Press

“You always have to wait for divas, and the musicians of the Royal Opera of Versailles Orchestra stretched the wait a bit longer by opening the evening with Lully’s Turkish March. Without announcing it, like an early gift, it immersed us in the wonder and solemnity of the French Baroque, though they soon shifted to the frenzy of London’s theaters with a sparkling overture from Serse. From there to the entrance of Sonya Yoncheva (her first time at the Santander Festival) came a few moments of light suspense, as befits singers who fill the stage with their mere presence.
From her entrance, she revealed overwhelming self-confidence, an effusiveness that invited closeness, and that sumptuous, seamless voice that spans many lines of repertoire, from early music to grand Italian opera. Roles such as Norma, Butterfly, Maddalena, or Tosca fill her calendar, but Handel remains indispensable. To abandon him would be like forgetting her roots. Her Ombra mai fu contained everything that aria represents at its best (elegance, delicacy, smoothness), without stage display; then came sensuality in Non disperar, chi sa? (Giulio Cesare), and a rise in intensity and depth in a truly frame-worthy Ah, mio cor! (Alcina). Broadly phrased, yet rooted in intimacy and emotion.
By then, her rapport with Stefan Plewniak was evident, a conductor in constant motion, unrestrained and extravagant, who drew on that peculiarity to push to the extreme the quintessentially Baroque idea of contrast. At one moment he would compress the sound into the thinnest of threads, the next his arms were darting with lightning speed, as in the devilishly fast Corelli (the fourth of the Concerti Grossi) that the Versailles ensemble offered as a dazzling interlude. Clear and transparent, yet so radical and excessive that, watching the Pole in action, one recalled the words of a contemporary spectator describing how Corelli gave himself to the violin so completely that his face contorted and his eyes reddened “like fire.”
Yoncheva seemed radiant in that setting, and she also surprised the audience by slowly walking through the first rows of the auditorium while delivering a rich and moving Se pietà di me non senti (Giulio Cesare). Next came the more restrained expression of With darkness deep (Theodora), and another nod to the popular with an unfailing icon, Lascia ch’io pianga (Rinaldo), always under the spell of a voice unusually expansive in this repertoire. Hence the astonishment at the clean, flawless agility of Tornami a vagheggiar (Alcina), chosen to close the official program. And since more was expected of her, she returned to the stage with the lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and a jubilant Danse des sauvages by Rameau which, harking back to the ensemble’s origins, rekindled the French atmosphere of the opening.”
Asier Vallejo Ugarte, Scherzo

“Last Monday, the Sala Argenta of the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria was the scene of an unforgettable evening with soprano Sonya Yoncheva and the Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Versailles under Stefan Plewniak. What unfolded there will remain etched in the memory of those present, and in the history of the Santander International Festival.
From her very first, theatrically charged entrance, it was clear that both orchestra and soloist were determined to captivate. The musicians, perfectly blended, produced a sound that was full and rounded from start to finish, offering a Handel of striking brightness and expansiveness, almost Mediterranean in spirit, and far less angular than the English ensembles that so often dominate this repertoire.
At the vocal level, Yoncheva, in dazzling command of her resources, proved from the opening notes of Ombra mai fu why she is one of today’s indispensable operatic voices. Her instrument combines warmth, richness of color, and sheer volume rarely encountered among singers in Baroque music. Her singing, noble in expression and grounded in breath, radiated such plenitude in the upper register that it seemed to press against the stylistic boundaries of the Baroque, without ever crossing them.
From a program that felt like a collection of Baroque “greatest hits,” two moments stood out. In Ah, mio cor! Schernito sei! from Alcina, Yoncheva conveyed the fury and anguish of the betrayed sorceress with a smooth, flexible legato that deepened the character’s despair. In Lascia ch’io pianga from Rinaldo, the evening reached its peak: she delivered the text with gravity, suspended each note with naked musicality, and shaped the ornamentation in profoundly moving dialogue with the orchestra. Between these two arias, in Se pietà di me non senti, Yoncheva left the stage and moved through the hall, a touch of refined theatricality that heightened the sense of communion with an audience already in the palm of her hand.
The concert closed in celebration. Three encores, Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, the orchestral section of Venti, turbini from Rinaldo, and the Air des sauvages from Rameau’s Les Indes galantes, ended with Yoncheva barefoot, radiant, and swept up in a trance of Dionysian ecstasy, drawing the audience into rhythmic clapping until they surrendered completely, quite literally, at her feet.
Seldom in Santander has a Baroque concert generated such excitement and such a unanimous ovation. With much of the audience on its feet, the thunderous applause sealed a night to be remembered as one of the brightest chapters in the history of the Santander International Festival.”
Darío Fernández Ruiz, Ritmo

“The Exquisiteness of Sonya Yoncheva and the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles”
It is unusual in an operatic recital to see such an open display of complicity between performers as was witnessed at this concert of the 64th International Festival of Pollença, a festival that today stands as a benchmark for quality, excellence, and artistic solidity. Sonya Yoncheva not only showed complete connection with conductor Stefan Plewniak, but also with the members of the orchestra, who at times became silent yet active characters in her stage evolutions. She unfolded her personal vision of some of Handel’s best-known arias, while immersing herself masterfully in each of the dramatic characters (Xerxes, Alcina, Cleopatra, Theodora…).
After the instrumental Overture to Xerxes, Yoncheva opened the program with “Ombra mai fu”, which, together with the aria “Non disperar, chi sa?” from Giulio Cesare, already revealed the power of her singing, so marked by individuality. The soprano commands a very precise, clean attack, yet one capable of extreme softness; and it is in this absolute control of silken dynamics that her expressiveness is forged, never forced, never dependent on showy effects, but rather on a surprising suppleness. This unique refinement of vocal interpretation was interwoven with purely instrumental pieces that created a special atmosphere: Corelli’s Concerto grosso Op. 6 No. 4 was played with such overflowing energy that it laid bare the performers’ total commitment, immersed to the core in this exhilarating vision of the Italian master. For admirers of more moderate, serene, and nuanced approaches to Corelli, this orchestral turbulence might have seemed unusual or provocative, but it undeniably brought remarkable agility and lightness to the instrumental accompaniment of Handel’s operas.

“The soprano commands a very precise, clean attack, yet one capable of extreme softness; and it is in this absolute control of silken dynamics that her expressiveness is forged.”

There is no doubt that the program performed in Pollença reflects an approach to Handel that combines, on the one hand, Yoncheva’s fluid and flexible personal vision with the extreme vivacity of the orchestra, an approach close to historicist ideals, yet unmistakably marked by the stamp of Stefan Plewniak. He acted as a precise catalyst of all vocal and instrumental elements, particularly noteworthy for his tight control of tempi and his emphasis on rhythmic treatment.
Yoncheva was superb in the two arias from Alcina, “Ah, mio cor, schernito sei!” and, above all, “Tornami a vagheggiar”, where she displayed her mastery of coloratura alongside her magnetic stage presence. The audience demanded its reward: an extraordinary Dido appeared as an encore, followed by a sparkling Corelli and a Rameau that had the audience clapping along, giving the diva the perfect excuse to slip off her shoes and dance, joined by a playful Plewniak.
Bàrbara Duran, Ópera Actual

“Baroque con fuoco”
“Once again, the names headlining the fourth concert of the Pollença Festival guaranteed a delightful sight: a complete sell-out. And there was good reason for it: soprano Sonya Yoncheva, together with the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles conducted by Stefan Plewniak, are names of the same stature as the rest of the distinguished artists featured in this richly packed edition. The recital also had an added value: it was entirely devoted to Baroque music—above all opera. This is not the most common programming choice, nor are most of the arias particularly well-known. Probably the only one that could be described as world-famous was Lascia ch’io pianga, from Handel’s Rinaldo, the great protagonist of a concert that, more than anything else, deserves to be called unusual. Let us explain.
Handel was indeed the great protagonist, since of the twelve pieces listed in the program, eleven bore the signature of the German who crossed over to England and conquered it. (…)
The second half lowered the decibels, moving toward a more classical, restrained reading, as required by Theodora’s aria With darkness deep, an exquisite and challenging piece for showcasing the great star, beyond any dispute. Immediately afterwards, following the solemn Overture to Rinaldo, she sang the already mentioned, delicate Lascia ch’io pianga. The concert had reached its climax. Only Tornami a vagheggiar from Alcina remained. Then came the encores, culminating in a festive, playful, and participatory rendition of the Danse du grand calumet de la paix from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Indes galantes. Baroque con fuoco indeed—with the audience enchanted, clapping along with the performers.
J.A. Mendiola, AraBalears

[Photo: Pedro Puente FIS]