Reviews

Donizetti’s LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Reviews from U.S. debut tour – winter 2006
and fall 2006 U.S. tour

“The Bulgarian opera company Teatro Lirico d'Europa made its annual return to the Garde Arts Center Thursday night to stage Donizetti's vocal showpiece “Lucia di Lammermoor” with a cast well worth showing off.

The heart of the opera — the tale of poor Lucia, forced into marriage and forced to abandon her true love, Edgardo — is the third act mad scene, one of the touchstones of the operatic repertoire and perhaps the greatest coloratura showpiece in the repertoire. And in the mad scene, Yudina was superb.

In the mad scene, Lucia appears in her bloodstained nightgown before the guests who have attended her forced marriage, having used a few dagger thrusts in the wedding chamber to lose both her new husband and her marbles. In a long spell-binding sequence, Yudina traversed the spectrum of bel canto technique, from pinpoint staccato coloratura to long, liquid lines in her gorgeous mid-voice. At her most dramatic, gasping “il fantasma” again and again in horror, she was riveting, and at her most winsome, recapping the tenderness of the earlier love duet “Ah! Verranno a te sull'amore,” she brought the emotional cycle full circle.

In every featured moment, the attractive soprano never once cut corners, never cheating the audience out of a thrilling finish. Yudina pushed to the top of her range in the finale to every aria, duet and set piece and was as solid at the top as she was flexible in her mid-range.

The other key principals were nearly as fine as Yudina. American baritone Theodore Lambrinos was vocally winning and Ukrainian tenor Igor Borko was strong and effortless as Edgardo. Russian basso Mikhail Kolelishvili dominated the stage and rattled the foundations as Raimondo.”
THE DAY – Milton Moore – Oct. 2006

“A very fine LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR last night presented by Teatro Lirico d'Europa at the Garde Arts Center in New London. This company continues to showcase excellent eastern European singers with very competent accompaniment by an orchestra also from eastern Europe and crackerjack staging by Artistic Director Giorgio Lalov.

The unit set by Valentine Topencharov with central stairs and platform and side walls, both looking like cement blocks, was very functional, even for the wedding party. Lighting changed to brighten up the disastrous wedding party and to darken the first scenes and the last, which occur before dawn. Flats were brought in at the back for scene changes, and Edgardo's "Tomba degli avi miei" was at stage front in the last scene. All that I missed was a fountain for Act I sc. 2, though one of the side constructions could have been taken for it.

Bulgarian conductor Krassimir Topolov, TLE's principal conductor, conducted with spirit in good Donizetti style.

Our Lucia, Mariinsky soprano Larissa Yudina, was the star of the evening. I have never heard nor seen a better Lucia mad scene than hers. Yudina, who has sung under Valery Gergiev, Gianandrea Noseda, and Constantine Orbelian, is a coloratura di forza; and her final high notes in arias are full and round, rather than the thin ones we sometimes hear from coloraturas di grazia. Her technique is flawless: perfectly placed and timed staccati in the mad scene, smoothly flowing roulades, rich tone and seamless motion through the registers. She is also lovely in appearance, but her move into madness showed on her face and in body movement from dancing before her imagined Edgardo to tottering and then fainting at the end of the mad scene. Stage director Lalov should no doubt be credited for the perfectly convincing physical portrait of the deranged Lucia which Yudina embodied. It served the music admirably. Yudina will be singing Gilda with TLE in Boston tonight and on other dates the Queen of the Night with TLE's Mozart company. She has a busy European career, so TLE has been lucky to have her for their fall and winter seasons in the U.S.

Ukrainian tenor Igor Borko sang a strong Edgardo, in the first act duet with Yudina and particularly in his final scene. He also possesses tonal richness, and his high notes were right on the mark. He looked like the kind of man Lucia would fall in love with.

Theodore Lambrinos, whom we saw in a number of Vincent La Selva's Verdi
operas in Central Park, also sang strongly as Enrico, and was made up to show the character's villainy and also his remorse during the very well sung sextet.
Russian-Georgian bass Mikhail Kolelishvili movingly sang Raimundo's tale of finding the dead Arturo with plenty of vocal depth. He cut a good figure as the minister. A Mariinski singer and finalist in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, he is making his American debut this season with TLE.”
OPERA L- John Deredita – Oct. 2006

Gifted Russian Singers lift Teatro's LUCIA
"There were two gifted singers from the Kirov Opera as the star-crossed lovers, soprano Larissa Yudina and tenor Evgeni Akimov. Yudina's voice boasts an unusual coloration, ample and accurate flexibility, a neat trill, and flaming top notes. In the Mad Scene she was both spectacular and touching. Akimov is a real find, the best tenor Teatro Lirico has brought to Boston since Roumen Doikov. He's got a strong, attractive lyric voice and sings and acts with persuasive passion. Bass, Viacheslav Pochapsky made a sonorous and sympathetic priest. As the villain Enrico, American baritone James Bobick strode with malevolent swagger and sang forcefully. The cheering audience was clearly happy."
BOSTON GLOBE - Richard Dyer – Feb. 2006

VOICES TRIUMPH! LUCIA sends opera lovers to Scotland, 1835
"Teatro Lirico D'Europa delivered handsomely last night where it really counts; in the voice department. They sure did sing. The lovely, supple voice of Soprano Larissa Yudina suited the role so well delivering Lucia's pearl-like notes with confidence ease, beauty and real style. Tenor Evgeny Akimov as her true love, sang handsomely and with a forceful passion. Baritone James Bobick, as Lucia's greedy brother Enrico, made a strong, positive impression, and Viacheslav Pochapsky filled the role of Raimondo vividly with his black-as night bass. Conductor Topolov led the music with real spirit and a strong understanding of the singers needs."
BOSTON HERALD - T. J. Medrek – Feb. 2006

TOWERING PERFORMANCES ELEVATE LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR SCORING ANOTHER BIG SUCCESS FOR TEATRO LIRICO
"Singing the role of Lucia, was Larissa Yudina, a lovely coloratura soprano with a set of pipes and manner of punctuated delivery that was perfection in every way. Her Lucia displayed, both vocally and through her gestures, an emotional attachment to the role that, when joined with the manner of her fluid, flawless delivery, cast a spell over the audience that remained unbroken to the very end. Cast in the lead of her lover, Edgardo, was Russian tenor, Evgeni Akimov. This grand singer; this grand voice is what going to opera is all about. When he sings the walls shake and the ceiling lifts, and the audience is simply swept away in the power and grandeur of perfect tone and technique that is virtuosic in its sheer luminescence. I saw this fine singer perform in Teatro's earlier production of "La Boheme" and noted that his performance went "thermonuclear". Nothing has changed. Akimov acts. He moves. He gestures. He emotes feeling. He is the character - and that, to this reviewer, is what cements a performance and elevates a production, particularly when it is shared by every other performer on stage. Also, doing a superb job last night was Russian basso Viacheslav Pochapsky. Mr. Popchapsky has a solid stage presence and last night delivered a powerful vocal performance with a deep, resonant and remarkably melodic bass that was nothing short of commanding. Cast in the role of Lucia's scheming brother, Enrico, was baritone James Bobick, who displayed fine singing form and a strong, solid voice. The score was rendered well and the orchestra performed just fine under the apt direction of Krassimir Topolov. This production was marked by fine sets and even, moody lighting that played off the backgrounds nicely and gave this production warmth. This is a production worth seeing because of the remarkable singing and a score that is, at times, hypnotic. Towering performances elevate this "Lucia," scoring another big success for Teatro Lirico D'Europa!”
OPERAONLINE.US - Paul Walkowski – Feb. 2006

"After the Boston Lyric Opera's arty production of Donizetti's French revision of his most famous opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, it was refreshing to have the familiar Italian version back. With a strong cast, Lucia is as foolproof as La Boheme. Young coloratura Larissa Yudina has an extremely pretty, expressive voice that rises into the stratosphere, with real trills. Her "Mad Scene," was a vocal and dramatic triumph. Tenor Evgenyi Akimov's voice combines power and color with good dramatic instincts. Baritone Vladimir Samsonov, hilarious as Rossini's barber last season, was equally effective as a snarling villain. Bolshoi bass Viacheslav Pochopsky, Teatro Lirico's unforgettable Boris Godunov, sang magnificently as Lucia's confessor. And Bulgarian mezzo, Viara Zhelezova, so winning as Rossini's Rosina, made something real and touching of the tiny role of Lucia's maid. They all sang their hearts out. What fun!"
BOSTON PHOENIX - Lloyd Schwartz – Feb. 2006

“As the tormented Lucia, Larissa Yudina handled the famous coloratura runs during the wedding reception scene when Lucia, bloodstained and totally bonkers, matches notes with a nightingale in a deluded wedding song. It’s an aria
so difficult some productions whack it if they can’t find a soprano up to its rigors.

This is an opera with a freight train full of baggage. Teatro Lirico is obviously aware of that, having created its best touring stage yet for the production and putting the strongest principals they have in it. Evgeni Akimov is foremost among them as the lovesick Edgardo with a strong dramatic presence to match a powerful, fluid tenor voice. As Lucia’s shameless brother Enrico, Vladimir Samsonov’s strong baritone is a good fit for this role. So is Viacheslav Pochapsky’s Raimondo. Lucia has all eyes however, for her thrilling solos.”
NAPLES DAILY NEWS – Harriet Howard Heithaus – Ma