REBIRTH

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

In the about-to-be-released Sony Classical CD REBIRTH soprano Sonya Yoncheva finds a musical rebirth of her own as she sets out to explore a repertoire as far afield from her Puccini-Verdi Fach as can be imagined. With no stage work to be had these days of Covid19 isolation, the Bulgarian soprano has sought a welcome respite in the vocal repertoire of the 16th and 17th centuries and earlier from the Toscas and Elisabettas for which she has become well known and admired.

In the impressive company of a group of multi-talented multi-instrumentalists from the Early Music ensemble Capella Mediterranea, playing cornet, viola da gamba, lyre, archlute, theorbo, and banduria, along with more familiar woodwind, string, and percussion instruments, Yoncheva explores a variety of genres-within the Early Music field under the wonderful leadership of Argentine conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, .

The selections range from instrumental and vocal excerpts from 16th and 17th century stage, concert, and sacred works by Claudio Monteverdi, Alessandro Stradella and Barbara Strozzi, an intriguing selection of lesser-known Spanish language rarities, a poignant song by Orlando Gibbons, another by the Italian-born English composer Alfonso Ferrabosco,  the ubiquitous Dowland ballad Come Again, an off-the-wall choice by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and on to Zableyalo mi agǎnce, a hauntingly beautiful Bulgarian folk song with Medieval-Moslem roots.

Throughout more than a dozen plus vocal selections Yoncheva displays her affinity for the music of many periods along with an ample soprano voice that she generously applies to mostly slow moving, stately music where her command of a seamless legato line serves her to great advantage. The Bulgarian soprano’s silvery upper range is often used in these songs while her lower range is most effectively shown in the lower-lying Spanish selections. When she lets loose in No hay que decir el primor, a lively turn by the Baroque Spanish composer Tomás de Torrejón yVelasco, she is at her most exciting.

With detailed notes by Petya Ivanova, the fine production and engineering of Jonas Niederstadt, and elegant photography and packaging, this Sony Classical release is a welcome musical gift now more than ever.

Rafael de Acha                  ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”