julia lezhneva with decca solo cd - next superstar or forgotten next year?

Julia Lezhneva. Alleluia. CD. 2013. Motets by Vivaldi, Händel, Porpora and Mozart. Giovanni Antonini conduct Il Giardino Armonico.

Born in Russia in 1989, from 2008 a student at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, winner of several competitions and a protegé of Kiri Te Kanawa. Hyped as few other young singers and now releasing her first solo CD under her new contract with Decca after her 2011 disc of Rossini arias released on Naïve.

On stage, she appears mostly in concert versions of the likes of La Cenerentola, a well-paced, reasonable programme for a 23-year old, who needs time to grow. When I heard her a couple of years ago in Salzburg in Il Rossignol as the cook, I thought she was superb.


Soprano or mezzo-soprano? Decca markets her as a soprano. Wikipedia says "soprano and coloratura mezzo-soprano". Probably in-between, with a small preponderance towards mezzo, I´d say, however at her age anything may happen. This present disc contains motets by Vivaldi, Händel, Porpora and Mozart.

The positive aspects first: She is 23. How many singers that age can perform like she does? Not many.Her coloratura technique is impressive and especially her middle register is beautiful.

The remaining slightly negative aspects: Whether she is 23 or 86 really is of no importance. This is a CD, and thus she compares with the likes of Sandrine Piau, Arleen Auger, Kiri Te Kanawa and Barbara Bonney, who all have recorded at least parts of the same repertoire, especially the Exultate Jubilate (Mozart K165). And while Julia Lezhneva´s voice is more than pleasant, I find no individuality whatsoever in neither characterization or delivery.

Julia Lezhneva is barely 23 and "one of the youngest artists to be celebrated like this", I read somewhere. Obviously that was meant as a compliment, but what now? She needs (like everyone her age) to grow into an adult, mature artist and that, inevitably takes time. And with initial high-exposure like this, it may not be too easy for her to manage. Really, she does look like a sweet young child on that cover.As always, however, we shall have to wait and see.

However, Cecilia Bartoli was 23 when she released her debut solo CD with Rossini arias in 1989 - also on Decca. The difference between these two at the same age is staggering. Bartoli was clearly an individual performer at 23, while Lezhneva is not.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average): 3

olga peretyatko

Olga Peretyatko - La bellezza del canto. München Rundfunkorchester conducted by Miguel Gomes-Martinez.

Olga Peretyatko is a Russian soprano, born in St. Petersburg 1980. Initially in the childrens choir at the Mariinsky theater, she received her formal training at Hans Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Between 2005-7 she was a member of the Young Artist programme at the Hamburg State Opera and has continued as a freelance from then on. Earlier this year she jumped into the opening of Elisir d´Amore in Baden-Baden and her career is definitely on the rise with a Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2013-14 season as Elvira in I Puritani.

Based on this CD it is clear why. Hers is a very clear soprano with a distinct quality in upper middle register and a clear top.

La bellezza del canto is the sort of CD equivalent to a business card. While personally I prefer lieder disc or orchestral songs, artistic entities opposed to a mish-mash, it wouldn´t be fair to Olga Peretyatko to blame her for a rather conventional choice of arias (Gilda, Olympia, Manon, Don Pasquale, L´elisir d´amore),
She shows how she performs in work she potentially would be engaged to perform at stage.

And obviously it is easier for a casting director to judge her on that than try to suss out how her Gilda would be based on a song compilation of Messiaen. And for members of the general public to have an idea about her voice.

So for a presentation of Olga Peretyatko, this is as good as can be. And as she definitely qualifies as a rising star, now may be a good time to acquaint oneself with her.

Olga Peretyatko as Mathilde di Shabran:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

4

susanna phillips

Susannna Phillips. Paysages. CD 2011. Songs by Debussy, Messiaen and Faure. With Myra Huang (piano).

Susanna Phillips (born 1981) is a lyrical soprano, educated at Juillard School in New York City. A Metropolitan Council Award Winner and a first prize winner at the Operalia competition (both in 2005), she already has sung several parts (Musetta, Pamina, Donna Anna) at the Metropolitan Opera and is scheduled to return in the 2013 season as Fiordiligi as well as in a new production of Fledermaus.

Hats off to her for presenting an unusually challenging programme of songs by Debussy, Messiaen (Poemes pour Mi) and Faure for her first solo CD. Which was in fact the direct reason I noticed her disc in the first place - an internet search of recordings of "Poemes pour Mi" - there are not too many.
Messiaen composed this song cycle for his first wife in the 1930´s, at a time when his compositions were still very inspired by Debussy, thus the preceding Debussy songs seem very adequate.

Susanna Phillips has a lovely, warm and expressive voice with a technique to match especially Messiaen´s rather stiff vocal demands. It is also a quite distinctive voice, with a quite slow vibrato, and a rather nasal sound. Do I like the voice as such? I am not sure. But it is never unpleasant to listen to. Undoubtedly she does her best with the French diction, but I nevertheless fail to understand what she is singing. I don´t understand Renée Fleming´s French in her 2012 version of Poemes pour Mi either. However the French soprano Francoise Pollet demonstrates quite clearly (in the orchestral version with Pierre Boulez, the best on disc), that it is possible to understand the lyrics.

2012 interview with Susanna Phillips here.

Susanna Phillips as Donna Anna (with piano):

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

4

kristine opolais

KRISTINE OPOLAIS

Nationality: Latvian.
Born: 1979, Latvia.
Education and early career in brief: Educated in Latvia. Soloist 2003-7 at the Latvian National Opera.
Voice: Lyric-dramatic soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Puccini roles (Tosca, Mimi, Butterfly, Magda), Tatyana (Onegin), Rusalka, Jenufa.
Main events until now: Polina (The Gambler - Berlin State Opera 2008 and La Scala, also on DVD), Rusalka (Munich 2010 - also on DVD), Madame Butterfly (London 2011), La Rondine (highly praised Met debut in 2013)
Upcoming major events: Tosca (London Royal Opera) and Mimi (The Met) 2013.
Future performances here. Biography and website here.

Commercial releases:

The Gambler - Berlin State Opera 2008 (DVD)
Rusalka, Bavarian State Opera 2010 (DVD)
Suor Angelica 2012 (CD)

Selected links:

2008 interview with Kristine Opolais on her career
2010 Interview with Kristine Opolais mainly on Rusalka and her career.
2011 review of Madame Butterfly, London Royal Opera
2013 New York Times review of her Met debut

Rusalka, Song to the Moon, Munich 2010:

Madame Butterfly, final aria, London Royal Opera 2011:

isabel leonard

ISABEL LEONARD

Nationality: American.
Born: 1982, New York City.
Education and career in brief: Juillard School, New York. Professional stage debut 2007 as Stéphano (Romeo et Juliette), also Met Opera debut 2007 in same role. Appears regularly at the Met in her main roles.
Voice: Lyric mezzo-soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Cherubino (Figaro), Dorabella (Cosí fan Tutte), Rosina (Barber)
Main events until now: Apart from Met appearances such as Dorabella, Zerlina, Rosina and Miranda (The Tempest) she sang Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009), Cherubino (Vienna 2011, Glyndebourne 2012), Rosina, Cherubino and Sesto (Paris Bastille 2009-11).
Upcoming major events: Rosina in San Francisco fall 2013. Dorabella at The Met.
Future performances here. Biography here.

Commercial releases:

Cosí fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009 (DVD)
Giulio Cesare, Paris 2011 (DVD)

Selected links:

2008 recital review in Washington Post
2010 interview with Isabel Leonard in New York Times on her life and career.
2012 profile in Opera News magazine
2012 interview on her Glyndebourne Cherubino
2013 - opera it girl Isabel Leonard

Dorabella with Smanie implacabile, Cosi Fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009:

Sesto, Giulio Cesare, Paris 2011:

Rosina, The Met 2012:

anna prohaska

ANNA PROHASKA

Nationality: Austrian.
Born: 1983, Neu Ulm. Germany.
Education and early career in brief: Hans Eisler Music Academy in Berlin. Company member at the Berlin State Opera from 2006.
Voice: Lyric soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Zerlina (Don G), Blondchen (Entführung), Despina (Cosi fan tutte). Sophie (Rosenkavalier), Anne Truelove (Rake´s Progress).
Main events until now: Despina (Cosi fan tutte, Salzburg 2011), Zerlina (Giovanni - La Scala 2011), Anne Truelove (Berlin 2010), Rosenkavalier (Sophie, Berlin 2012). Several concert performances with Abbado, Rattle, Boulez. Has signed exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophone - first CD "Sirene" released 2011.
Upcoming major events:

Future performances here. Biography here.


Commercial releases:
Sirene (2011) - first solo CD with Deutsche Grammophone

2011 opening concert of the Salzburg Festival (DVD)
Frohe Weihnachten - Christmas Songs on DG (2012)
Lulu-Suite with Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonics (2012)
Enchanted Forest - second solo CD with Deutsche Grammophone (2013)

Selected links:

Review of Anna Prohaska´s first solo CD on Deutsche Grammophone
Reivew of Anna Prohaska´s Wigmore Hall debut 2012


In Don Giovanni, La Scala 2011:

Lulu Suite with Claudio Abbado, Lucerne 2010:

janai brugger

JANAI BRUGGER

Nationality: American.
Born: Darien, IL, United States 1983.
Education and early career in brief: Masters from University of Michigan. From 2010 with the Los Angeles Opera Young Artist programme.
Voice: Lyric soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Too early to say. Has until now sung Juliette and Musettea professionally on stage.
Main events until now: Musetta at the Los Angeles Opera 2012 and Liu at Metropolitan Opera 2012.
Winner of Metropolitan Opera National Auditions 2012 and winner of all the 1st prizes in Operalia 2012.
Upcoming major events: We shall see.
Future performances here. Biography and website here.

Selected links:

2012 interview with Janai Brugger after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Councils Auditions
2012 article by Janai Brugger on her voice and training
2012 interview "10 questions" to Janai Brugger
2012 interview about her Met debut in Turandot

Janai Brugger with Rusalka´s song to the Moon, Chicago 2009 with piano:

audun iversen

AUDUN IVERSEN

Nationality: Norwegian.
Born: 1977, Harstad, Norway.
Education and career in brief: State Academy in Oslo and Opera Academy Copenhagen. First major roles were Count Almaviva (2008) and Eugene Onegin (2009) in at the Danish Royal Opera.
Voice: Lyric baritone.
Main repertoire includes: Eugene Onegin, Count Almaviva (Figaro), Don Giovanni (title character)
Main events until now: Albert (Werther, London RO 2010 including CD recording), Eugene Onegin (ENO 2011 and Bolshoi 2012), Marcello (London RO 2012), Figaro (Glyndebourne 2012)
Upcoming major events: Barber in Sevilla (San Francisco 2013 Fall)
Future performances here. Webpage incl. full bio here.

Eugene Onegin final scene - with Amanda Echalaz, ENO 2011:

Hai gia vinto la causa (Nozze di Figaro 2012)::

elza van den heever

ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER

Nationality: South African.
Born: 1979, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Education and early career in brief: San Francisco Conservatory of Music. San Francisco Opera young artists programme. From 2008 ensemble member at the Frankfurt Opera.
Voice: Lyric-dramatic soprano.Originally trained as a mezzo-soprano
Main repertoire includes: Donna Anna (Don G), Elsa (Lohengrin), Elisabetta (Don Carlos)
Main events until now: Donna Anna (San Francisco - main stage opera debut in 2007), Elsa (Lohengrin) in Munich, Fiordiligi (Cosí fan tutte) at Paris-Bastille. Many roles (Elsa, Desdemona, Elisabetta (Don C) in Frankfurt. Metropolitan Opera debut in Maria Stuarda as Elisabetta ( "a notable debut") in January 2013.
Upcoming major events: Awaiting release of 2013-14 opera house schedules.
Future performances here

Selected links:

2009 interview with Elza van den Heever on her career and life
2010 interview with Elza van den Heever on her career and life.
Another 2010 interview
2012 interview with Elza van den Heever about working at The Met.
2013 feature by New York Times

2010 San Francisco Review (Vier letzte lieder)

Elettra (Idomeneo) - D´Oreste d´Ajace:

Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda) - confrontation scene with Joyce DiDonato, Metropolitan Opera, 2013: