Press

Sonya Yoncheva’s return to the Arena di Verona in August 2023 was the start of a little Tosca tour, which also brings her to Gstaad, Baden-Baden, Yokohama and Tosca until the end of September. The press was enthusiastic about Sonya’s “brilliant Tosca” (Klassik Begeistert). Check out the press review here below:

“For Sonya Yoncheva, Tosca belongs to one of her favorite roles (as she recently described in a book). So it is not surprising how authentic she is in this role. Her Tosca is youthful and mature, full of love and passion. Added to this is the further maturing of her voice, which increasingly gains in size: without ever being shrill, she reaches every pitch, never seeming uncomfortable and managing to cultivate a pleasantly dark shimmering, seductive and noble timbre in her voice. ‘Vissi d’arte’ hits us so directly in the heart, an aria that probably comes from her own heart, because that Ms. Yoncheva lives for the art she creates is clear. The rage and hatred with which she then sends Scarpia to his death are, thank God, probably less from her heart, but seem as fabulously and convincingly “real” as her performance this entire evening. (…) Brava, bravissima Sonya Yoncheva.”
E.A.L., Online Merker

“Sonya Yoncheva, in the title role, relied on her magnificent voice to deliver an exemplary interpretation: the volume is remarkable enough to easily fill the entire Arena with impressive naturalness without ever running the risk of sounding contrived, as much in the lyrical abandons as in the more dramatic moments. A voice of sumptuous beauty, perfect for a character as musically controversial as Tosca’s.”
Pierluigi Guadagni, MTG Lirica

“Verona fascinates with a brilliant Tosca and outstanding Cavaradossi”
“She is simply brilliant: Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva’s Tosca.”
“Outstanding was the love couple Cavaradossi-Tosca. Sonya Yoncheva earned frenetic applause from the many-thousand-strong arena audience for her aria ‘Vissi d’arte’ in the second act, which was pure, exceedingly sonorous, and acoustically effortless in its command of the Arena.”
Dr. Charles E. Ritterband, Klassik Begeistert

“Sonya Yoncheva was as convincing a Tosca as you are likely to see these days. (…) De Ana gives Tosca a moment in the spotlight for ‘Vissi d’arte’ and Yoncheva did not disappoint; her torment was clear to all and this pivotal aria was given a profoundly moving performance. Elsewhere Yoncheva’s Tosca showed that despite claiming she was religiously pious she was, as expected, intensely passionate and pathologically jealous – almost theatrically so – by turns.”
Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard International

“Vocal grandeur is a prerequisite for a Tosca, and Sonya Yoncheva’s sumptuous voice effortlessly fills Puccini’s soaring lines. Even at full volume, her voice never gives way in terms of beauty and flexibility, deftly scaled down by the young Bulgarian soprano to caress Puccini’s soft, seductive melodies. Her Tosca is mischievous when she teases Cavaradossi and full of ardor and prayer in the great aria “Vissi d’arte,” the finale of which is exquisitely handled. Overall, Yoncheva’s approach made her Roman diva both moving and tragic.”
Alessandro Arnoldo, Artes News

“… Sonya Yoncheva displayed a rich and full-bodied central register and soaring high notes… .”
Davide Cornacchione, Teatro

“In the role of Tosca we find Sonya Yoncheva, who returns to the Arena after interpreting the role of Violetta Valery in 2021. The soprano displays a sumptuous vocality in terms of volume and attractive timbre, cloaked in invaluable shining speckles. One admires the lush and vibrant middle register as well as the luminous and well-projected top. The descent into the lower registers is resolved with great intelligence… . Puccini’s writing is approached with the right confidence and stylistic awareness. Yoncheva presents, moreover, undeniable phrasing skills managing to jolt the different aspects of the character with the right credibility. Here and there the declamato tends to border on the spoken, but in this repertoire it seems a venial sin if it is the result of stage excitement. And it is precisely the Bulgarian soprano’s statuesque presence that is one of her strengths onstage: wrapped in the splendid costumes she looms with true diva allure, flirtatious in the first act, heartbroken in the second, hopeful and unaware in the finale. A first-class performance then, that fully conquers the audience, which reserves for her, among other things, a great ovation at the end of the famous aria “Vissi d’arte,” performed with the right transport.”
Marco Faverzani | Giorgio Panigati, Opera Libera

[Photo: Ennevi / Fondazione Arena di Verona]