Soprano Corinne Winters can now add the role of Tatiana in Tchaikovskyโs โEugene Oneginโ to her growing list of leading ladies.
From what we witnessed at Tucson Music Hall Saturday night with Arizona Opera โย in her role debut โ she should consider developing it into a signature.
Itโs not surprising that Winters was the star of the evening; weโve seen her two other times with Arizona Opera and in both she captivated us. She has a powerful soprano that leaves you breathless with anticipation when she hits those impossibly high notes.
But on Saturday night, she went even further than weโve seen before. In the soprano stratosphere populated by super divas with names like Renรฉe Fleming and Anna Netrebko, Winters is simply a rock star.
Throughout Saturdayโs performance, Winters, playing a naive teen smitten by a playboy neighbor (gifted baritone David Adam Moore), seemed on a mission to see just how powerful her gift can be when put through the rigors of Tchaikovskyโs lyric opera. Itโs in Russian, which in itself seems a fairly tall order for a non-native speaker, but the biggest test for Tatiana comes near the end of Act 1 in the โLetter Aria.โ
For nearly 15 minutes, itโs all about Winters. Her voice was so big and beautiful, with just a quiver of urgency to fit the mood and a warmth of vulnerability. The higher she climbed the upper register, the quieter we became just to see if she could make it there. And boy, did she make it there. When she finished, slumping like a rag doll onto center stage, the audience about half-filling Tucson Music Hall erupted in an extended chorus of bravas. Conductor Steven White waited several moments for the applause to die down before engaging the orchestra for Oneginโs followup aria shooting down Tatianaโs advances.
Despite some heavy lifting by White, the orchestra was not at its best. It seemed that they struggled to find balance and the music felt a little flat throughout.
Other notable performances included the Arizona Opera Chorus, which was simply amazing. This group continues to inspire with every performance, developing into a world-class ensemble.
โข Tenor Zach Borichevsky, who has partnered with Winters in all three of her Arizona Opera productions, was wonderful in the role of Lensky. He has such a passionate, crisp tenor, and heโs a very convincing actor.
โข Contralto Susan Shafer was a surprise hit, a wonderful character artist in the role of Tatianaโs nanny Filipievna. She has a wonderfully warm and bright tone that at the lowest range took on rich, dark hues. Her voice filled the hall.
This was Arizona Operaโs debut in the Tucson Desert Song Festival โ although the debut technically came when Winters performed a recital with the company at Leo Rich Theatre last Saturday. The festival wraps up today with Arizona Opera mounting โEugene Oneginโ at 2 p.m. at Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.; and Tucson Symphony Orchestra hosting tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford in Mahlerโs โDas Lied von der Erdeโ at 2 p.m. at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E. Sunrise Drive.
