Press

Glowing reviews for Sonya Yoncheva’s concerts in Hamburg and Vienna by two of Germany’s and Austria’s most important newspapers, Hamburger Abendblatt and Die Presse:

“Melting Away at Sonya Yoncheva’s concert at the Elbphilharmonie”
“She soars over the orchestra: at the soprano’s opera gala, even an outfit change after intermission earns its own round of applause.”
Hamburg – She really keeps you waiting. Even longer than is usually the case at opera galas. More than 20 minutes pass before Sonya Yoncheva finally steps onto the stage of the Elbphilharmonie. Until then, the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra under Francesco Ivan Ciampa has performed the prelude and “Liebestod” from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.
Not bad, but also not with the glowing intensity or tonal finesse of a top-tier orchestra. A bit of discontent starts to stir, and the question arises whether the evening’s star really needs to keep the audience waiting this long.
The program allows for no more than two arias in a row
But the skepticism fades quickly. Or rather, it melts away. The moment Sonya Yoncheva finally stands on the podium, opens her mouth, and releases that unbelievable voice. Dark and sensuous, her timbre gleams, immediately casting a spell. Right from the start, with Leonora’s aria “Tacea la notte placida” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, the Bulgarian soprano hints at her beguiling wealth of color and nuance.
She draws back some notes into a veiled mezza voce, explores earthy tones in the chest register, and lets her soprano bloom gloriously in the next moment. Vocal indulgence deluxe.
After the flu that struck her down earlier this month, there may still be a slight loss of fullness in the lower range here and there. But overall, her voice sounds completely solid. When Yoncheva wants to, she can soar over the orchestra, even in fortissimo.
But the evening’s strongest moments lie in its intimacy
Like in Dvořák’s “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka. Over the whispering of the orchestra – gently stroked into the strings – unfolds a delicate melody; Rusalka asks the moon to tell her where her beloved is. Sonya Yoncheva sings it with beautiful intimacy, exuding a warmth that finds its way through the eardrum straight to the center of comfort. There’s something in it that touches the soul.
A precious instrument, that voice. Which, however, is then given a rest again. The program allows for no more than two arias in a row. After a not entirely effortless Tannhäuser overture by the orchestra, Yoncheva demonstrates with Elisabeth’s aria “Dich, teure Halle” that she is not yet as much at home in Wagner as she is in the Italian repertoire. She passionately embodies the love-stricken Leonora once more – this time from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino – pacing the stage restlessly from left to right, sending gestures of despair into the hall.
Yes, she knows how to captivate an audience. With her voice, of course, with her gripping presence, but also with her outfit, presenting herself as a true primadonna. The sequin sparkle of her golden gown in the first half would easily have sufficed for three costumes; the soft pink flowing dress she wears after the intermission earns its own round of applause.
Sonya Yoncheva is accompanied with sensitivity by the orchestra
Sonya Yoncheva delights her fans as she plucks flower petals during Puccini’s “Se come voi piccina” and lets them flutter into the front row. She enchants with evergreen arias from La Bohème and Tosca, sensitively accompanied by Ciampa and the orchestra.
No wonder Yoncheva is regarded as one of the outstanding sopranos of our time. The way she sings is at the very least magnificent, often intoxicating, and at times pure bliss. With her second encore, “O mio babbino caro,” she brings tears to your eyes from the very first line. Not many can do that. And yet – or perhaps precisely because of that – you find yourself wishing for two or three more arias and a bit less waiting.”
Marcus Stäbler, Hamburger Abendblatt

“With Yoncheva, less is more
Konzerthaus. Sonya Yoncheva proved at her gala that she is one of the great sopranos of our time – especially in more intimate moments.
She knows how to make an impact – and yet her most compelling moments are in the measured and intimate: the Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva. At her gala at the Wiener Konzerthaus, she presented ten arias from her wide-ranging repertoire – some delivered with grand gesture, others with an awareness that vocally and dramatically, less can indeed be more.
She showcased a radiant and powerful middle register in Leonora’s aria from Verdi’s “Il trovatore”. The coloratura flowed effortlessly over her vocal cords, and she sustained the final note with impressive fullness… . The aria of Elisabeth from Wagner’s Tannhäuser was noble… . With the richness of her soprano, Yoncheva didn’t need to push… . She made more of an impression when she simply let her voice flow, as she did in Rusalka’s “Song to the Moon” by Dvořák, where every single note seemed perfectly placed and velvety soft.
After the intermission, the program continued with Puccini arias. (…) She delivered Butterfly’s “Un bel dì, vedremo” with great skill, infusing every note with a sense of desperation and also making a strong dramatic impression. An aria from “La Bohème” reinforced the impression that while Yoncheva can certainly dazzle, her true strength lies in the intimate.
During the passionate “Habanera” from “Carmen”, carried away by the moment, she threw a rose, hitting conductor Francesco Ciampa, who led the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra. In the end, the audience celebrated her.”
Theresa Steininge, Die Presse

[Photo by Manfred Baumann]