with Domingo in this, her ROH debut. Unlike most of the other singers, she has the vocal resources to ride the luxuriant orchestration, and in addition, she brought bags of pathos into her acting. The final scene, when Roxane discovers that Cyrano wrote all the love letters that she believed to be from Christian, was intensely moving, the trademark Domingo magic combined with the heartfelt anguish of Radvanovsky (who returns as Lina in Verdi's Stiffelio next year, a part that should suit her down to the ground)." (musicOMH, 9 May 2006)

"For a few magical minutes, with Sondra Radvanovsky's warm soprano making the perfect vocal foil to Domingo's burnished timbre, and with Mark Elder conjuring ravishing sounds from the pit, Alfano's music rises to the level of vintage Verdi." (Independent, 9 May 2006)

"A tenor half [Domingo's] age might balk at having to engage in a sword- fight through his opening aria, but Domingo husbands his top notes and swashbuckles with the best of them, holding his own against the searingly strong soprano of Sondra Radvanovsky's Roxane." (Financial Times, 9 May 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky [possesses a] gale-force voice." (Times, 9 May 2006)

A stirring performance of Rossini's Stabat Mater in London

"In the soprano's "Inflammatus" the impressive Sondra Radvanovsky showed how stirring a strong voice with gleaming tone can be." (Financial Times, 23 March 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky was firm of tone and pitch and always intensely expressive" (Classical Source, 23 March 2006)

An "ethereal" and "dazzling" Leonora in Il Trovatore in Ancona, Italy

"Musically speaking, the most interesting element was the young American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, in one of her rare Italian appearances. The timbre and the quality of her voice leaves the listener breathless, the range, the sureness, the quality of the vocalization, the volume, the control, the generosity with which she confronts the most difficult passages (for example, the high "C" in "Lo giuro a Dio che l'anima tutta mi vede" embracing two octaves in one single phrase). With regard to her interpretation, nevertheless, the personage remained a little in the dark; a question perhaps of accent and diction, a little artificial. As well, there is an absence of a true "messa di voce" : the loud/strong sounds were a little smothered by an unexpected pianissimo. Ms. Radvanovsky needs to work on these aspects, because she has the capacity to become 'the' Verdi soprano, the one everyone talks about." (l'Opera, March 2006)

"The performance of the American soprano was very impressive: clear voice in the whole range, an ethereal pianissimo but still full of sound and dazzling high notes, with unending lines and a legato of the highest level. The great aria in the second act "D'amor sull'ali rosee", with its related cabaletta, integrates all the above comments, and Ms. Radvanovsky well deserved the ovation that followed....Ms. Radvanovsky has little to fear from rivals in this role." (Opera Click, February 2006)

Sondra Returns to the Met in Cyrano

"Sondra Radvanovsky as Roxane has the ideal soprano voice for a big theater like the Met's: clear, penetrating, passionately engaged." (New York Times, 28 January 2006)

"Sondra Radvanovsky's opulent voice and attractive manner made for a fine Roxane, the object of Cyrano's affections as well as those of the cadet Christian. Roxane has some of the opera's most sensuous music and Ms. Radvanovsky delivered it with full-bodied tone, although the quality sometimes turned strident. She and Mr. Barasorda made much of the touching final scene, when Roxane acknowledges to the dying Cyrano that she loves him, notwithstanding his physical peculiarity." (New York Sun, 30 January 2006)

As Rosalinde in the Met's Die Fledermaus

"Sondra Radvanovsky has become an audience favorite, with good reason. In an era of increasing vocal homogenization she wields...a spinto of unique timbre that carries easily to every corner of the auditorium....she's an attractive, likable performer and threw herself into Rosalinde's comedy with gusto, particularly as the masked "Hungarian Countess." Radvanovsky capped her ardent Csárdás with a stunning high D." (Opera News, March 2006)

"It was a pleasure to hear this music in so big and opulent a voice. Ms. Radvanovsky's czardas, in Act II, was Hungarian-hot." (New York Sun, 21 December 2005)

"Sondra Radvanovsky gave an elegant portrayal of Rosalinde, the wife of Gabriel von Eisenstein, the man whose bat costume on a previous occasion lends the work its name. Radvanovsky has excellent diction, important in a production that calls for spoken dialogue in English between the songs, performed in the original German. She also has a clarion voice." (San Fransisco Chronicle, 21 December 2005)

A Triumphant Return to Bilbao in Rusalka

"She attained this [accalmation of the audience], because the American soprano returned to exhibit, as she had in a previous season in "Il Trovatore", a dramatic voice of great quality, a voice of very pleasant colour, full of harmonics, velvety in the centre, steady in the high 'tesitura' and well controlled. In reality, it is not easy to wish more of an artist who sang magnificently and turned out marvellously on the stage." (El Correo, 24 October 2005)

"The nymph Rusalka is served by the greatness of the voice of the soprano Radvanovsky, full in all: extension, width, diction, emission, registration and shine. Everything it undertook was charged with brightness." (Diariovasco, 25 October 2005)

2004-2005 SEASON

Sondra is wonderful at the Bregenzer Festspiele

"As Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky further staked her claim as a true Verdi lirico-spinto. The voice is of a perfect weight, hefty in the middle and lower passages but capable of soaring to the optional E-flat at the end of Act I. The timbre is simultaneously dusky and silvery and the phrasing breathtaking. The arched trio of arias that begins Act IV was astounding: leisurely-paced, luxuriantly phrased, and including a high C tossed into the Miserere." (Opera News, November 2005)

"[The] size and character [of Sondra Radvanovsky's soprano] have made her in justifiable demand. Her Leonora is highly accomplished, and she sings the high-flying slurs people wait for in her fourth-act aria exquisitely. She even has a trill.." (International Herald Tribune, 17 August 2005)

"Sondra Radvanovsky shows she has chops: a reedy lirico-spinto alternates high notes, and breath control and colouring to make Leonora's arias object lessons in style and elegance." (Financial Times, 10 August 2005)

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky conquers the elements, the electronic sound enhancement and the audience of nearly 7,000 people. She makes us forget that this is outdoor opera, employing brilliant technique to convey superhumanemotions despite the huge arena." (Bloomberg, 27 July 2005)

"The soprano Sondra Radvanovsky...sounded thrilling and looked luscious." (Musical America, 29 July 2005)

"Sondra Radvanovsky's Leonora enthralled with sensitively applied notes in the highest piano range; sure coloratura and expressive consummation outweighed some harshness" (Die Presse, 23 July 2005)

"Radvanowsky's Leonore outshines everything, breath-taking in love and sorrow, with pianissimi, which oblige one to hold one's breath and which transmit within one second more of the magic of the opera than the two hours of Carlsen's stage-direction" (Der Standard, 22 July 2005)

"Radvanovsky offers a Leonora which radiates over everything, facinating in love and suffering, with a breathtaking pianissimo, which lets us feel in one second more of the magic of the opera than the two hous of Carsen's direction." (Der Standard, 22 July 2005)

"To find suitable Verdi singers is at the present time one of the greatest difficulties. In Bregenz the roles have up to three casts. Sondra Radvanovsky, outstanding during opening night. She transmits to Leonora a radiating power and the right vocal mixture between lyrical coloratura and powerful drama, also the sensitivity for subtle, only sometimes thin sounding melos." (Der Ölprinz, July 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky excels at the Houston Grand Opera as Leonora in Il Trovatore

"In her 101st (!) performance as Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky commanded supple cantilena, long-drawn diminuendos and pealing high notes. " (Opera, May 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky is wonderful at the Metropolitan Opera Guild's tribute concert to Renata Tebaldi

"Another singer was Sondra Radvanovsky, the soprano from Illinois, who has just finished a big season at the Met. She sang an extremely hard aria: "D'amor sull'ali rosee" (from Verdi's "Il Trovatore"). In the main, Miss Radvanovsky handled it well, with great long breaths, and expert soft singing. Interpretively, she was somewhat self-indulgent, but she did not spoil the piece." (The New York Sun, 25 May 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky is excellent as Roxanne in the Met's production of Cyrano de Bergerac

"Sondra Radvanovsky’s throbbing soprano creates a positively radiant Roxane..." (New York Magazine, 23 May 2005)

"In the role of Roxane - one of the world's most demanding girlfriends - was Sondra Radvanovsky, the soprano from Illinois. She has had a big season at the Met: appearing as Elena in Verdi's "Vespri Siciliani"; appearing as Elisabetta in another Verdi opera, "Don Carlo"; and now in "Cyrano de Bergerac." She was at the top of her game, the voice huge, but radiant, beautiful - and on pitch. Ms. Radvanovsky's high notes were thrilling, as was her singing at large." (The New York Sun, 18 May 2005)

"With her girlish and high-spirited Roxane, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky capped a triumphant Met season that saw her emerge as a full-fledged star. Her sound is tense, an unusual amalgam of light and dark - not a conventionally pretty instrument. But how it glows and soars during the rapturous balcony scene, and how it ripens with sorrow when she tells the dying Cyrano that each person must bear his own wound."(New York Newsday, 17 May 2005)

"The soprano Sondra Radvanovsky brings a rich, tremulous soprano voice and affecting intensity to the role of Roxane." (The New York Times, 16 May 2005)

"In the role of Roxane, the soprano Sondra Radvanovsky had a triumph, singing with a dark but slightly warbling tone, a sense of vulnerability, yet a voice of apparently limitless resources. " (The Washington Post, 15 May 2005)

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky was luminous as Roxane, her passionate outbursts showing off her powerful upper register to good effect." (The Associated Press, 14 May 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky shines in I Vespri Siciliani

"Sondra Radvanovsky, a young American soprano who’s been climbing the treacherous slope of Verdi dramatic heroines with increasing aplomb since winning the Met’s National Council Auditions in 1995...she cut a most alluring figure, and when she whipped up the courage of the long-suffering Sicilians in the opening scene with a fusillade of full-blooded coloratura, some old-timers were saying that they hadn’t heard such inflammatory brilliance since Callas was in her prime, 50 years ago." (New York Observer, 26 April 2005)

Bernard Holland commenting on Sondra Radvanovsky's performance of "D'amor sull'ali rosee" from Verdi's Il Trovatore.

"This was singing of stunning breadth and beauty." Ms. Radvanovsky is a former winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. (The New York Times, 22 March 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky captured the character of Elizabeth in Verdi's Don Carlo at the Metropolitan Opera House

"... the cast was a strong one. Ms. Radvanovsky continually impressed as Elizabeth, with heartrending pathos, and a ringing tone with impressively secure intonation. Few sopranos would be able to penetrate Verdi's dense orchestration in the more powerfully scored group scenes, and Radvanovsky could always be discerned on top of the ensemble. Equally compelling, she acted the part with complete confidence and conviction." (MusicWeb International, 2 April 2005)

"... Sondra Radvanovsky, who, as the suffering Princess Elizabeth, was commanding and angelic. Her voice wafted richly and warmly around..." (The Columbian Spectator, 24 March 2005)

"Sondra Radvanovsky sang Elizabeth with an intense and resigned glow, a woman shackled to a nasty despot seeking passion from an impotent pretender."(Newsday, 7 March 2005)

"As Elizabeth the soprano Sondra Radvanovsky gave a performance that you wanted to admire. She captured the character's tragic bearing and sang with bright, big sound and deep expressivity." (The New York Times, 5 March 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky is Triumphant as Lenora in Il Trovatore

"Yet it was Radvanovsky’s night for triumph. Still in the first decade of a career focused largely on Verdi, she has made Leonora her signature role. She employs her richly hued voice with ease and -- although a modern woman would have the sense to escape this matted mess immediately -- she made Leonora both credible and sympathetic. The intensity of her portrayal grew throughout the evening." (Musical America, 9 February 2005)

Sondra Radvanovsky Makes a Thrilling Elena in the Met Opera's 1st I Vespri Siciliani in 22 Years

"The soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, a compelling actress, won deserved ovations as Elena. ...she sang with tremulous intensity, soaring tone, fearless high notes and affecting sensitivity." (New York Times, 11 November 2004)

"Two nights ago, the Metropolitan Opera heard some of the finest singing it has heard in recent memory - from the American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. Ms. Radvanovsky took the role of Elena, which is an extremely rewarding role, when done well. This soprano did it surpassingly well. She has a beautiful and unusual instrument, which throbs a bit - sometimes a lot - and which covers a vast territory. She can go from bottled mezzo to high, free soprano in a second. In fact, that she did, at least once during the night. She is lovely in cantilena and agile in coloratura. Her trills are genuine, not fake. What's more, she is a smart singer, in various respects. She knows how to pace herself, not "spending" too much too early. She is not an emoter, does not chew scenery, even when the score or libretto might tempt her. Therefore, she is all the more effective in whatever she is doing onstage. I could list details, but Ms. Radvanovsky is a bundle of what we must refer to as "intangibles." She engages you and touches you in ways hard to describe. She is an uncanny communicator, sometimes reminding me of the great Polish contralto Ewa Podles. And there is more than a hint of Maria Callas in her, frankly - in the sound of the voice, in the intelligence of her approach, and in the possession of those "intangibles." Night after night, opera can be hohum, until someone comes along to remind you why millions have been entranced by this art - and Ms. Radvanovsky provided just such an experience." (New York Sun, 10 November 2004)

"Radvanovsky gave a supercharged performance and softened the character's extremes with subtleties of her own devising. It takes some finesse to make that denouement truly tragic, but Radvanovsky managed, thanks to the combination of agility and fierce grace." (NewsDay, 11 November 2004)

"As Elena, Sondra Radvanovsky displayed a soprano of good Verdian heft with a slightly fluttery quality that can detract the smoothness and luster of the voice. She was at her best in the vocal display of the so-called Bolero (crowned by an unwritten, applause- eliciting high note) but also made a strong dramatic moment of the haunting strophic aria in Act 4, with its descending chromatic scale that seems to go on for about three octaves." (Musical America, 11 November 2004)

2003-2004 SEASON

Sondra Radvanovsky Stuns LA Audiences and Critics in Il Trovatore

"As the soprano pours herself into the role, she also pours out a stream of really luscious sound...the voice is a thrill." (LA Times, May 29, 2004)

"Her voice a rich, dark-toned instrument beautifully managed, her technique as close to flawless as never mind." (Variety, June 1, 2004)

"Sondra Radvanovsky lent Leonora plenty of tortured pathos, her impassioned account of "Tu vedrai che amore in terra" in the opera's fourth act clearly a Callas moment." (Daily News, June 3, 2004)

"Radvanovsky's Leonora is lovely and youthful, vocally courageous (she sings one heart-rending section of an aria with her back to the audience). It is a star turn, with her acting as wonderful as her singing." (Press-Telegram, May 29, 2004)

"Sondra Radvanovsky -in her 30s and with some history in workshops here at UCLA and USC but only now come into her own -has the ideal voice for the put-upon Verdi heroine. She has the dark throb that evokes the sounds of the magical past -of Leontyne, of Maria, ofZinka on her good nights, and their power to draw tears from a turn of phrase (most of all in the magical sequence of arias at the start of Act 4). Beyond all of that she also commands, or did on opening night, an ease of coloratura only sporadically vouchsafed to those goddesses of the past; she is, in other words, a Find." (LA Weekly, June 3, 2004)

"Radvanovsky's rendition of 'D'amor sull' ali rosee' is as luminescent as opera gets" (LA Downtown News, June 7, 2004)

"The dark soprano of Sondra Radvonovsky cloaks power and control in a shimmering flute-like iridescence. She strings out her high notes and whittles them down to the barest pianissimo without losing an ounce of support or tone." (Ocean Park Gazette, May 29, 2004)

"Loud applause and "bravos" could be heard multiple times after the end of pieces sung by Radvanovsky, and rightly so. She has a versatile voice with an unbelievable range." (Daily Bruin, June 2004)

A Triumphant Role Debut as Queen Elizabeth in the San Diego Opera's Don Carlo

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky made a radiant Elisabetta di Valois, regal in voice and bearing but touchingly vulnerable in her final “Tu che le vanità.” (Opera News, July 2004)

"It's hard to pick out highlights of the production, since the quality meter is so high from end to end, but in her first performance as Spain's Queen Elizabeth, Radvanovsky drew the evening's biggest raves. Her soaring voice is huge but effortlessly controlled with an attractive, clear tone that peaks in her final-act aria 'Tu, che le vanita.'" (North County Times, April 1, 2004)

"The clear favorite was Sondra Radvanovsky...she sang as if on loan from the celestial choir. We heard her three years ago in 'Il Trovatore' but she must be brought back sooner and more often." (SanDiego.com, March 28, 2004)

"Huge-voiced Sondra Radvanovsky had the high notes, the low notes and everything in between for her regal portrayal of the Queen of Spain." (San Diego Union-Tribune, March 29, 2004)

A "dramatically compelling" Violetta in the Dallas Opera's La Traviata

"There's much hand-wringing at the current shortage of Verdian singers. Sondra Radvanovsky, the American soprano who plays the consumptive courtesan Violetta Valéry, certainly has the power for the job, and she goes at it with a quasi-Callas wildness." (Dallas Morning News, January 31, 2004)

"American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, in the role of Violetta, was dramatically compelling as the courtesan who sacrifices love for honor." (Star Telegram, January 31, 2004)

A Return Sensation in Paris as Leonora in Il Trovatore

"the sweetest and most intense moments came from the Leonora of Sondra Radvanovsky: graceful figure, pure voice and, incredible project, velvet timbre, but the American soprano, already impessive in Les Vêpres Siciliennes at the Bastille last June, sent shivers up the spine of the public from the moment she sang "Tracea la notte placida" and rightly received the lion's share of the applause. A name to remember, because she is certainly a rising star in today's lyric world." (La Libre Belgique, 26 October 2003)

"Her exceptional timbre, at once luminous and of an unusual texture, is spread evenly across the whole tessitura (even if there is a certain fragility in the extreme contrasts with a majestic projection), the vocalisation is careful but accomplished, the line of a remarkable musicality, with a bewitching effect ("d'amor sul'alli rosee" otherwise taken at a funereal pace by Benini). Angelicism and power combine in an almost ideal way in this Leonora who finds in Italian the expressive horizons that the French of Vêpres didn't permit" (ConcertoNet, 27 October 2003)

"His Leonora is the impressive Sondra Radvanvosky who clears all the difficult hurdles with brio" (Financial Times, 29 October 2003)

"The Leonora of Sondra Radvanovsky is supreme. From her first aria…we know that we are about to hear something magnificent, and we do." (Le Canard Enchainé, October 29, 2003)

2002-2003 SEASON

Sondra Radvanovsky at the Tanglewood Festival

"The sheer beauty of the piece was captured most heart-rendingly...by the piercing delicacy of soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. Her pleas for God's mercy for herself in the ''Recordare'' and for humanity in general during the ''Libera Me'' ... were the most gorgeous part of a gorgeous evening. It's easy to see why Radvanovsky has drawn so much attention to herself of late. With her pleas for mercy and redemption she is a perfect Verdi heroine, visually and vocally, and after her performance in the Requiem, unless God is tone-deaf, she won't have to worry about admittance up above." (Boston Globe, August 4, 2003)

"Over the chorus' cries for deliverance, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky's big, gleaming voice floated rapturously. Throughout the evening, that voice soared with purity above even the mightiest climaxes. ...the things that stick in the mind most from this wet evening are the effortless splendor of Radvanovsky's voice, even in the vocal stratosphere." (Berkshire Eagle, August 3, 2003)

Sondra Radvanovsky - Dramatic and Radiant in Les Vêpres Siciliennes!

"Best of all was Sondra Radvanovsky, whose Hélène was excitingly alive. This American soprano has all the amplitude Verdi requires, with a dusky top and the technique to move freely around the upper register." (Opera, September 2003)

"It was the young American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, singing Hélène with dramatic flourish and lyric radiance, who roused the audience from her first entry." (International Herald Tribune, 1 July 2003)

"Not since I first heard the young Cheryl Studer 20 years ago have I been so excited by a soprano voice. It has a tender, softly coloured personality, with a light tremolo that blossoms at the top. It's also perfectly controlled - notably in Hélène's Act Five Bolero, which Radvanovsky despatches fearlessly. She looks good and knows how to act. I can't wait to hear her Violetta." (Financial Times, June 19, 2003)

"Sondra Radvanovsky dominated the stage with her beautiful and dramatic voice, one large enough to fill the cavenerous Bastille Opera." (New York Times, 2 July 2003)

At the Metropolitan Opera in Don Giovanni

"Sensational soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as Donna Anna is surely the next major American opera superstar. She can bring her voice down to mezzo-voce or unleash a powerhouse of sound on cue. She also possesses such a beautiful vibrato that her voice is utterly distinctive - once heard, never forgotten - and she absolutely commands the stage." (Paula Citron, Classical 96.3 FM, February 19, 2003)

"Sondra Radvanovsky…explosive Donna Anna." (Financial Times, January 29, 2003)

Sondra Radvanovsky debuts in Chicago!

"Radvanovsky provides a breathtaking performance, epitomized by her two arias that come in the first and second acts. ...the soprano's voice manages to stretch skyward while still cradling the earth in emotional tenderness." (Suburban Life, October 9, 2002)

"Sondra Radvanovsky as Susannah [made] a radiant debut in the title role… Radvanovsky's singing was immediately compelling. Her voice combines clarity and sweetness with surprising richness in lower registers and ringing power in its highest reaches. Floyd's Susannah may be unschooled in worldly guiles, but the commanding quality of Radvanovsky's voice revealed the young woman's uncompromising core. Hers was a Susannah of strongly held beliefs, and her transformation from innocence to bitter cynicism is sadly convincing." (Chicago SunTimes, October 2, 2002)

"Radvanovsky earned the loud ovation that greeted her first Susannah. Radvanovsky is a dark-haired beauty whose big, vibrant, penetrating voice, which also revealed a melting legato in Susannah's aria and ballad, suggests she may be the exciting Verdi spinto soprano the world is waiting for." (Chicago Tribune, October 2, 2002)

"Radvanovsky's two great arias, "Ain't It a Pretty Night" and "The Trees on the Mountains" are major high points, most deserving of the cheering ovations she received at Monday's opening-night performance." (Chicago Daily Herald, October 2, 2002)

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky's big, rich sound and easy command both high and low are impressive, and she has a firm grasp of Floyd's phrasing. She's a tall, athletic type, with a wonderful animal way of moving. Her Susannah is intelligent and bursting with life at the outset." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, October 29, 2002)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPTS ARCHIVE

"The most delectable discovery of the evening was Radvanovsky, the Berwyn-born diva who will assume the lead in Susannah. Beautiful and statuesque, with a voice of shining vibrancy, she made something special of the Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin." (Chicago Tribune, review of Lyric Opera of Chicago's Gala in the Park, September 10, 2002)

"[Radvanovsky] sang the difficult music combining exquisite lyricism and dazzling coloratura with confidence and skill. She conveyed the conflict between her gaiety and her fate with her highly expressive face and dusky-toned voice." (Houston Chronicle, July 29, 2002, review of Santa Fe Opera's La Traviata)

"Radvanovsky can act the paint off those dingy sets. There hasn't been such a realistic series of death-gasps on the Met stage since Mirella Freni's Adriana Lecouvreur, and it was nothing to laugh at." (Opera News, February 2002, review of the Metropolitan Opera's Luisa Miller)

"Big-voiced, solidly dramatic"
(Opera News, February 2001, review of Concert at the Metropolitan Opera)

"Radvanovsky...suggested that the Verdi soprano may not be extinct after all."
(Opera, January 2001, review of Concert at the Metropolitan Opera)

"When the singers took their bows at the end of the performance, the storm of enthusiastic applause rose dramatically at the appearance of Sondra Radvanovsky who sang Tatiana. Indeed, this is a soprano who sang with personality and a voice with projection and luminous power, ... she was emotionally as touching as she was solid technically. "
(Koelner Stadtanzeiger, October 2/3, 2000, review of Cologne Opera's production of Eugene Onegin)

"The big voice with its fast vibrato reminds you of the great sopranos from years ago, and this singer is able to give this material a high degree of drama and electricity."
(Das Opernglas, October, 2000, review of Spoleto Festival's production of Luisa Miller)

"Radvanovsky is drop-dead gorgeous, intelligent and a grand actress, who ravishingly employs an immense voice. Seldom does one hear such a smooth vocal line."
(Opera Canada, Summer 2000, review of San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"Radvanovsky acts as much as she sings. Her characters are known to roll and crawl and skip and twirl."
(The Post and Courrier, June 7, 2000, review of Spoleto Festival's production of Luisa Miller)

"It is an undeniably, irresistibly impressive voice, and Radvanovsky uses it with superlative musicianship, always paying careful attention to details of ornamentation and dynamic shading."
(Opera News, May 2000, review of San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"She applied her cool, bright, essentially lyric resources to the complex challenge at hand with generosity and intelligence."
(Financial Times, London, May 31, 2000, review of Spoleto Festival's production of Luisa Miller)

"Ms. Radvanovsky...owns a magnificent voice and uses it magnificently. She can do everything a great soprano is supposed to do: sing low and high, loud and soft, fast and slow. She can even trill. ... If there is one singer Sondra Radvanovsky recalls, it is Maria Callas. Ms. Radvanovsky not only recalls Callas in that great singer's vocal timbre, but in her musicianship, in her innate feel for a phrase, her ability to imagine an emotion and color her voice with it."
(The Post and Courier, May 28, 2000, review of Spoleto Festival's production of Luisa Miller)

"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky gave a glorious focus to Luisa's music. Her voice has a reedy quality which gives it the quality of an oboe, rather than the flute-like or violin-like sounds of others who sing Verdi. Her dramatic presence was assured, and she carried off well the director's conception of Luisa going gradually mad from beginning to the end of the opera."
(The Post and Courier, May 27, 2000, review of Spoleto Festival's production of Luisa Miller)

"Radvanovsky produced some truly transcendental moments."
(New Castle News, February 2000, review of the Pittsburgh Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"[Her voice] is sheer steel, beautifully and intelligently employed. Her technique is absolutely flawless. Seldom does one hear such a smooth line with no breaks. The voice has an almost alarming edge in some of its range, sharper by far than Manrico's sword; and yet, when needed, it melts like butter, providing breath-taking moments of great beauty, with striking florid parts."
(La Jolla Village News, January 26, 2000, San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"Radvanovsky's voice is voluminous, effortlessly resonant and beauteous; ... she sang Leonora's challenging arias with aplomb."
(Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2000, review of San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"It is an undeniably and irresistibly impressive voice. And she uses it with superlative musicianship for maximum emotional expression. Her attention to and execution of details is marvelous. Listen to those trills, those dynamic shadings! Surely she is on the cusp of a sensational career."
(San Diego Magazine, January 2000, San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"The ring she produced was so brilliant that overtones were spinning off the proscenium." (San Diego Register, January 2000, San Diego Opera's production of Il Trovatore)

"Her voice [is] exciting in a most fascinating way. There is a real, animal quality about the sound, a lush amplitude. It is not just another attractive, strong soprano, but a voice imbued with terrific personality, issuing from the throat of a girl who knows how to throw herself into a role."
(Performing Arts, December 1999)

"She possesses a voice of classic size and beauty, deployed with a fine sense of line and portamento."
(Opera News, January 1999, review of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Carmen)

"Sondra Radvanovsky's Anna combined Verdian vocal heft with Mozartean elegance." (Opera News, January 17, 1998, review of the Portland Opera's Don Giovanni)

"For sheer vocal richness, no one matched Sondra Radvanovsky as Donna Anna. She showed remarkable promise with a big, well-integrated voice. ... Maria Callas would have loved her. She once said that Mozart is sung too delicately, 'as though singers were on tiptoes'." Sing Mozart like Verdi, Callas advised. Radvanovsky did."
(The Oregonian, September 29, 1997, review of the Portland Opera's Don Giovanni)

Last Updated: June 18, 2008

© 2002 Moira Johnson Consulting, All Rights Reserved