“Yankovskaya’s supple command of musical shape and dramatic continuity was never in doubt…”
–Musical America
“Yankovskaya…led a flexible and richly idiomatic account of this score….”
–Chicago Classical Review
“She brings the piece to full flower…For anyone who has had recent doubts about the vitality of opera, it’s a pure tonic...”
–Chicagoland Musical Theatre
“Maestra Yankovskaya’s debut in the pit was promising and gratifying. She brought out all the pathos and grandness in the lush score....”
–Buzz Center Stage
“Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya in her company debut, [this is] a production that is as dazzling as it is emotionally and musically complex…”
–Picture this Post
“Under the baton of Lidiya Yankovskaya, Tchaikovsky’s score became transcendent…”
–Opera Wire
Believe it or not, Chicago Opera Theater’s season opener was the first time Tchaikovsky’s final opera had been professionally performed in Chicago! Iolanta is a very personal work, written by Tchaikovsky at the height of his compositional powers, alongside the person closest to him – his brother Modest. Perhaps because it examines the transformed world-views of characters in dramatically different life stages, I find that the work resonates in a new way each time I conduct it. After nearly 18 months of planning and preparation behind the scenes, I was thrilled to finally get the chance to jump in the COT orchestra pit – and bring the sounds of my homeland to my new home!
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