The article recounts Ekaterina Bakanova’s extraordinary debut at London’s Royal Opera House in July 2015.
Bakanova was originally at Covent Garden rehearsing Musetta in La Bohème when she was suddenly asked to replace the ill Sonya Yoncheva as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata. She accepted with only five hours’ notice. Although she already knew the role from a previous production at La Fenice in Venice, she had to learn Richard Eyre’s staging, the movements, interactions, and musical coordination almost immediately.
Despite the enormous pressure, Bakanova delivered a remarkable performance. She sang without noticeable mistakes, moved confidently through the production, and captivated the audience from her first notes. Her performance of demanding passages such as Sempre libera received an especially enthusiastic response.
The critic Tom Service praised not only her vocal power but also her dramatic intensity. He felt that Bakanova fully expressed Violetta’s desperation, emotional extremity, and tragic condition, making the character seem fresh and newly created.
The evening ended with a standing ovation, and the article suggests that this unexpected performance may have marked the birth of a new operatic star.
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