“Cinderella” on the Ukrainian stage

In the first part of the concert the refined European audience was impressed by Oksana Yarova’s virtuoso renditions of Mozart arias from her coloratura soprano repertoire. In the second part she performed arias from Verdi’s operas. Few vocalists, even those with a lot of experience, would risk performing such a combination of performance pieces. A coloratura repertoire is meant for an agile voice capable of reaching very high notes. Thus, in the famous aria of the Queen in The Magic Flute (included in Oksana’s Geneva program) requires a high F. There are few female singers capable of this in Ukraine or the rest of the world. For example, Elvira’s aria in Verdi’s Ernani should not even be tried unless you have a voice with rich sensitive notes in the lower register. These are like two poles in the soprano repertoire, both of which exclude each other. But Oksana, whose voice combines a light coloratura with dramatic passion, does not frighten easily. She embarked on the complicated task and carried it out in a worthy manner. The singer says that her every number was followed by a standing ovation, so much so that it was difficult for her to concentrate on singing.

The background to this performance, which completed the singer’s thorny road to recognition, is unhappy. In April 2003 the cherished dream of Oksana Yarova, pupil of the famed singer Yevheniya Myroshnychenko, came true when she enrolled in the apprentice group of the National Opera of Ukraine. There, however, no one was waiting for her with open arms. As time passed, she was not allowed to perform onstage — an old story. Stefania Dovhan, another apprentice who had not performed a single operatic part in a year, left for Germany (she was remembered only after she had been a soloist with the Nuremberg Opera for a year and a half). So Yarova decided to sing as much as she could to keep in form, taking part in various charitable cultural projects and radio recordings. Last year, after a solo concert at St. Andrew’s Church, Mr. Eugenio Cannarsa, chairman of Geneva’s Mozart Association and editor of the popular journal Prestige de l’Opera, broke away from the crowd of excited fans, walked over, and offered to produce her concert in Geneva, together with accompanist Anastasia Tytovych. Evidence of Mr. Cannarsa’s serious intentions was the amount of the suggested fee, which was soon followed by a copy of the magazine that he sent from Geneva with the advertisement for the concert. The front cover of the magazine featured a large photo of the National Opera of Ukraine and a portrait of Mykola Lysenko. Several centerfolds were dedicated to Ukrainian history and geography, as well as our national operatic art. Readers of this publication are treated to the scenic environs of Ukraine and cityscapes of Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa, along with scenes from the operas Aida and Taras Bulba on stage at the National Opera of Ukraine. Oksana Yarova and Anastasia Tytovych’s concert ad features their photos and brief biographies. At the end of the magazine, the column “Artists of Great Talent” included Oksana Yarova’s photo, alongside pictures of Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Cecilia Bartolli, Mirella Freni, and the Ukrainian vocalists Mykola Shopsha, Susanna Chakhoian, and Olha Basystiuk.

Posters announcing Oksana’s concert were displayed all over Geneva. Ticket prices were between $40-50. When Yarova and Tytovych entered the banquet hall after the concert, they were met with a storm of applause, which caused the girls some embarrassment; our performers are not accustomed to such attention at home. Rudolf Angermuller, president of the 14th Mozart Association (one of them is based in Geneva) presented the celebrities with beautiful crystal desk clocks in the shape of a carved fountain, the symbol of Geneva, and offered Yarova a ten-month apprenticeship in Verona.

The young singer returned home inspired, but here she was faced with harsh daily realities and complicated relations with the National Opera’s administration. The fact of the matter is that, before her trip to Geneva, the young vocalist, who was already popular with local opera buffs, had been dismissed from the company’s apprentice group. “This was done illegally,” says Oksana Yarova. “I should have been warned in advance and given at least two weeks’ notice. In fact, the creative board had already decided on July 3 that the company no longer needed me; on July 6, I had to ‘pass an exam,’ in other words, I had to sing the title part of Lucia di Lammermoor for the conductor, Mykola Diadiura. This was simply insulting. However, with the help of the National Opera director general, Petro Chupryna, I was reinstated in the company’s troupe. Not everyone found this to their liking. These days, most of the soloists look the other way when I walk by. But I’m an optimist and I hope that this season will be friendlier than the previous one, and that I will be able to perform new parts and make my fans happy.”

Indeed, the previous season was difficult for the young singer. One time she had to perform when she was sick so that she wouldn’t let down her colleagues. But after her bout of chicken pox she could not sing for a while. Yarova says that some healthy performers sing worse than she did when was sick, but no one pays any mind because they have a lot of support. Oksana, in contrast, can only count on her fans’ support.

Some of her colleagues say that Oksana’s voice doesn’t “fill” the hall. Experts, however, know that the National Opera’s acoustics are so poor that the performers have to push their voices to be heard; in other words, they have to yell. Not everyone can or is willing to do this, because you can lose your voice. Incidentally, strong voices are not required in all operas. Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini’s music calls for light voices, the kind Yarova has. This kind of music will not be mastered by singers with a slow-moving dramatic soprano. Like they say, “It’s your fault that I’m hungry,” meaning that wherever there are people, scapegoats can always be found. Oksana’s sister Olha Mykytenko, currently a celebrated actress, also experienced hardships and scandals in her theatrical career. Now that she has made a name for herself in Europe, the attitude to the singer is completely different. Does this mean that Oksana Yarova will have to leave Ukraine and work abroad, like her sister, to win respect at home?