Reviews

Sinaida · Rossini: Moïse et Pharaon

“The revelation of the premiere was Magdaléna Rovenská, a student at the University of Ostrava’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, as Pharaoh’s wife Sinaida. Her soprano is full-bodied, firmly supported and precisely focused in intonation. She negotiated the demanding coloratura with technical assurance, but more significantly, every phrase carried meaning. Nobility, poise and dramatic energy — all delivered with effortless technical command. In her portrayal, Sinaida was more than a decorative queen: she was a dramatic force. Her natural stage authority and vocal assurance place her among the distinctive artists of her generation.”

Sinaida · Rossini: Moïse et Pharaon

“A major discovery was the riveting performance of the gifted young soprano Magdaléna Rovenská as Sinaida, in the exceptionally demanding realm of dramatic coloratura. Although she is only beginning to build her experience on the operatic stage, her performance was admirable and convincing in every respect. She gave an outstanding portrayal of Pharaoh’s wife, who remains mindful of her Hebrew roots and understands in her heart her son’s love for Anaï, yet urges him to honour duty as a nobler bond and banish destructive desire from his soul.”

Songs by Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek

“Soprano Magdalena Rovenská brought the songs to life. She approached each of her appearances — Love, The Dove, The Blue Flower and Song of Hope — with meticulous attention to both singing and acting. Using archetypal props — a veil, a flower, a feather — she unfolded a story with a beginning, an ending and real substance in between. It was clear that she knew exactly what she wanted to convey at every moment and had devoted considerable time to preparation. I found the freshness of this thoroughly convincing performance truly remarkable. […]Rovenská, undoubtedly in collaboration with Alena Hönigová, offered a compelling example of how this can be done. The singing of this recipient of several awards at the most recent Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary also displayed many fine qualities, particularly her secure intonation and vocal range.”

Pauline Viardot: Cendrillon

”As Cinderella, Magdaléna Rovenská is an emotional arrow that hits the bull’s-eye! Not only is her graceful appearance ideally suited to the role, but she also gives an utterly wonderful portrayal of the downtrodden girl who refuses to remain on the sidelines. At every moment, she finds precisely the right response, gesture or inflection for the dramatic situation. Rovenská is simply a beautiful, natural Cinderella in every sense, and the audience takes to her immediately. Her brilliant singing goes hand in hand with this portrayal, never falling even a fraction behind her finely judged acting. Rovenská sings sensationally: her supple soprano is perfectly flexible, cultivated and exemplary in its clarity of diction.”