Sonya Yoncheva to Headline Future New Production of ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ at Metropolitan Opera

By David Salazar

Sonya Yoncheva is set to appear at the Metropolitan Opera in future performances of “Un Ballo in Maschera,” “Medea,” and “Pique Dame.”

Per an article by The Associated Press entitled “At top of opera, Yoncheva worries about classical music,” the Bulgarian soprano will be involved in a new production of the Verdi classic as well as revivals of the Tchaikovsky and Cherubini works. It also reveals that Yoncheva was originally slated to productions of “The Ghosts of Versailles” and “Madama Butterfly,” but those plans were “dropped.”

Yoncheva is starring in a new production of “Fedora” that will open on Dec. 31, 2022 at the Met Opera. In the article she noted her fears for the future of classical music.

“My son, if I ask him, he always says, ‘I want to be like Ronaldo.’ And later, if I ask my girl, she will say, ‘I want to be Lady Gaga and Beyoncé,’” Yoncheva noted. “They really don’t associate with the classical music artists. Times are changing.”

She also revealed that her first go-round with “Fedora” at the Teatro alla Scala under the direction of Mario Martone was deeply challenging for her.

“The stage director decided to leave the whole stage empty. Me and Roberto Alagna, we were struggling the whole night,” she added. “I finished the production and I said ‘Oh, my God! What am I going to do at the Met?’ because the Met is maybe three times bigger than La Scala… I immediately called David, I said, ‘Please tell me there are some walls.’ And he said yes. He showed me pictures, and I was reassured.”

In a previous article with The New York Times, Yoncheva also admitted that she struggled to understand the Giordano opera.

“It took me the entire production at La Scala and then starting rehearsals on this one before I fully understood the plot,” she said. “It’s a very complicated story, so one should understand what is happening.”

The article also hinted that Sir David McVicar, who is directing “Fedora (his 13th with the company),” will lead a future production of “La Gioconda.”

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