New York Times praises Krovytska in "Butterfly" (04/05/98)

New York Times praises Krovytska in "Butterfly"

NEW YORK - Soprano Oksana Krovytska's performance in the title role of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center on March 8 was singled out in a review by critic Allan Kozinn in the March 10 issue of The New York Times.

Under the headline "'The Butterfly' Puccini Wanted," the review noted that "A Ukrainian singer seems to know what the geisha must have felt."

This season, the City Opera's production of "Madama Butterfly," under the direction of George Manahan, is based on the better-known 1906 version of the score which had been revised by Puccini for the work's Paris run. In recent seasons the City Opera had been presenting Puccini's original 1904 version, which did not prove to be a success at its premiere at La Scala.

In his review, Mr. Kozinn noted:

"The principal attraction in the current run is Oksana Krovytska, a Ukrainian soprano whose vocal agility, graceful movement and dramatic sensibility make the title character's ingenuousness both believable and touching. Throughout the performance, and particularly in the final two acts, Ms. Krovytska sang with a fluid combination of depth and luster that gave her character dimension. She consistently made Butterfly's most crucial moments - her rendering of 'Un bel di,' the end of her meeting with Sharpless and the entire final scene, for example - as revealing and wrenching as they demand to be.

"Ms. Krovytska's best partner in this endeavor was Victor Ledbetter, who as Sharpless, the America consul, provided a sensitive counterpoint to Butterfly's misguided hopefulness in the second act."

Mr. Kozinn refers to tenor Joseph Wolverton in the role of Pinkerton as "easier to resist."

The cast for the performance included Peter Blanchet as Goro, Timothy Truschel as Yamadori and Matthew Lau as the Bonze.