Lidiya Yankovskaya Debuts at ENO • April 2023
Lidiya Yankovkaya conducts a rehearsal of Sorrowful Songs
Photo courtesy of English National Opera
London, United Kingdom
Lidiya Yankovskaya has just made her highly anticipated English National Opera debut, conducting a staged production of Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki. Lidiya spoke with a range of outlets about the contemporary resonance of Symphony of Sorrowful Songs and its power to encapsulate shared human experiences of loss and grief.
BBC: Music Matters
The JC: Leading from the front
Opera Now: ‘Great art portrays life as it is’
Bachtrack: Staging Górecki’s Sorrowful Songs
Critical Acclaim
Photo by Clive Barda / English National Opera
“The music seems less austere and calculated; in fact, it feels freighted with far more emotion and impact. At least it does here, with Lidiya Yankovskaya drawing wonderfully shimmering sounds from the ENO orchestra in the pit…”
–The Times
“It’s visceral stuff… In the pit, Yankovskaya leads a refreshingly unsentimental reading of the score. This is an affecting piece of contemporary music theatre from a resurgent opera company thinking outside the box.”
–The Guardian
“The ENO Orchestra shines bright, with Yankovskaya drawing out a wonderful, opulent warmth.”
–The I
“The music opens with a barely audible whisper from the double basses – under Yankovskaya, the orchestra plays superbly throughout.”
–Evening Standard
“Literally underscoring the piece is ENO’s orchestra, its widely variegated string tone – the foundation of Górecki’s sonic conception – wonderfully realised under the baton of Yankovskaya.”
–The Stage
“An unexpectedly astounding staging was perfectly complemented by the phenomenal orchestral performance conducted by Yankovskaya…”
–London Unattached
“As soon as the inexorable tread of the double basses began under the serenely secure conducting of Yankovskaya, the music cast its spell.”
–The Telegraph
“Yankovskaya excelled. She provided ideal support in the pit, and clearly has the measure of this tricky score, at times so seemingly unvaried in mood and tempo, leaving the conductor to ensure it lives and doesn’t stagnate. The first movement’s great arch was superbly shaped, the counterpoint’s unhurried radiance shining in the hands of the ENO players.”
–Bachtrack
“Yankovskaya and the orchestra brought beauty and rich expressivity to the orchestral score.”
–Planet Hugill
“Yankovskaya is a fascinating figure in the pit: sans baton, her hands weave and undulate with expert precision in alignment with Chevalier's powerful voice... contributing to a work which elevates the affecting source material to new emotional levels.”
–Broadway World
“With sublime performances…conducted superbly by Yankovskaya, this staged version of Symphony of Sorrowful Songs is deeply moving and an undoubted success.”
–Opera Online
“Yankovskaya conducted the ENO orchestra in another house debut; the score’s prevailing lyricism is unforced and sense of pulse disciplined, which gave processional shape to the installation-like character of the show. Most striking was Yankovskaya’s grasp of the architecture of the long first movement, with a simple ascending figure that begins in sepulchral basses and rises in a slow spiral towards the first soprano entry, as the enormousness of the loss the music and staging describe dawns on character and audience alike. Here this economical music was nourished with control and focus, providing a clear channel for Bywater’s emotional narrative to emerge.”
–OperaWire
“Yankovskaya conducted, wrapping a deep warmth into the sound and music, allowing the slowly unfurling artistic interpretations of the many metaphors of grief to very slowly play out on the stage.”
–GScene
“A transcendent performance on opening night by the ENO Orchestra under Yankovskaya.”
–Musical America
“Conducted by Yankovskaya…the slow-moving orchestra makes the emotion feel far larger than that of any one individual.”
–Financial Times