Estia – February 11, 2014 by Sofia Theofanous (english transl. L. Zervanos) Lydía Zervanos “We attended a recent voice recital by, the young and very promising, lyric soprano Lydía Zervanos at the “Athenaeum” conservatory concert hall. As we have previously commented from this column, it pertains to a singer who not only has all the prerequisites to serve the art of singing but she has taken full advantage of these qualities through a very dedicated and effective study. The program of the recital involved mainly arias from Viennese operettas, as well as Greek ones by the two major composers of this genre, Theofrastos Sakellaridis and Nikos Hatziapostolou. A German operetta, “The Cousin from Nowhere” by the unknown to most of the audience Eduard Künneke, was an exception to the above set list and was followed by “The Tsarevich” and “Giuditta” by Franz Lehár. The first part concluded with “Σαν όνειρο” (Like a magical dream) from “The Apaches of Athens” by Hatziapostolou, a song by Sakellaridis and an aria from his operetta “The Possessed.” Greek operetta opened the beginning of part II as well, with “Christina” and “The Sleepwalker” by Sakellaridis. With arias from operettas of Hungarian feel, “The Hungarian Wedding” and “Clivia” by Nico Dostal, the gifted artist continued her program to conclude with “Friederike” by F. Lehár, and “Countess Mariza” by E. Kálmán. With vocal plenitude and musicality, as well as a healthy, “clear” voice, the distinguished soprano offered us, aside from the beautiful singing, an appearance that was charming in presence, ease and movement, all surrounded with a personality that despite her young age, gave us the assurance of the adept. This assurance, we noticed mostly in her absolute vocal consistency and range which allowed her to showcase with ease her untroubled technique, but also her intense sensibility, especially in the arias by the Austro-Hungarian composers. Her valuable collaborator, the well-known pianist-coach Dimitris Yakas, guided this delightful performance with his wisdom, absolute knowledge of the presented pieces and fascinating “verve.” Lefteris Papanikolaou’s violin added a touch of nostalgia mainly in the violin solo from “The Godchild” by Sakellaridis, but also a wider sense of Mediterranean temperament in Zervanos’ gypsy melodies. The aria “Heia, in the Mountains…” from “The Gypsy Princess” by Kálmán, which Ms. Zervanos sung as an “encore” confirmed that same impression.” |
Kathimerini - February 02, 2014
by Nikos A . Dontas/ english transl. L. Zervanos Fresh, fun-filled operetta evening With a healthy voice, musicality and vibrant temperament, Lydía Zervanos easily won over the audience. "A fresh, light, fun-filled operetta evening was held on January 20 in the hall of the Athenaeum Conservatory. The young soprano Lydía Zervanos was accompanied on the piano by Dimitris Yakas and Lefteris Papanikolaou on the violin. First off the repertoire was of great interest which did not exhaust the known and trite, but included excerpts from Greek, German and Viennese operettas. Both rare and enjoyable pages from the "Der Vetter aus Dingsda" by Eduard Künneke, “Die Ungarische Hochzeit” and "Clivia" by Nico Dostal, the "Possessed", "Christina" and "The Sleepwalker" by Theophrastos Sakellaridis, shared the evening with famous excerpts from “Der Zarewitsch” , “Giuditta” and “Friederike” by Lehár , “Gräfin Mariza” by Kálmán and “The Apaches of Athens” by Chatziapostolou . Similarities and differences between the European model and its Greek embodiment emerged from the succession of the pieces and offered their own special interest. The operetta has its own aesthetic, which tends to be forgotten as the genre declines internationally. Lydía Zervanos seemed to know the rules, the secrets of this very special fascination, the nostalgic style and flirting with time, i.e. the small delays or accelerations which impart plasticity to separate phrases. Already from the opening piece, “Strahlender Mond” from “Der Vetter aus Dingsda,” it became clear that she was not just singing notes, but understood the spirit of every page of music. This was not because she based her interpretation on the text, but because she gave meaning to the music. Musicality is one of the greatest talents of a singer, something that allows them to give content to the musical text and communicate with the public. Youth shines and the young soprano, featuring a comfortable, fresh, confident and radiant the in high range voice, with a timbre that resembles that of her mother Martha Arapis, sparkled, despite some signs of nervousness . The well-chosen repertoire offered a great opportunity to reveal her talent well supported by the experienced Dimitris Yakas. Her stage presence supported the program and caused the excitement of the audience." Der Tagesspiegel - 22.01.2012
by Udo Badelt for Yasou Aida! at the Neuköllner Oper Im Anzug eingemauert "Lydía Zervanos singt die Titelfigur mit reizvoll eingedunkeltem Sopran und der richtigen Mischung aus Furcht und Selbstbewusstsein." "Lydía Zervanos sings the title role with a dark-colored soprano voice and the right mix between fear and self-confidence." |