“... a wonderful continuous vocal line and impressive stage presence[...]solid low notes, broad middle range and brilliant high notes of her high-class-voice [that]rightfully earned frenetic applause ” - Das Opernglas
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Puccini, G. - Turandot - Turandot
Korea Arena Opera Association
José Cura / Paolo Carignani, Conductor
Davide Livermore, Stage Director
Puccini, G. - Turandot - Turandot
Korea Arena Opera Association
José Cura / Paolo Carignani, Conductor
Davide Livermore, Stage Director
José Cura / Paolo Carignani, Conductor
Davide Livermore, Stage Director
Verdi, G. - Macbeth - Lady Macbeth
Washington National Opera - The Kennedy Center
Evan Rogister, Conductor
Brenna Corner, Stage Director
Verdi, G. - Macbeth - Lady Macbeth
Washington National Opera - The Kennedy Center
Evan Rogister, Conductor
Brenna Corner, Stage Director
Verdi, G. - Macbeth - Lady Macbeth
Washington National Opera - The Kennedy Center
Evan Rogister, Conductor
Brenna Corner, Stage Director
Debut as Turandot at The Royal Opera House, Savonlinna Festival, Lady Macbeth Macbeth with the Washington National Opera, Abigaille Nabucco at Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin and debuts with Teatro alla Scala Milano, Opera National de Paris and Staatsoper Berlin.
Debut as Abigaille Nabucco with Arena di Verona, Turandot at Teatro Real Madrid, Venus Tannhäuser at the The Royal Opera House, Foreign Princess Rusalka at Bayerische Staatsoper, Turandot with Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Washington National Opera, opening the season with the Dallas Opera as Tosca, debuts with Opernhaus Zürich as Lady Macbeth and with the Polish National Opera as Aida, Abigaille Nabucco at Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Lady Macbeth Macbeth at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Turandot at Oper im Steinbruch St. Margarethen, Aida at the Prague National Theatre.
Vissi d’arte
Puccini - Tosca
Vissi d’arte
Puccini - Tosca
O Patria Mia
Verdi - Aida
O Patria Mia
Verdi - Aida
Turandot Aria
Puccini - Turandot
Turandot Aria
Puccini - Turandot
Ewa Płonka, Turandot, The Riddles, Gli Enigmi, G. Puccini
Ewa Płonka, Turandot, The Riddles, Gli Enigmi, G. Puccini
Ewa Płonka - Turandot Aria
Ewa Płonka - Turandot Aria
EWA PLONKA - UNA MACCHIA È QUI TUTTORA- LADY MACBETH
EWA PLONKA - UNA MACCHIA È QUI TUTTORA- LADY MACBETH
Ewa Plonka - Abigaille - Nabucco
Ewa Plonka - Abigaille - Nabucco
Il Tuo Sangue
Puccini - Tosca
Il Tuo Sangue
Puccini - Tosca
Wesendonck Lieder
Wagner
Wesendonck Lieder
Wagner
Soprano Ewa Płonka imbues her Lady Macbeth with a complementary attention to the humanity beneath unbridled ambition. Płonka masterfully embodies the vanity and morosity fueling Lady Macbeth’s schemes in her arias. Both the mastermind behind and the handmaiden to her husband’s deadly ambitions, the role of Lady Macbeth is a delicate one. To her husband she is austere and authoritative, to everyone else she must appear placid and placatory. Płonka strikes this balance with impressive fluidity, tracing her character’s complex provocations from the frivolity of “Si colmi il calice” to the duplicitous scheming of “La luce langue” to her final, tragic recitative “Una macchia e qui tuttora.” Płonka even weaves a surprising comedic thread through each aria, achieving the campy affects that a character of such depth needs to ground them.
Ewa Płonka, building on a potent WNO debut last season as Turandot, proved equally powerful as Lady Macbeth. The Polish-American soprano’s top range soared resonantly to and above B-flat, and she had the agility to negotiate the more florid demands, as in the brindisi “Si colmi il calice.” Her acting was just as impressive, as with the pallid tone she brought to the haunted character for the sleepwalking scene. The singer’s confidence gave her a convincing dominance over her husband, until the moment of her mental unraveling.
Soprano Ewa Płonka was last in D.C. this spring, singing the lead in the WNO’s refinished “Turandot,” a role that showcased a particularly chilling side of her bright, leaping voice. “Macbeth,” meanwhile, takes full advantage of Płonka’s keen dramatic sensibilities. Her first act arias — the lilting mockery of “Vieni! t’affretta!”; the curdling bloodlust of “Or tutti, sorgete” — effectively woke the agents of hell. But you could hear the hunger in her diabolical second act, “Si colmi il calice,” drunk on power and wishing death to sorrow. There’s no soft side to this Lady Macbeth. She’s not misunderstood. There’s no redeeming private arc or untapped inner life — she’s simply ruthless, and Płonka’s simply perfect.
Il ruolo di Abigaille era ricoperto da Ewa Płonka. Il giovane soprano, debuttante nel ruolo e in Arena, stupisce per la precisione dell’emissione e per un timbro assai pastoso. Il settore acuto è saldo e svettante. La sua idea del personaggio è sicuramente più lirica che drammatica. Notevolissima l’aria e la cabeletta del secondo atto, ma anche l’aria di sortita nel finale.
Accanto a lui, il soprano polacco Ewa Plonka si rivela un’Abigaille particolare e capace di emozionare. Non è certo un soprano drammatico d’agilità “granitico” in stile Guleghina, la voce è molto più morbida e particolarmente lucente. Mai un attimo di esagerazione o rozzezza, la cantante gioca sul legato e sulla musicalità. Ne viene un’Abigaille insolitamente umana che desta quasi comprensione e non antipatia o addirittura rigetto. Commovente la scena della morte ricca di piani sofisticati e accenti accuratamente elaborati.
