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New season full of debut roles for opera singer Alexandrina Pendatchanska

Photo: private library

One of the most famous Bulgarian sopranos - Alexandrina Pendatchanska, also known as Alex Penda started the new opera season in New York (USA) on August 18, starring in "Idomeneo" by Mozart in the role of Elektra. This year the beloved opera star will perform a number of new roles. Sought by directors and conductors, as well as major opera houses for more avant-garde performances, Pendatchanska faces new challenges and attracts more and more opera fans. Here is what she told us, days after the premiere of Mozart's work at Mostly Mozart Festival in New York:

"I opened the season in Lincoln Center during the Mostly Mozart Festival.I performed with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. René Jacobs was the conductor and this was my first performance this season. This opera has not been seen in New York for 10 years and it was an anticipated event marked by great interest by the press and public. We made a recording of this work several years ago for "Harmonia Mundi" with the same orchestra. And once there is a record that people like, they show more interest in live performances. The performance was well received and I'm pleased with the start of the season. Next week I am traveling to Vienna, where I am to perform ‘Falstaff’ by Salieri in Theateran der Wien. This is very interesting music. Now I realize that Salieri is actually quite underrated composer, who remained in the shadow of the great genius of Mozart. Maybe this is not quite fair. But in that era, Salieri was a real big star. There are two major roles in this operaand I perform one of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor.’It is a funny and interesting comedy."

Alex Penda told us more about this’ season’s debut roles and her personal life:

"Immediately after that I will sing in ‘Falstaff’ by Verdi, which is my debut. I would call this season my Verdi-season as I am to perform in three début roles: Alice Ford in ‘Falstaff,’ Amelia In ‘A Masked Ball’, Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’. This summer I refused a really tempting offer: "Alceste" by Gluck, but I went on vacation and now I feel charged and hope to have the required strength this season, which would not be easy.



Alexandrina Pendatchanska told us more about the upcoming music project "War Requiem" by Benjamin Britten:

"This is a very interesting project with the orchestra of the Radio and the Philharmonic. "War Requiem" by Britten is a work that I performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Yurovski, together with Matthias Goerne and Ian Bostridge. This is a genius work, written at the end of World War II. Britten wanted to unite the winners and the defeated in the denominator of art and music and show the futility of war. It is a monumental work, with a very large choir. It is an experience that shakes the soul and is remembered for a lifetime. I hope the Bulgarian audience would feel its power and importance."

English version: Alexander Markov


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