Various Composers - The Courtesan (Sonya Yoncheva)

Information

1. Jules Massenet - Thaïs, Act I, Scene 2: "C'est Thaïs, l'idole fragile" (Thaïs, Nicias)
2. Ruggero Leoncavallo - La bohème, Act I: "Musette svaria sulla bocca viva" (Mimì)
3. Jules Massenet - Manon, Act II: "Allons, il le faut… Adieu, notre petite table" (Manon)
4. Umberto Giordano - Siberia, Act I: "Nel suo amore rianimata" (Stephana)
5. Giacomo Puccini - Madama Butterfly, SC 74, Act II: "Un bel dì vedremo" (Butterfly)
6. Pietro Mascagni - Iris, Act I: "Ho fatto un triste sogno pauroso" (Iris)
7. Jules Massenet - Thaïs, Act II, Scene 1: "Ah je suis seule enfin… Dis-moi que je suis belle!" (Thaïs)
8. Giacomo Puccini - Manon Lescaut, SC 64, Act II: "In quelle trine morbide" (Manon)
9. Giacomo Puccini - La bohème, SC 67, Act I: "Sì! Mi chiamano Mimì" (Mimì, Rodolfo)
10. Camille Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalilia, Op. 47, Act II: "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" (Dalila)
11. Giacomo Puccini - Manon Lescaut, SC 64, Act IV: "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" (Manon)
12. Giuseppe Verdi - La traviata, Act III: "Parigi, o cara, noi lasceremo" (Violetta, Alfredo)
13. Carl Orff - Carmina Burana, "3. Cour d'amours: In trutina"

Sonya Yoncheva, soprano

Charles Castronovo, 

Orchestra dell'Opera Carlo Felice Genova

Marco Armiliato, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naive

_____________________

In her fifth solo album, The Courtesan, Sonya Yoncheva explores iconic female figures—some historical, some legendary—through the lens of 19th-century writers and composers. The repertoire highlights the complexities and contradictions of women’s lives, examining the tensions between societal expectations, personal identity, and idealized fantasies. By revisiting these bold and provocative characters, Yoncheva offers a reflection on themes of femininity and representation that remain strikingly relevant today.

Sonya Yoncheva (b. 1981, Plovdiv, Bulgaria) is a celebrated soprano with performance degrees in piano and voice, and a master’s in voice from the Conservatory of Geneva. Winner of prestigious competitions—including Operalia (2010) and multiple awards such as Opus Klassik 2021 Singer of the Year—she has also been honored as medici.tv Artist of the Year (2017) and Officière de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2024). Yoncheva performs at major opera houses worldwide, excelling in roles from Baroque to Verdi, Puccini, and Tchaikovsky. A Sony Classical recording artist, her albums include Rebirth, Handel, and The Verdi Album. Since 2020, she produces concerts through her company SY11.