The piece’s atmospheric qualities register strongly, aided in every single bar by the remarkable musicians of ENO’s vast orchestra and conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, who shapes Bartók’s 65-minute structure with complete conviction.
Read MoreYankovskaya gave a dynamic reading of Tchaikovsky’s Second that captured the character of each of the four movements. Her interpretation underscored the often subtle shifts in mood, and she kept the orchestra in check for the fortissimo sections. In the opening movement, she underscored the ebullience of the music with carefully constructed climaxes and finely crafted contrasts. She managed to get the orchestra to play with a light touch and never let any section overpower the others.
Read More“A conductor very much on the way up, Yankovskaya will be missed. The Russian-American was very much at home in Shostakovich’s score, adroitly capturing both its idiomatic flavor and its harder edges, propelling the action forward and holding all the varied, sometimes competing forces together.
Read More“Yankovskaya, in her pre-show remarks, reminded [the audience] to listen to the hopefulness in Lysenko’s music, to discern the multiple themes, ideas, and emotions, and to find the better parts of humanity that we all share. Dariescu owned the work in partnership with the ISO under Yankovskaya’s deft conducting. Of course, it’s huge, and the playing is beautiful, and Yankovskaya’s command on the podium is amazing.”
Read More"Prokofiev is Yankovskaya’s wheelhouse, as are Slavic masterpieces more generally. The orchestra played deftly and attentively under Yankovskaya. She conducted with a broad but clear beat, shaping phrases with practiced swoops of her arms and quick zips of her baton."
Read More“Yankovskaya was a skillful guide in Little’s often-raucous score, balancing the soloist, amplified players and electronics and keeping a firm through-line across Little’s twelve continuous sections.”
Read More“The star of the show was Yankovskaya, who led the orchestra with such a lively vigor and power, clearly showing great affinity and respect to Dvorák’s score and musical idioms.”
Read More“The music seems less austere and calculated; in fact, it feels freighted with far more emotion and impact, with the Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya drawing wonderfully shimmering sounds from the ENO orchestra in the pit…”
Read More“Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts an orchestra of over three dozen musicians with panache. She knows when to let the sound simmer and sizzle with quiet tension and when to bring the level of excitement to a rolling boil.”
Read More“The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra played fabulously under the direction of Lidiya Yankovskaya, again and again intensively measuring the emotional world of this opera.”
Read More“Beautiful ensemble playing from the orchestra under the careful precision of Yankovskaya. [She] opened the second half of the concert with bold brushstrokes of sound, addictive textures, and careful attention to balance.”
Read More“The sound from the pit was enrapturing. Yankovskaya presided over the orchestra with authority, carefully drawing out the vast detail and intricate rhythmic elements… The 70-member orchestra created powerful and evocative sound that made the evening memorable…”
Read More“From the first measures of the premiere at Minnesota Opera, conducted with impressive cohesion by Lidiya Yankovskaya, the swarming strings and piercing winds affirm that there will be no coddling, [instead] portraying those messy emotions in music of candid vulnerability.”
Read More“Yankovskaya was a fine fit for this program, balancing her ever-present tight control and her often thrilling capability for wild abandon…”
Read More“Yankovskaya brought a unified blend between the orchestra and the singers…drawing the musicians into her interpretation of the music…”
Read More“In Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Yankovskaya seemed in her element, bringing theatrical fervor to the storm-tossed main theme, poise to Senta’s hymn in the winds and jaunty swagger to the antic sailors’ tune…”
Read More“The orchestra is in many ways the star…led with attention to nuance, color and atmosphere by Lidiya Yankovskaya…”
Read More“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…”
Read More“If you were lucky enough to be in the audience at the Harris Theater for this, you won’t forget it…”
Read More“Was it the guest conductor's palpable energy? Was it the audience's obvious excitement about taking in a rare in-person performance? Whatever it was, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra's chamber ensemble sure had a spring in its step…”
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