The South Bohemian Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert delighted audiences with its contrasting programming and the superb performance of soprano Lucie Kaňková.
In the first part of the evening, the stage was commanded by the talented soprano Lucie Kaňková, an artist distinguished by a wide array of successes in vocal competitions. I had previously seen and reviewed her fine performances in Plzeň—in a Monteverdi work and later in W. A. Mozart’s *Così fan tutte* at the South Bohemian Theatre. It was a piece by this very representative of Viennese Classicism that the young soprano chose for her opening number. She did not opt for anything “easy”—such as a piece to help one settle into the stage environment—but rather the vocally demanding aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera *The Magic Flute*, with its notorious extreme range reaching up to the high F (F6). Choosing this for a concert debut demonstrates considerable vocal courage, though the Queen of the Night faces a similar challenge within the opera itself. She sang the aria with masterful phrasing and command of the full range, displaying the necessary vocal agility and natural expression. … In the subsequent excerpt from the classic operetta “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss,” L. Kaňková once again demonstrated that she is an ideal interpreter of this genre—now historically a thing of the past—combining technical prowess with expressive depth, and possessing the requisite charm and vocal elegance for the operetta style. The singer also relaxed physically, enriching the operetta aria with theatrical elements. I might add that the aria is from the operetta *Giuditta*, a detail not listed in the program.
Soprano Lucie Kaňková once again dominated the second half with her spirited presence and vocal assurance. Following an expressively masterful rendition of an aria from Johann Strauss’s *Die Fledermaus*—delivered with natural charm—she performed the celebrated section of Violetta’s great aria from Verdi’s *La Traviata*: the lively “Sempre libera” (*Allegro brillante*). She sang with admirable ease and vocal command, displaying sparkling coloratura and even adding a high E-flat at the conclusion—a note not found in Verdi’s score but established through performance tradition. The audience, initially somewhat reserved and dignified, expressed their appreciation and admiration for the performance with clear, enthusiastic applause following Violetta’s aria. The principal cellist beautifully took the place of Alfredo’s off-stage vocal lines in this final scene of the opera’s first act. Together with the Intermezzo specified by Puccini, this excerpt from *La traviata*—both technically and interpretatively—represented, for me, the natural highlight of the evening’s second half.
Inviting soprano Lucie Kaňková and including both operatic and operetta arias in the program was an excellent idea.
https://www.klasikaplus.cz/novorocni-koncert-jihoceske-filharmonie-potesil-kontrastni-dramaturgii-i-vybornym-vykonem-sopranistky-kankove/
KlasikaPlus – Jiří Fuchs, 6. leden 2023
