Mozart and Salieri / Kashchej the Immortal

Island City Opera

Alameda, CA

“Yankovskaya conducted with a sinuous but strong-boned rhythmic mastery, and the production, nimbly staged by director Richard Bogart, caught both the storybook aspects of the piece and its emotional urgency… Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozartean pastiche — including, most notably, a sample of the “Requiem” — is deftly pulled off, and Yankovskaya balanced her forces with confident aplomb.”
–Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

“In Ms. Yankovskaya’s hands, the small Island City Opera Orchestra of some two dozen members gave a richly robust rendition of Rimsky-Korsakov’s music.”
–James Roy MacBean, Berkeley Daily Planet

"Both productions featured excellent conducting by guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and lively stage directing by Richard Bogart. The chamber orchestra played with utter confidence even in the demanding chromaticism of Rimsky-Korsakov’s storm scenes. An excellent chorus sang in both of the operas."
–Nicholas Jones, San Francisco Classical Voice

“The performance was one of the best I've heard from them, not in small part because of the conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya and the fine cast. Music Director of the Chicago Opera Theater, Maestra Yankovskaya had the orchestra sounding spirited and together. She has an elegant authority, and though the orchestra was occasionally ahead of the singers, it was impressive how different the musicians sounded with her in the lead.
–Charlise Tiee, The Opera Tattler