Carmen

Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago, IL

“Yankovskaya conducted the performance with skill and marvelous attention to the singers. Together the musicians and singers were a well-oiled machine… This was a remarkable revelation and a performance I will not soon forget.”
– M.L. Rantala, Hyde Park Herald 

“No small credit must go to conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, whose generally brisk tempos kept tension on the musical line and the drama throughout.”
– Lawrence B. Johnson, Chicago on the Aisle

“A production that proved that if you’re creative enough, you don’t need any sets at all to knock the socks off an opera audience. Just drop two great mezzo-sopranos into roles each dreamed of playing but thought they’d never get a chance at, give them a fine little supporting cast, and a full orchestra conducted by COT music director Lidiya Yankovskaya, and watch the fireworks. If you were lucky enough to be in the audience at the Harris Theater for this, you won’t forget it.”
–Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader

“[Under Yankovskaya] the orchestra executed the iconic Habanera with both power and great sensitivity to Barton’s musical artistry, giving her room to fully embody Carmen’s fiery spark and playfulness.”
–Jillian DeGroot, I Care if You Listen

“Lidiya Yankovskaya led the ebullient orchestra.”
–Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal

“A seriously intense, stunningly sung Carmen, a deep exploration of sexual passion, jealousy, and human frailty. Propelled by glorious, insightful singing and a sensitive orchestra led by Lidiya Yankovskaya, COT’s music director, the performance went far beyond the conventional binaries. The Harris Theater is ideal for instrumental music, and under Yankovskaya’s precise baton the orchestra was as expressive as the singers. During the Habanera, the orchestra prowled warily beneath Barton’s vocal line: Carmen’s cat to Don José’s mouse... COT’s Carmen was a triumph for everyone involved. The audience roared its approval throughout the evening. After 18 months of empty theaters, Chicago’s fall music season is off to a brilliant start.”
–Wynne Delacoma, Musical America