+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Review"
date = "2017-03-17T09:52:00+00:00"
lastmod = "2017-03-17T13:03:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1489746723458/2017-03-16---Radvanovsky---Eccles.jpg.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Photo by Andrew Eccles."
publishDate = "2017-03-17T12:50:00+00:00"
related_articles = ["articles/ivan-magri-wigmore.md","articles/in-review-kitty-whately-joseph-middleton-at-wigmore-hall.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/sondra-radvanovsky.md"]
short_description = "Looking around the crowd in Cadogan Hall, we&#039;ve never seen so many people wiping their eyes or stifling sniffles. Radvanovsky pairs truly excellent singing with her whole heart and soul; she&#039;s honest and candid with her audiences, and with that bridge of personal connection come all the listeners&#039; waterworks."
slug = "in-review-sondra-radvanovskys-stunning-london-recital-debut"
title = "In review: Sondra Radvanovsky&#039;s stunning London recital debut"
+++

[Sondra Radvanovsky](/talking-with-singers-sondra-radvanovsky/)'s London recital debut was one of those occasions where four encores seem the obvious result. With pianist Anthony Manoli, Radvanovsky sang for the [Rosenblatt Recitals series](http://www.rosenblattrecitalseries.co.uk/recital.aspx?key=173) at Cadogan Hall; she brought us everything Bellini to Barber, plus two great gowns. 

Her voice, like a favourite book or a favourite restaurant, seems to give unfailing pleasure each time we revisit it. Radvanovsky does that *thing*, where she never gives up on a note, transforming it into a million colours. She seems, if for a brief moment, to sing right to you.

She chose three Bellini songs to pay homage to her famed *bel canto* work, and sang selections of Barber's *Hermit Songs* in a nod to the great Leontyne Price. She even offered up some Liszt songs, a novelty in Radvanovsky's repertoire, both with the French language and with the moments of trouser-role fun. Though she alluded to her Strauss selections' being new and experimental for her, we remember hearing her sing them in her [Toronto recital of 2015](/in-review-sondra-radvanovsky-at-koerner-hall/); it's an unimportant detail, considering what she did to us during "Befreit". Manoli showed off a lovely warmth in the Strauss songs, playing with a sunny sound and plenty of abandon in the likes of "Heimliche Aufforderung".

After hinting at possible German operatic roles in her future, and giving us a taste of her debut as Andrea Chénier in Barcelona next season with her finale, "La mamma morta", Radvanovsky returned for what became a full set of encores. In order: Dvořák's "Song to the Moon" from *Rusalka*, "I could have danced all night" from *My Fair Lady*, "Io son l'umile ancella" from *Adriana Lecouvreur*, and "Vissi d'arte" from *Tosca*. Not bad picks, and the audience went mental. Manoli deserves an enthusiastic nod for the fun and serious chops he showed in the *My Fair Lady*.

Looking around the crowd in Cadogan Hall, we've never seen so many people wiping their eyes or stifling sniffles. Radvanovsky pairs truly excellent singing with her whole heart and soul; she's honest and candid with her audiences, and with that bridge of personal connection come all the listeners' waterworks.

>Next up in the [Rosenblatt Recitals series](/ian-rosenblatt-its-all-about-the-voice/) is tenor Ivan Magrì and pianist Iain Burnside, **April 3, 7:30pm** at Wigmore Hall. For details and ticket information, [click here.](http://www.rosenblattrecitals.com/recital.aspx?key=174)
