Carmen

Houston Grand Opera

Houston, TX

“This revival is definitive. In the pit, making her HGO debut, maestro Lidiya Yankovskaya, a fierce advocate of contemporary opera, keeps Bizet's spicy paella on full boil. The “entr'actes” are especially tasty. The chorus sounds exceptional… This HGO production is steamy, provocative, drenched in neon jewel tones, and thoroughly entertaining.”
–D.L. Groover, Houston Press

“Yankovskaya conducted with rhythmic snap and thrust combined with refined lyricism.”
–William Albright, Opera Magazine

“Bizet’s music is simply intoxicating, encompassing vibrant marches, expansive chorus scenes, mysterious interludes, and pulse-quickening dances like act two’s frenetic opening number. Guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, rising-star music director of Chicago Opera Theater, leads the HGO orchestra with elegance and panache.”
–Chris Gray, Houston Chronicle

“The HGO Orchestra, led by Lidiya Yankovskaya in her HGO debut, maintained an expert balance with the singing, no matter how loud or soft the singer or whether by many or few. Yankovskaya drew expressive playing and rich sounds from the orchestra…”
–Gregory Barnett, Opera News

“Houston Grand Opera’s revival conveys the iconic tale’s drama and passion more powerfully to the ear than the eye. The Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, led by Lydia Yankovskaya, helped pull the focus back toward Bizet. The orchestra brought out the zest and slinkiness of the dances, the smoothness of the lyrical flights, and the flashiness of the choral scenes—with the HGO Chorus adding its own crispness and spirit.”
–Steven Brown, Texas Classical Review