Saturday, September 27, 2008

Greek power @ Operalia 2008


Elena Xanthoudakis, the greek-australian soprano, won 3rd Price @ last night's Operalia, celebrated this year in Quebec.

Elena Xanthoudakis has also won the Maria Callas Grand Prix, in Athens 2003 and the 2006 International Mozart Competition in Salzburg.

Parsi watched Elena live at the Royal Opera House last year singing Clorinda next to Magde Kozena's Angelina and liked her quite a lot.

Elena as Clorinda

Here she is, singing Amina's beautiful "Ah! Non credea mirarti....Ah!Non giunge!" from Bellini's La Sonnambula @ Operalia.



Elena is the second Greek to win a Prize in Operalia. Dimitra Theodossiou had won Operalia 1995 and Audience Prize-in Madrid.

***Update***

The Montreal Gazette reports:

The $30,000 first prizes (supplied by the Quebec Culture Ministry and the 400-year-old host town) went to two light-voiced and emotionally projective Spanish-speakers from the Americas. Maria Katzarava (who was, like Domingo, raised in Mexico) also speaks Russian, French, English, Georgian and a little Italian, although her pepperpot acting proved universal in Amour, ranime mon courage from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Still, she often seemed to be pushing at the limits of her modest instrument. Joel Prieto, a Puerto Rican tenor, gave us a deeply felt if boyish Una furtiva lagrima (Donizetti), with his hands in his pockets. His small and velvety voice is probably best heard in small houses, although he was easy enough to follow in the Grand Théâtre with Domingo leading the Quebec Symphony Orchestra in the pit. Both of these singers also took Zarzuela prizes (Domingo being a deathless advocate of this operetta genre).

My own taste inclines to big, bright voices, such as that of second-prize-winner Oksana Kramaryeva, a raven-haired Ukrainian who gave us an in-tempo account of Ritorna vincitor! from Verdi’s Aida. Her $20,000 came from Jacqueline Desmarais and her public-prize watch came from Rolex. The $10,000 female third prize went to Elena Xanthoudakis, a Greek-Australian beauty of clear tone and graceful carriage who sang a selection from Bellini’s La Sonnambula.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

xairomai gia thn epityxia ths,
alla den moy aresei.

marigoula

Anonymous said...

sygnomi paidia pou tha to po gia tin sygkekrimeni alla .... bliiiiiaaaaxxxx!!! to skotose! kai auti i fatsa pou exei .... mono sonnambula den einai.

kalo xeimona!

Parsifal said...

Ti eugenikous anagnwstes pou exw?!!! Aaaa bravo paidia! Peite vre kai ena "kalh epityxia, sygxarhthria ktl"...apapapa...

Anonymous said...

Εκνευριστική. έχει αυτό το ύφος η θεία απο το Σικάγο. Είδα και άλλα βιντεα΄κια της και μια συνεντευξη. Μάλλον το κάνει απο χομπι το λειτούργημα. πάει σε ότι διαγωνισμό υπάρχει απο την αρχή τησ καριέρασ τησ. μερχι τα 90 φεύγα θα το κα΄νει. δεν ε΄χει να προσθέισει τίποτα αξιόλογο στην ιστοριά τησ οπερασ αυτού του αιώνα. γ΄νομαι κακός αλλά αυ΄τη είναι η αλήθεια. Ο Βιλλασόν και η Φλεμινκγ που παραθε΄τεισ παρακατω ναι, μπράβο τους. για την Ξανθουδάκης Μαυρουδάκης Πορτοκαλάκης ας πάει να γίνει κατι αλλο.

Τζορτζ απο την Αφφφστραλια !!! ¨)

Anonymous said...

I very much liked her voice and graceful presence. I also feel proud because she is Greek. I wish
she were invited to sing in her parents' country of birth soon.
I am certain that she is going to have a glorious future.
Congratulations, Elena!

Anonymous said...

Nai vre paidi mou ti kakia einai auti!!!

Oute i Madonna na itane, den tha elegan tetoia pragmata ;-)

Plaka kano vre, min to pareis sovara :-)

Anonymous said...

ΑΧΡΩΜΗ ΚΑΙ ΞΥΛΙΝΗ.

ΧΩΡΙΣ ΚΑΛΛΙΕΧΝΙΚΟ ΕΝΔΙΑΦΕΡΟΝ.

Anonymous said...

PLEASEPLEASE if you have more videos of Operalia, please put the 3rd prize winner hungarian Károly Szemerédy on youtube, manymany thanks, greetings from Hungary / ester

Hariclea said...

que voz mas bonitaa!! me encantaa!!!! spero que la oigamos en teatro prontooo :-)