{"id":50505,"date":"2018-01-20T16:31:43","date_gmt":"2018-01-20T21:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=50505"},"modified":"2018-01-20T16:31:43","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T21:31:43","slug":"zero-in-why-maija-kovalevska-cant-wait-to-visit-canada-even-in-the-dead-of-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2018\/01\/20\/zero-in-why-maija-kovalevska-cant-wait-to-visit-canada-even-in-the-dead-of-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"ZERO IN | Why Maija Kovalevska Can’t Wait To Visit Canada, Even In The Dead Of Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maija
The celebrated Latvian soprano makes her Canadian debut as soloist in Mahler Fourth Symphony next week with the\u00a0Ontario Philharmonic at Koerner Hall.\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

F<\/span>or a country of two million people, Latvia has produced an amazing number of world-class opera singers. I have the good fortune to have heard many of them, including Elina Garan\u010da, Kristine Opolais, Marina Rebeka, Inga Kalna, and Maija Kovalevska.\u00a0 While these ladies wow<\/em> audiences all over the world, very few have sung on Canadian stages. In recent years, only the wonderful Baroque specialist Inga Kalna has sung in Toronto, the role of Cinna in Lucio Silla<\/em> with Opera Atelier two seasons ago.<\/p>\n

Now Torontonians will have the opportunity to hear another terrific Latvian soprano, Maija Kovalevska. She will be making her Canadian debut as the soloist in Mahler\u2019s magical Fourth Symphony<\/em>, with the Ontario Philharmonic under the direction of conductor Marco Parisotto, on January 28 at Koerner Hall<\/a>. 2018 marks the Centenary of Latvia, and Kovalevska is flying in from Vienna to help the Latvian Canadians celebrate this momentous occasion.<\/p>\n

Born in Riga, Kovalevska shot to fame after winning the prestigious Operalia competition in 2006. That was one of several important competitions she won, but it led to her debut as Mimi in La boh<\/em>\u00e8me<\/em> at the Metropolitan Opera, under the baton of Placido Domingo. She has since sung more than 50 performances at the Met, including Gala Concert celebrating Domingo\u2019s 40 years at the Met. She\u2019s also a regular guest at the Vienna State Opera since her debut in 2011 as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I had the good fortune of hearing her as Mimi, her signature role. She combines gleaming vocalism with an engaging stage persona. You can sample her artistry in the many video clips of her performance on Youtube. Here\u2019s one of her singing \u201cO mio babbino caro\u201d from Gianni Schicchi, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera.<\/p>\n