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"What the critics
say...
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2007-2008 SEASON
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
"Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky , a little over a decade
ago a Tanglewood Music Center fellow, offered a darkly dramatic
timbre and spectacular high notes." (Boston
Globe, 8 July 2006)
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: January 9, 2008
© 2002 Moira Johnson Consulting,
All Rights Reserved
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