Ilona Domnich

Disturbia

2011-10-15T15:51:00.001-07:00

Queen Elizabeth Hall
DISTURBIA
Monday 31 October 2011

Francis Poulenc: La voix humaine - opera in 1 act
Interval
Kryzsztof Penderecki: Polymorphia
Jonny Greenwood: 48 Responses to Polymorphia (UK premiere)
Aphex Twin: Nannou arr. Patrick Nunn
Luciano Berio: Visage

BBC Concert Orchestra
Keith Lockhart conductor
Ilona Domnich soprano

As an alluring alternative to mainstream Halloween entertainment, the BBC Concert Orchestra weaves scintillating tendrils of sound with an unforgettable psycho-dramatic musical tapestry.

Plunge into the nightmare world of a fragile woman, whose only link with reality is the telephonic voice of her ex-lover... Poulenc's classic psychodrama La voix humaine is based on a play by enfant terrible Jean Cocteau, director of cult film Orphée.

Tickets

Gilda in Italy

2011-04-22T00:45:00.001-07:00

Anghiari Festival

16th - 24th July 2011

Southbank Sinfonia is invited to be the resident orchestra each July at the Anghiari Festival in Tuscany. The festival is warmly supported by the community in this historic hilltop village and also attracts many friends of the orchestra from the UK.

Anghiari is a lovely medieval town lying between two rivers, the Tiber and the Arno. The powerful thirteenth century walls made the town an invincible fortress which constituted an important reference point and kept the Tuscan flag flying during the many historical events that occurred in this delicately balanced border area.

On the 29th June 1440 the famous Battle of Anghiari, which was subsequently painted by Leonardo da Vinci in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, reaffirmed Florentine rule in Tuscany. Anghiari and its surrounding area has seen the lives and work of the greatest men of the Renaissance.

Giardini La Mortella, Greek Theatre, Ischia

23th June- 28th July

"La Mortella" is the wonderful garden, open to the public, that Susana Walton, wife of the late British composer Sir William Walton, has created on the island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples. The garden hosts a collection of plants coming from different parts of the world, such as tree ferns, from Australia and New Zealand, Proteas and Aloes from South Africa, Yuccas and Agaves from Mexico, and also Magnolias, Camellias, Bahuinias, Palm trees, Cycads, to name but a few. In the Neapolitan dialect “Mortella” is the name of the “divine” or Mediterranean.

During the year there are three different concert seasons: in Spring and in Autumn the chamber music recitals are held on Saturdays and Sundays in the indoor Recital Hall; in Summer the Festival of Youth Orchestras with symphony concerts held every Thursday evening in the Greek Theatre.

Rehearsal outdoors, on one of the squares in Anghiari.

La Scala di Anghiari..

Full moon over the Rigoletto audience.

On board..Ischia in the distance.

Full company at the seafood restaurant after the performance. Shame impossible to hear the sounds of the waves in the background. Magic!

Mimi, Puccini's La Boheme

2011-04-22T00:44:00.001-07:00

La Boheme-Puccini
Village underground, London
West Road Hall, Cambridge
Musique Cordiale Seillans
Menton Festival, France

review:
http://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/new-in-ceasefire/opera-boheme/

The Apocalypse is near, Mimi has the fatal virus and four Bohemians are about to discover how their world is going to change, leaving the illusions behind.

Bohemians competing, producing power by peddling the bicycle.

Addio..senza rancor..In the contaminated zone

The death squad..

Si, michiamano Mimi..

Tante cose che ti voglio dire..una sola che grande come il mare..profondo ed infinito..che' il mio amore..e tutta la mia vita..

When one can fall in love over a cup of tea, when light of a candle becomes the most precious possession, when a power of imagination helps to keep warm..what happens to us? How do we react and adjust? How do we survive and live?
That was what the apocalyptic Boheme of Vignette's Productions
was about. An experience I will never forget. True, honest and fearlessly cutting into the flesh.

Besides, it was a great fun to work with amazing, inspiring crew and cast.
And a rear chance to spend almost two weeks in the south of France with my family, staying in the most generous and welcoming house of Tessa and Nigel.

One more swim for Mimi..

Sunshine..

The only meal without the wine..breakfast

The Voice of Cello

2011-04-22T00:40:00.001-07:00

The Voice of Cello
Sunday 15th May, 7:30pm

Four outstanding cellists - Raphael Wallfisch, John Heley, Andrea Hess, Gemma Rosefield, Soprano Ilona Domnich and pianist Simon Lepper - will perform in a special charity concert at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St. John’s Wood, North West London. The concert features Jewish and secular music for the cello as well as 19th century romantic operatic arias. It is a highlight of The LJS centenary celebrations running throughout 2011 and reflects the importance of music in the community’s spiritual and social life. ‘The Voice of the Cello’ has been selected by Gramophone magazine as one of the best events worldwide this May. The four cellists already have a significant link with The LJS. They have each played Bruch’s setting of Kol Nidrei in the synagogue at the commencement of Yom Kippur during the Day of Atonement evening service, which itself is known as Kol Nidrei (‘All Vows’). This long-standing annual LJS tradition, dating back to the early 1930s, is believed to be unique in the UK. The concert will be held in the synagogue’s strikingly beautiful modern sanctuary which is lined with Jerusalem stone. Proceeds will aid two charities: The LJS Centenary Appeal and Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The concert is sponsored by The Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation. Please note: programme may be subject to change. The concert will be preceded by a talk about Bruch and his Kol Nidrei by Dr Alexander Knapp, musician, musicologist and former lecturer in Jewish Music at SOAS.

The Loch Shiel Chamber Music Festival

2011-04-22T00:39:00.002-07:00

The Loch Shiel Spring Festival
broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland- 'Classics Unwrapped', 15th May, 5pm

Wednesday 11/05

SONGS AND SYMPHONIES
Glenfinnan Church, 7.30 pm

The great Austrian composer Gustav Mahler died
100 years ago this year. We salute him with new
arrangements of some of his most beautiful songs,
together with two of the greatest symphonic
movements ever written – Mahler’s Adagietto and
the slow movement from Beethoven’s 7th – and
many other delights.

Ilona Domnich (soprano), Christopher Josey (tenor),
Neiyre Ashworth (clarinet), Joseph Walters (horn),
Charles Mutter (violin), Kathron Sturrock (piano),
Patrick Lannigan (double bass), Philip Gibbon (bassoon)

Mahler- Songs
Schubert-Der Hirt auf dem Felsen
Rachmaninoff - Songs
Michael Csányi-Wills-The Last Letter

Jersey international festival

2011-04-22T00:39:00.001-07:00

Liberation-Jersey international festival

Fete da la Musique at Longueville Manor

Choirs & Opera

Saturday 7th May, 7pm

The Performers:

Soloists: Ilona Domnich (Soprano) Sergey Braga (Baritone)	Jersey Island Singers Director: Nicholas Cabot
City Consort of Voices & Eden Sinfonia Conductor: Daniel Cohen	Jersey Youth Choir Director Liz Craik
Adaska Ensemble Director: Michael Collins	Jersey Festival Choir Director: Elizabeth Farnon

A celebration of international choirs, Faure's Requiem, and multiple musical performances brings together international stars and the best of Jersey in the exquisite setting of Longueville Manor.

During the German's occupation of Jersey in the Second World War, Longueville Manor was used as Officers' quarters. Throughout this time, the beautiful Manor fell into a state of neglect and disrepair. Years of renovation followed the war to reconstruct and revive this stunning historical site.

Spoil yourself; enjoy this sublime music in the magnificent setting of one of the world's finest collection of small luxury hotels, Relais & Châteaux.

Listen to London's City Consort of Voices in Faure's Requiem, with the 'compelling' Soprano Ilona Domnich and the wonderful Russian Baritone Sergey Braga, accompanied by the young and exciting Eden Sinfonia under the baton of Daniel Cohen. Hear the best of Jersey's singers in the Jersey Festival Choir, the Jersey Island Singers and the Jersey Instrumental Service Youth Choir and marvel at Mozart's dazzling Wind Serenade in Eb performed by the Adaska Ensemble directed by the Festival's Artistic Director Michael Collins before finishing the evening with jazz in the Marquee.

Gilda, Verdi's Rigoletto with Southbank sinfonia at Bury Court

2011-04-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

Gilda-how I see her:
There are always choices in life, but love is always an option. She stays concistent in her love to her father, her unknown mother and the Duke. Everybody around her are making compromises, but she has a power of conviction, as she stays true to love and beauty and more important to howrself. In our everyday sarcastic life, it takes huge strengths of character to stay true to yourself and consictantly not to make compromises all the time.
She is like many of Verdi's heroins is immortal character.
Gilda is not dreamy or naive. Despite everything being a new experience, she somehow knows intuitivaly the ways of life. She is feisty and passionate.
She has a very possesive father, holding her enclosed, protecting, does not let her freedom. He makes her feel guilty and blackmails her, as all he wants for her is to stay close to him. This is a typical story of a teenage-parent experience, when a parent protecting the child too much and the child, wanting to break free, ending up making more mistakes.

Or an obsessive relationship, where one partner is needy, finds it hard to give freedom to another and stops the other from growing. Gilda falls in love with the Duke, completely beliving in the power of their love. She is amazed by the sensations that washing her and feelings she experiences. Her sensuality is awakening. The Duke is also surprised by what he feels towards her. She is unlike every other girl, does not through herself at him or is after his riches. This is different, new to him and he hopes that she will finally transform him. There is no rape here. Gilda gives herself to him happily. But then she sees that her father is being bitten and she blames herself for it. The Duke sees her leaving with her father and like a spolled child sulkes and annoyed. Gilda leaves, as she is affraid for her father's life, still hoping to be with the Duke in the future. She is deeply sad, when she witnesses the Duke betrayal in the Inn. She realises that there is no future for them. Then , she overhears the assasin and realises that it is all her fault. The Duke can die because she told her father. There is also a possibility that her father can die.
Gilda is feeling that everything is closing on her. Her father won't change and will not give her freedom. Duke will die, if she does not enter the Inn.
In a sense she is freeing herself also from her pain that Duke does not love her anymore.
But Gilda is not a symbolic character and not a martyr. She is real and her tragedy is deeply sad and unnecessary.

The Music of Gilda:
It all starts in bright, major keys. It mirrows every cange in the moods and colours. Her melodies are always melodic, floating, different from all the other characters.The orchestra is her feelings, doubts, excitment, longing and pain.
Caro nome is not a virtuoso aria to show off coloratura fireworks. It is made of simple scales, it is a delicate, honest and simple confession.It has a fragile quality and is breakable.
Tutte le feste, is her second confession. She tells he father the secrets of her heart, the price she payed and her hopes for the future. It is holding on seamless Legato, which shows her strengths and Gilda as a grown up young woman.

In the following trio and quartet her voice is floating above the rest, as if showing that she is fighting against everybody else. Fighting to stay true to herself. At the very end, just before Gilda dies, her music is heavenly. She has no regrets, as she made the right choice and she is freeing herself, but staying true to her love.

Singer/Mother experiences

2011-01-09T16:20:00.001-08:00

Today Ethan had to come with me to an opera audition. It was a last minute decision, as his nanny became ill.
I have told my lovely boy, that he is coming with me to a small concert, where I will sing for few people and it is highly important that they like me. Therefore he should sit still in the corner of the room. He is not allowed to speak or make sounds, until I come to him and take him by his hand. He promised that he will do so.

We had breakfast, I have warmed up my voice, we dressed beautifully and left the house, hand in hand.

Just before we approached the building, where the audition was held, Ethan slipped and fell. He hurt his nose and started crying. So, we sat outside for few minutes, until he relaxed, being hugged and kissed and encouraged to be brave.

At the venue, we spent some time in the warm up room, while I was humming the beginnings of my arias, Ethan found a paper and coloured pencil in my bag and was happy.

Just before I was called into the audition room, he suddenly asked to go to the toilet. Which took a little long and grounded my senses. Suddenly, the pathos and drama of my operatic heroins
came secondary to the importance of the bowel movement of my son.

We entered the room, the panel new in advance that I have come with my very special assistant. My own panel member!
And the rest was easy. Ethan beautifully sat in the corner of the room, drawing on a piece of paper, while I sang two Italian arias and spoke to the panel. He didn't move and didn't produce a sound.

The situation was new to me. I felt grounded and in control by his presence. I was a mother and a singer at the same time. Something, I have always tried to separate. I was confident somehow, that he will not disturb my singing, I felt his complete support. His presence gave my soul strengths, and my voice was flowing easily.

After all has finished, I came to him, took him by his hand and we
left together, hand in hand.

My heart was singing! I was so proud of my boy. We sat down outside and I told him how much he helped me, expressing the excess of my love.
He seamed to be proud of himself too, he started singing and dancing. Suddenly he wanted to be a performer and have a concert. It felt, as if sitting there quietly, observing, filled him with new means of expression and a happy energy. I was delighted!

Of course he got a tasty treat..we went to celebrate our first opera audition together!

Location: Singer/Mother experiences

Recording at Abbey road

2010-12-07T14:44:00.001-08:00

Recording the soundtrack for the movie 'Will' with London Symphony Orchestra, at the Abbey road studios, Studio 1
Composers- Michael Csanyi-Wills and Nigel Clarke.
Conductors- Chris David and Jeremy Summerly and Oxford Camerata.

Recital 6th December

2010-12-07T14:32:00.001-08:00

Soprano- Ilona Domnich
Tenor- Daniel Turner
Piano- Marc Verter

Arias and duets by Puccini, Verdi, Handel, Bernstein and Loewe

Temple place

Venus, The Judgment of Paris

2010-12-07T14:23:00.001-08:00

Thomas Arne The Judgment of Paris

Saturday 6 November, 7pm, Music at Wotton (HP18 0SB)
Sunday 7 November, 7pm, Holywell Music Room, Oxford (OX1 3BN)
Saturday 12 February, 7.30pm, Wigmore Hall, London W1
Benjamin Bayl directs the Bampton Classical Players in a semi-staged concert performance of this dramatic masque
In celebration of the composer’s 300th anniversary
Soloists: Ilona Domnich, Joana Seara, Serena Kay, Peter van Hulle, Mark Chaundy

Le Nozze di Figaro

2010-08-30T17:21:00.001-07:00

3 weeks of great madness and the result is Figaro, ossia la folle giornata

Both Jacopo, the director and Robin, the conductor created pleasant atmosphere to work in, which made the discovery of the role of Countess exciting, both musically and theatrically.

Warm and friendly environment means a lot for my inner piece of mind, but I also loved being challenged both by the conductor and the director. I think encouragement mixed with criticizm can bring the best results.

Jacopo's production is full of witty humour, but also of very real, humaine issues. It is modern and talks directly to the heart. I was admiring how with huge patience, he is directing us all to connect to our charachters through our own personalities. I felt that I am being honest and felt real connection to my Countess, thru my own life experiences.

I felt that in fact Countess was in the centre of attention. I have seen productions that put Countess aside. But here, my Rosina went throu a journey. From being locked in passive, limiting world; being naive and waiting for things to come her way, she decides to take control over her life. She decides to fight for her husband's love and for their marriage.
She starts by praying for a change and slowly realises that she has to turn her world upside down in order for this desired change to occur.

The set has helped to create the clastrophobic feeling. Each one of the charachters were locked in cage like spaces. Somehow familiar and symbolic!
Aren't we all locked in various cages, in surtain times of our lives?!? Sometimes creating those cages alone, just to realize later and free ourselves from them.

It does not matter, what happends after Countess wins her husband back. Who knows, they might separate after all.. But for now she is determined to save her marriage and to forgive his betrayal. She is forgiving herself as well, for not realizing that marriage is something one needs to work constantly to improve. That one needs to put logs into the fire, in order for it to burn.

The music tells it all. There is not a single emotion that can escape from Mozart's sensitive score. It's all there, in every note, every harmony, every phrase the most detailed nuiances of it all. It is pure magic. It stops the time completely.

I liked singing with Robin Newton conducting. It was one of very rear ocasions, when a singer and a conductor understand each other and create music together. It is a joy to sing with orchestra, the voice is fully supported.

I liked my costume, in fact, I enjoyed to have a personal corsette, made for my size and a big dress for act 3.

My son came to watch one of the reahearsals and then he came to watch the whole of act 1 and act 2 of the first night. It was his first opera! I came out in the interval to kiss him good night and saw his admiring, bright eyes. He was so happy and excited to see his mummy on stage!!
The next day he was telling everybody that his mother was a beautifull princess..

Well.. It's all worth living for.

Be'er Sheva

2010-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

You step out of the airconditioned car and a warm ballon of air enters your mouth, nostrils, eyes, ears. It washes all your body, wraps it, creating almost another layer of skin. It is a shock to the whole system, but after a while it feels really nice. This is Be'er Sheva- a town not far from the Sinai Desert. Where the days are blinding white from the sun, the air standing like a wall and the evenings are cool and beautiful with lovely breezes.
I stayed in the old part of the town. Which was build, according to locals only about 50 something years ago. Now it is mostly ruins and very old houses, but in those days this used to be the luxurious part of town, in fact the most desirable part to live in. For a tourist eye it is very romantic, but for those who live there it is a life of a struggle.
I went for walks in the evenings and discovered many beautifull corners, with narrow pathways, where every stone had real character.
Once I saw a very old woman, who was sitting near her house. I stopped and started chatting to her. Her eyes has almost lost their colour, her skin was dry, but tanned. She looked very fragile, but at the same time content. She seam to be happy sitting their alone in the silence of the street and a clear sky above her. I asked her how does she feel. She said: ' I feel like quarter to 9, soon it will be dark..' and she smiled looking at me.

Trasimeno Music festival

2010-07-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

The concert took place in Castello dei Cavalieri di Malta (Magione), during a magical evening under the starry skys and a sound of distant bells in the background. I felt so happy standing there by the piano with Angela's (Angela Hewitt) wholehearted support. It felt like her fingers were singing and wrapping my voice, sending it as presents to the audience. It felt natural to be there and I enjoyed creating the music.
I sang Chopin songs op74. The first time I sang them through at home, I felt that they have a very simple beauty. They are folk in their essence, but wrapped with most delicate frame, by the knowing Master. It made me learn them in a different way from the way I was used to learn for instance Schubert songs. In my mind they were in a different place and it transferred into my voice easier.

It was my first visit to Italy and I fell in love with what I have seen. I was there three days in three small towns near the lake Trasimeno. I arrived to Perugia, had a lovely drive through the town and was staying in a most picturesque family run hotel-Le Terra di Isa. In the evening we all went in the car to Gubbio, which was one hour drive. The road was a serpentine shape and it was the Italian drivers, completely wild and unpredictable, who draw my attention, alongside the magnificent views of Gubbio's landscapes.

Here in Gubbio, for the first time in life performance, I saw how soloists conducted the orchestra-Angela conducted Mozart piano concertos from the piano and Cellist Pieter Wispelwey conducted a Haydn Concerto, from a raised podium, with his back to the orchestra. It was breathtaking!!!
I was sitting in the first row, hardly breathing. Afraid to miss a moment.

Behind me there were many local Italian people and very quickly, I don't know how, they knew that I was the singer of tomorrow's concert. In the interval, many of them came to me to shake my hand and to wish me luck for tomorrow.

Tomorrow started early, I went for a swim in the pool, had a lovely breakfast, watching the hills around the lake and had a rehearsal with Angela. At my rehearsal was Hannu Lintu, a fantastic finish conductor, who wanted to listen to the songs. The day before we went for a little tour together to explore Gubbio, which was nice.

After the concert in Magione few people came to congratulate me. One man, who is a member of a famous string quartet said: 'You performed with such Slavic passion-absolutely wonderful!

The owner of the Hotel gave me a present- two of her home made organic jams. They were delicious, as I discovered later. When I arrived to London, I got a compliment from the immigration officer (women), that I look 23 years old. I smiled and said, you are right, this is exactly how I feel..

Trasimeno music festival
Le terra di Isa

Recital of Chopin songs

2010-06-08T13:36:00.001-07:00

On the 5th of June I sang at the all Chopin concert. I was lucky to be singing with the amazing Angela Hewitt. Apart from 9 songs by Chopin in Polish, which we have performed, she also played The cello sonata, The piano sonata and a group of short miniatures by Chopin.
She was breathtaking!

It was in a very pretty surroundings in Kent. In a converted barn on the grounds of a 16th century private house.

The house itself made an impression on me. It was spacious, yet had low sellings. It's features were inviting, a combination of wooden and stone with few modern features. And the hosts were warm and welcoming.

The Barn itself had a lovely acoustics and great simplicity, on the verge of ellegancy.

I have really enjoyed singing Chopin songs and was happy that they sat comfortably in the voice, despite being written in a lowish tessiture. It was also the first time I sang in Polish.

I could not have a better, more sensitive partner then Angela. I felt that she was caressing my voice, with her playing with such ellegance and beauty, that it was easy to sing and express the songs.

Also, I met a lovely cellist, Marie Macleod. Who was truly inspiring in her performance of the cello sonata.
The door to the garden was open, the local sheep were lestening too. And during one of the songs a cat came in. Walked gracefully around Angela and me and went off, as if checking on us.

Location:Kent

understanding a Russian

2010-05-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the most inspiring evening of Russian poetry, prose and song. I am saying 'Russian poetry', which was in fact of Russian poetry and prose read in English translation.
I found myself listenning and being inspired by familiar and new texts of my favourite writers and poets, despite them talking to me in English.

I felt that I am slightly more priveleged then other people in the audience, as I am Russian born, yet also exposed to the other side of the world. I could see clearly the pictures that the words were drawing and I knew exactly what it would look like.

In between the songs, poems and stories there were readings of private letters. In one of them Timothy West tells his wife Prunella Scales about his experiences in Russia. After spending some time in Moscow and observing his russian friends, he reveals what is the difference between an english actor and russian? An English knows that on page 48 (for example) his character goes into an emotional state. He then reads the earlier pages and gradually builds the emotional crescendo to the climax.
A Russian ( not neseserely an actor) eats dinner with his family. His wife has burnt the food, which makes him deeply misrable. He thinks that everyone is ungrateful and his sacrifize as a family member is not appreciated. He looks out of the window and its raining, which makes him feel even worth. He feels almost suicidal.. Then his wife puts a bottle of wine on the table and he tastes it. He thinks it tastes good. His mood changes.. suddenly the people around him are no longer enemies, they are loving and caring. He feels that he is the luckiest man in the world. Even the rain outside looks lovely. The change in him has accured over less then 45 second. But the depth of the emotions is overwhelming.

This story has avoke many memories and emotions in me. Over the years I have learnt how to find the middle between the extreems of my russian nature. Well.. at least I hope so!

Timothy West-I'm here I think, where are you?

In preparation for a recital

2010-03-25T16:18:00.001-07:00

What is a song recital?
I always imagine that I walk in a picture galery, where all the pictures are animated. You can step in and out of each picture. Like Alice in the wonderland, become grow big and small.

Which means that in order to build a recital programm, I feel like a really wealthy owner of all this precious jewels.

Each song is a mini drama. It captures the mood, the place, the characters. It satisfyies the listeners hunger for a story in a very short time. Some times less then 1 minute.

Which means that if you are one of those adults that still keep the curious, childlike mind. You will enjoy an evening of storytelling.

For the next two recitals I will sing songs in German, Italian, French, Russian and English.

I do not speak French, German and Italian( but of course, I sing in all of them easily), on top of it I am lucky to have lovely friends ( all native speakers).

Italian -Daniel ( studying cloths design and one day will be famous) German- Astride ( has also a passion for Latin- American dancing, like me)
French- Aude ( a specialist in the world of jewels and a singer)

After the language is perfected. (And I do believe that the poems are equally important to the music!) the immagination kicks in and the work begins.

I really enjoy the proccess of prepearing for a recital. Getting slowly to know the people who created the songs throu their creations. Filling my soul with endless wealth of emotions, exploring it to the depths. Getting to know myself, own passions throu the hidden meanings of the poetry and the combination with music.

It can seam unfair: the preparation is enormous and the performance of each song is very short. I took one breath.. And it's gone already... But this is why it is so exciting! It is as if while I performed the song, the time stopped. I have taken the listener with me into my picture, out of the reality, outside of the present, past or future.

Almost like being in a time machine. Pure magic!

London

2010-03-10T06:33:00.001-08:00

I am not sure why, but yesterday I had a strong feeling to stop the running of time. I found myself in central London, bank station, near the city. People were rushing by, it was lunch time. All I wanted to do is to breath the city, talk to her, ask questions.

I walked and walked, finding new places, that I have never been. Admiring the beautiful arcitectures and the inspiring combinations of old and new.
I was looking at the people, trying to understand, how are they connected to this place. How am I connected to this place!?

It was not a sunny day, neither it was cold or grey. It was one of those days, when everything feels suspended, slow motion. When no details are important, but the big picture.
I felt that the City has it's doubts too, but it is strong and contented.
I felt that my heart is really big. It has love for st. Peterburg, where I was born, for Jerusalem, where I grew up and for London, where I am maturing , experiencing amazing things. Living my dreams and battling with myself, constantly improving, changing, exploring.

This open conversation with London did so much good to me! I am grateful and content now.

Love, Lost and Renaissance!

2010-02-28T15:14:00.001-08:00

29th April, 7:30pm @ Bob Boas House, 22 Mansfield street, central London.

Songs by Schubert, Strauss, Verdi, Faure and Rachmaninoff

Tchaikovsky - the letter scene from Eugene Onegin

Short break

' White night' movie, music by Benjamin Ellin, poems by Achmanova. Film director- Keith Cheetham.

Recital of songs

2010-02-26T02:06:00.000-08:00

31st, March, 7:30pm
St. John the Baptist church, Witheridge, Devon
Ilona Domnich, Soprano

Recital of songs by Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, Verdi, Bellini, Faure, Rachmaninoff and Gershwin with Marc Verter at the piano.

Hosts of the evening: Sarah Walker and Graham Allum.

Location:Witheridge, Devon

Te Deum

2010-02-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

12th March, 7:30pm
Soprano solo in Dvorak Te Deum with UEA Symphony Orchestra & Choir.

Location:Norwich Cathedral

Which animal am I?

2010-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

If I were to compare myself to an animal, I think I will be a chamelion. Changing colours every single moment. Why?

I noticed that when I speak to a person I pick up his/her mood, intonations of the voice, mimics, gesticulation and energy. As if I am tring to find myself through the other person in this conversation. The same happends with places and music.

This can sound like I have nothing of my own. But, it is quite opposite. I become richer and multi coloured in my personality, throu this exciting game. Constantly searching, learning and growing.
That also means that in a sense I do not have a fixed personality. Well..it's a bit of an overstatement. I simply do not like to keep it static and unchanged.
Generally, I do not like boundaries and being limited by one thing. Flexibility is the answer.
It is really great for the acting and singing. One needs to be flexible and open to changes.
In fact it is one of important blessings in music profession.
I am not a jazz musician, but I know that in order to learn how to improvise one listens to lots of styles and schools of playing. Eventually establishing his/her own signature. It is less so in classical singing, as you do not compose during the performance. But still, you are obsorbing all the music that came before and building your interpretation upon it.

In opera or any classical performance anything can happen on stage.What if a chamelion will fall on your head, while you sing or play? And you have to be ready...

Profession

2010-02-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

Few days ago a cab driver asked me what is my profession. I said: ' I am a musician, a singer'. He said: ' Ye.. But what do you do for livin'? What's your job, darling?'

It made me realise that he was right. I do not have a job. Not in a sence of 9-5pm.

Not in any other sence. What I do is a way of living or a relashionship.

You do not stop thinking about it. It follows you every minute of your life. There are no holidays and even on holidays it's part of you.

It brings you to the pick of emotions and throws to the depths of sorrow.

It is your best friend, therapist and your worst enemy. It is your child and your grand mother. It is you!

I think I can only compare being a musician with having an obsessive, most dramatic and extraordinary love affair, that lasts a life time.

White Knight, the movie

2009-11-18T14:06:00.004-08:00

I think that there is some kind of line that my performing path is following recently. I have been really enjoying the intimate performances of Mono operas, Operas in small spaces, recitals/cycles/scenes. It adds an ellement of truth and direct acting. as an actor-singer I feel like taking more riskes and definately exposing my inner self much more then on a big stage. It feels , like a life camera is following on close up, not letting you slip.

And suddenly it happened. I was about to play in a film. Not only play, but sing and be 5 different characters/woman. I could not hide the excitement. I felt, that it will be most amazing experience, and a weeks before it happened, I was constantly there in my mind..imagening all the details of how it is going to happen. And it was truely amazing experience!!!

Keith Cheetham-the loveliest director had the most down to earth, relaxed style, which gave me confidence and inner piece. The crew were all lovely people, extreemely helpfull and we had lots of laughs. Even the weather and the smell of leaves were collaborating.

The most difficult thing was to wake up early and go to sleep late. The days were so intensive that by the end of it all, I felt utterly exhousted, but so happy! The 5 am morning fog and midnight starry sky were magical and were caught on the camera.

We stayed in Norfolk, where apparently people do not close doors at night. It was pitch black and slightly scary at night. what an experience.

Iford-Onegin

2009-11-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Iford was the most intimate opera theatre experience I have ever been involved. But the generosity and warmth of everybody was even more amazing. Everyone from the conductor Olliver Gooch, the cast, the production crew, orchestra players, to my lovely hosts Gillie and Bill Whitley were extremely encouraging, supportive and I completely felt at my most natural self in preparation to the role and performing it.

Tatiana was not easy part for me vocally, but emotionally is well suited. Which helped to overcome everything i feared. She allowed me to show the diversity of emotional colours of her character and to follow her maturity from an Innocent girl to a strong woman, who decides to reject Onegin, despite her burning love for him. Great role!

During the preparation process, I spoke a lot with Bernadette Iglich, the director about Tatiana. It was tremendously important for me that Bernadette gave me so much of her insights onto Tatiana's character. I loved working with her. I felt complete trust and passion of a real creator and could relax while exploring the nuances of the acting. As a result of this work together, we became very good friends.

The audience was sitting very close to us and i could hear people breathing. It was like being watched by the camera, constantly on air, in action. i have to admit that I loved every minute of it. It also made me concentrate better for the entire show. I new that if my thought will drift somewhere, people will be able to see it in my eyes. They will not believe me. Therefore, I learnt a great lesson and it was good practice for the big stages and bigger roles.

White knight

2009-09-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

Benjamin Ellin- composer
Ilona Domnich- soprano
Marx Verter- piano
Keith Cheetham- director

Holy trinity church, Sloane square, London.

17th September 2009, 1pm.

5 poems by anna Akhmatova:
-He loved
-In a dream
-White night
- Song without words
- I am not asking for your love
- I've learnt to live

CD, radio, imagination

2009-05-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate the power of imagination.. I have come to a conclusion that the most powerfull tool when creating music are your thoughts and state of mind.

I have recently recorded a CD. 18 trucks, 2.5 days and 4 months of preparation.
It felt like i was drawing a line to part of my life. Closing a chapter, concluding everything into this CD.

From a young age I am trying to remmember events, encounters, experiences that accured in my life. I have been unconciously collecting it all in my brain, creating a database. Now, I was able to access this vast ammount of information and it helped me to turn it to emotions and express it through the music.

Recording such a long, multi style CD was an experience on its own. I needed all my concentration, stamina and bags of imagination in order to breath life into the songs and arias i sang.

Each song not only has the poem, the music phrasing and the the beauty of expression. It has a person, place, mood, colour, smell, speed. Each one is a picture in a museum, which becomes alive once the sound begins. It has tensions and reliese of it. It has silences, equally important to musical sounds. Each song has a Story!

when i first look at the music that I learn for the first time, immidiately many things become clear. Even from the look on the music, before singing it or playing I can get an impression about it. The imagination is already engaged.

Once I start learning it, the layers of imagination are endless.

Tatiana, Onegin 2009

2009-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Iford Festival Opera presents:

Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Sung in English

Musical Director: Oliver Gooch

Director: Bernadette Iglich

Orchestra: The Pepys Ensemble

Cast to include: Katherine Allen, Ronan Collett,

Julian Close, Ilona Domnich, Deborah Hawksley, Carol Rowlands

http://www.ifordarts.co.uk/default.php?ID=13

Vera Ivanova-composer

2009-02-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

A collaboration with Young russian composer.

http://www.veraivanova.com/

It happen that I went to russia to auditioned for opera companies and Vera was in Moscow at the same time. She and her husband came to meet me for lunch. Not only that, but she was staying on the same street in a hotel, where I had my audition.

We went to 'Emelia', russia style food cafe to talk about possible concerts, festivals, Anna Ackmatova and children.

I am always amazed how people create contact and expose their personalities in order to comunicate, impress, show interest and make friends and work partners. And I am very lucky to meet such people like Vera with such openness, warmth, honesty and modesty.

I am so much looking forward to sing more of Vera's music.

Benjamin Ellin: composer-conductor

2009-02-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

A collaboration with young english composer-conductor.

http://www.benjaminellin.com/

http://www.emfeb.com/who_ellin.htm

I can honestly say that I have never yet met such multi talented, inspiring young musician, conductor, composer. With increadably warm heart, compationate for humain. Ben was introduced to me by Jill White. He came specially to Pool to hear my Zerlina performance.

He has become a dear friend and I absolutely admire him, his dedication to music, people, humanism.

After coming to hear me sing Rachmaninoff songs at st. George's Hanover Square he texted: 'you were uterly compelling'
Then Ben came with the idea to write a piece for me, at which point I introduced him to the poems of Anna Akhmatova. The piece is : 'white night' and talks about a woman waiting for her beloved to come, but in vain.

I have recorded it on my CD, which will be reliesed very soon.

This piece will be one of the 5, which will make one act opera. Ben is writing it for the Festival in September.

it such a luctury for the singer to work with a composer. It is such an amazing feeling to know that the piece is written for me..

Anna Akhmatova in 1914

Beethoven 9th Symphony

2008-12-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

7 Dec 2008

Soloists: Ilona Domnich, Eleanor White, Andrew O’Brien, Jeremy White

UEA Choir and UEA Symphony Orchestra

St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich

18:00 7 Dec 2008

Contact Telephone: 01603 592450

Conductor: Sharon Andrea Choa

Richard Strauss, Brentano songs op 68

2008-12-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

17th January
Huddersfield Town Hall
Conductor-Ben Ellin
Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra

http://home.btconnect.com/measures/newspo/season.htm

These songs have brought a real joy for my heart. I was learning them and suddenly I fall in love with every note. I thought that the music is bursting form sensuality. Each phrase is pulsating with sansual awakening.

I know that Richard Strauss music, specially shymponic can be sometimes like endless waves that do not reach the shores. Or reach, but after long time of doubts. But here, in his shimponic songs 68, like in the four last songs and my favourite opera ' Der Rosenkavalier' I found perfection.

Master class with Montserrat Caballe

2008-10-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

24th November-27th November,Zaragoza 2008.

Hall Mozart

One of most amazing experiences of my life. To be singing to the most celebrated Diva of our time. To be told by her that i sing beautifully, that my teachers did really great job, that I am on good path and that this is exactly how 'Puccini should sound.' To be kissed by her. Then to sing in the Zaragoza Auditorium and to have her approval with a kiss again after. I feel really blessed and my late teacher Enid would have been so proud of me.

http://www.concursocaballe.org/saludo.asp

Verdi requiem

2008-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Oratorio performance of the Verdi Requiem

On Saturday, 22 November at 7.30pm
in the Tiffin School, Big Hall,
Queen Elizabeth Road
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey
KT2 6RL
Phone: 020 8546 4638

Choir of 350 boys, girls and adults
soloists
Ilona Domnich-Soprano,
Miranda Westcott-Mezzo,
Dominic Natoli-Tenor
Robert Rice-Bass,
Together with the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra. Accompanied by imaginative
art work.

brief encounter with Rachmaninoff

2008-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

St. George's Hanover Square
11th November, at 7:30pm

Ilona Domnich, Nigel Foster and Michael White.
The life of Rachmaninoff through his songs, with narrations.

http://www.londonsongfestival.org/concerts.php

Schostakovitch 14th symphony

2008-09-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Cambridge University chamber Orcestra (CUCO)

Conductor- Howard Williams
Bass- Mathew Rose
Soprano- Ilona Domnich

Sang in Russian
26th October 2008, 7:30pm

The work has eleven linked movements, each a setting of a poem by Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, Maria Rilke. The songs are about death. death from love, death of poor, death of cursed beauty, death by suicide, death in war, death from broken heart, death in suffering, etc.

Shostakovich itself wrote:' Everything that i have written until now over these long yearss has been a preparation for this work, I intended this Symphony to prove a counterweight to the positive presentation of death in music. I want my listeners , as they leave the hall after hearing my symphony, to think that life is truly beautiful'

Most of the setting is in quasi parlando style. There is a string or hestra with 5 types of percussion section: castanets, wooden blocks, tom-toms, whip, bells. vibraphone, xylophone, celesa soprano and bass.

Shostakovich writing very considerate for the voice. The voice is surrounded and carried through the piece by the instruments and is a an equal orchestral member.
Mathew and I were sitting in the middle of the orchestra and I felt that I was washed by sounds, surrounded by harmonies. The moment i stood to sing I suddenly felt scared that I will not be able to carry this emotional and vocal weight, but the moment an opening sounds of Malagena began I new that i will be fine.

When I arrived to rehearsal I discovered that conductor learnt it in one week time and the orchestra only met 4 days before. And yet they sounded great! I also learnt that most of the orchestra are not even music students. They studying to be Matematicians, Lawers, Historians and everything else but musicians. And yet, in their free time they play so amazingly.

It was an amazing experience, to be singing such a traumatic and genius piece, in russian with a great bass-Mathew Rose, wonderful conductor Howard Williams and a very exciting young, energetic Chamber Orchestra of Cambridge University (CUCO)

It is my 3rd time in Cambridge and this time I had few lovely walks on the stone tiny streets, between the old buildings of churches. Listened from outside to the angelic voices of King's College singers, and to a rock version of a religious service. Cambridge is an amazing town, specially in Autumn, when the old severe buildings surrounded by red and yellow leaved trees.

Brief encounter with Rachmaninoff

2008-09-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Dress rehearsal
8th October 2008
Chacombe music festival, Sophie's barn, Banbury, Oxfordshire
http://www.chacombemusic.co.uk/themusicfestival.html

Ilona Domnich-Soprano
Nigel Foster-Piano
Michael White-Narrator

The more I sing Rachmaninoff songs and read about his life, i realize what a powerful muse was Russian nature for him. Once he left Russia he lost her (the muse) and could not find an inspiration again for composing songs. It is so many times that I hear that the most magnificent masterpieces were created when the artist was either deeply depressed, lonely, betrayed by a beloved or far away from it's muse. But this is not the case with Rachmaninoff. He needed to hear the sound of the wind among the tree leaves, to see the silvery river running by and to smell the forest in order to transform it to music. He needed the soothing, caring wings of generous Mother nature of Russia.

Every song is a perfect miniature that shows a picture of a landscape or a portrait of a person.
For me it is like with a first note the screen lightens up and you immediately know what is going on, see a place or a person. Then the music ends and the lights dim. You are left shaken, distraught, peaceful, filled with gentleness or full of tears. It is always that you think of a memory or somebody you knew or loved.

This is why it is so easy to tell a story of Rachmaninoff life. His songs are his life. Some of them were written before the actual events happened, but it is as if Rachmaninoff knew what will be.

Here in Banbury was the perfect place for the songs to unfold. In a small village near Oxford, in a converted barn were 30 people sitting really close to us, it felt so intimate and right. I had a feeling that the darkness that was surrounding us from the windows was making the whole event even more beautiful, breaking the imaginary walls and in a fast forward speed connecting English landscapes with Russian, English people with Russian, English emotions with Russian.

Opera Gala with Riverside

2008-06-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.langdondowncentre.org.uk/eventspage.php?id=22&nav=4

An Evening of Opera with
Ilona Domnich- Soprano
Rodney Clark-Bariton
Timothy Burke- Conductor
Riverside Opera chorus

Normansfield Theatre, 12th July, 7:30pm, Teddington

Riverside Opera Company are simply the loveliest people that I worked for. There is so much enthusiasm and real love for music and singing, that it brings a huge positive energy to the performance.
It is amazing how much one can learn in one evening. I love talking to people and learn a lot from their experiences. Starting from conversation about the modern teenagers with Ronnie Ingram(Director). The importance of family union and doing things together. Talking to the lovely chorus members about children and their linguistic development. Talking to a wonderful baritone Rodney Clark about the demands of being an opera singer in England and how does it work...or does not work. Who also helped me to memorize few extra lines of recit. in Italian, which I was not told to prepare in advance. A true colleague! Followed by conversation about food allergies with a 15 year old genius pianist Patrick and his dad. Followed by a talk with an organist about nerves on stage, i.e how to deal with it. Talking about liking or hating famous sopranos with David Eaton and Tim Burke mother on one side and about weddings on the other, while eating a lovely lobster soup. And finishing with a lovely chat with the Conductor Tim Burke. Who has such engaging personality, kind and sweet smile and such positive and professional attitude.
An amazing evening which I really enjoyed. But the most important thing is that I was feeling relaxed in this environment and enjoyed the singing.

2008-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 60th Birthday Israel !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CXvhISH17o&feature=related

On the roads with ETO

2008-04-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

reviews and photos:
http://www.englishtouringopera.org.uk/
http://robertworkman.myzen.co.uk/giovanni/
http://theoperacritic.com/reviewsa.php?schedid=etogiovan0308
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre/reviews/don-giovanni-hackney-empire-london-797500.html
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article3586448.ece
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article3592562.ece
http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/operalivereviews/story/0,,2266488,00.html#article_continue
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20080323/ai_n24954001

Being on the roads can be frustrating and tiring, but not when I go to sing Zerlina with ETO tour.
I am always so looking forward to each performance. I love the role, the music, the production and absolutely wonderful people in the cast, but also because I know that every performance will be different and will bring a lot of fun with it. There will be always something happening on stage or back stage. Lyceam, Sheffield

When I learnt the part in English I have not taken much into the consideration an obvious fact that for some singers in the cast English is their first language. I live 7.5 years in London, and every time I learn the role in English I discover a new side of English humour, a very specific to the English operatic translations. This of course has been the very first fantastic reason for jocks and laughs during the rehearsal period. Like in German you will always find 'herz' and 'schmerz', in English you will always find words like 'Rascal', 'wretched man', ' this is madness' etc.
Then, there are also words and phrases that naturally creep into your daily language. Whenever you approach a comical situation in life which remind you of an operatic libretto, you can use the line and make a laugh about it. In my role there are few :' Oh, well it's not too bad if nothing's broken' and ' He did not touch the tips of my fingers', 'Then you are bound to end up in dreadful trouble'..When the tour started I was curious to see the towns, the theatres and the audiences. What I have not realised is that every town in England has got a different attitudes, accents and audiences. People respond differently to jokes and react differently during the performance.
In Sheffield, I was on the bus to the theatre, asking my neighbour for directions. It did not take long till the whole bus joined the conversation, helping me to find the theatre. The people got so involved, that I felt slightly embarrassed. I loved it though, as it happens so rarely in a big city like London.
Therefore when I have arrived to the theatre I offered to the rest of the cast to sing the show with a Yorkshire accent, which I find very attractive.
Sheffield for top of the Lyceam
Since then every recitative call before the opera started became the funniest part of the day. The words were sang with: German accent, terribly posh English accent, with a lisp and of course with strong Russian, Icelandic and Welsh accents. I think the audiences deserve to hear it...

It is not so good though for when the performance stars, as the memory still holding the fanny association connected with the words and at times it is difficult not to cops. This is when it is really difficult to look at each others eyes on stage.

After the show there are two choices, to go to the pub, or to go to sleep to your b&b. I must say that it is not very pleasant to walk alone to your b&b in the strange town alone at 11pm. I am very sensitive to the places that I am staying. There is always a good, an ok, or a bad vibe about places. Up until now I was lucky and stayed in lovely houses, with warm people, lovely dogs, cats and children.
Which reminds me once of staying in a hotel in Paris. The walls were so thin between the rooms, that I could hear everything what was going on next door.. But worst of all, in the middle of the night I thought that someone has entered my room and was standing next to my bed telling me something. I woke up with cold sweat and my heart pounding. I heard my next door neighbours arguing. Since the walls were so thin, in my sleep I imagined that it is all happening in my room. I was terrified.

In Truro we went to a night club, as there were no pubs open in such late hours of the night. I have never been to a night club before, and have never seen so many drunk teenagers, guarded by police and security. I felt that I am so far behind what is happening in the modern English young generation. It was shocking. I also, for the first time in my life felt old and out..
We asked the police how do they allow something like this happening under their own eyes, and they replied that it is better to have it under control, under one roof, then God knows where, God knows doing what.............

Next time someone from the cast promised to take us to karaoke..What joy!

Gardening and stamina

2008-04-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Gardening is one of my favourite relaxing times. After a day full of singing, excitement, high emotions, interactions with people, travelling, dust, pollution and the usual irritation that builds when one lives in a big city, I absolutely adore being in the company of flowers, plants, soil and worms.

I wish I had a big garden. I am sure I will one day. But at the moment it is just, few plants at home, window flowers and occasional digging in the near by garden. Very occasionally I am helping friends to clear their gardens, or trim the bushes. They always laugh at the fact that their gardener today is an opera singer.
I am a very sensitive person. I respond to everything surrounding, take it all in and absorb it in a highly emotional way. It takes some time for me to adopt to new situations. Which means that if things around me are changing and happening too fast I get angry and irritated easily. But unfortunately for me, I bottle it up and get a lot of physical tension.

Therefore I need the nature to cheer me up and to give me back the lost energies.
The interesting thing is that the more mature I become and the more stress I have, I manage to deal with it better and build the stamina. Or perhaps the older I get I am less afraid to show my weaknesses and it helps to deal with things in a more sufficient way.

Jerusalem

2008-01-27T14:44:00.001-08:00

http://www.jmc.co.il/concert.asp?sid=91

I sang a recital with a wonderful Russian pianist Ella Osherov- Pavlovski at the Jerusalem Music Centre in February 2006. It was a life broadcast on the Israeli music radio channel.

Jerusalem music centre is one of the jewels of music culture in Israel. This centre is nurturing young talented musicians and helps them to launch into the big world. It has a concert hall, a recording facilities and it broad casts on the music radio channel. It also provides a space for practising and a series of master classes. Famous pianists, instrumentalists, singers and conductors come to Jerusalem music centre from around the world to share their knowledge and expertise with the young generation.

The location of this music centre is also unique. Mishkenot Sha’ananim in Hebrew: משכנות שאננים‎ was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old city of Jerusalem , on a hill opposite Mount Zion. Financed by Moses Montefiori, the neighborhood provided housing for 20 families. Since it was outside the walls it suffered many raids, therefore the Jews were reluctant to move in. People were even paid to live there, and a gate was built around with a heavy door that was locked at night.

The name of the neighbourhood is taken from Isaiah 32:18: "My people will abide in 'mishkenot sha'ananim' (peaceful habitation), in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places."

After the 1948 Arab- Israeli War, when the Old City was captured by the Arabs, Mishkenot Sha'ananim became a no man's land and many residents left in the wake of sniper attacks by Jordanians. After the reunification of Jerusalem following the 1967 Six day war, Mishkenot Sha'ananim was turned into an upscale guesthouse for internationally acclaimed authors, artists and musicians visiting Israel. Now it is also a home of the Jerusalem music centre

My dream is to stay in one of the guest houses in Mishkenot and wake up in the morning to see the walls of the Old city and hear the sounds of Jerusalem waking up.

Zerlina/Don Giovanni

2008-01-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.englishtouringopera.org.uk/tourdiary.php

Hackney Empire
15/03/2008
Show Time: 7.30pm
£27.50, £23, £20, £15.50, £10
http://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/

I am singing Zerlina in Don Giovanni with English Touring Opera during March-May
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte

Zerlina for me is a combination of adventurous, fiery, sexy young woman and kind loving soul, obedient to moral ethics. She is a simple country girl, but also sophisticated young woman. Zerlina knows that marriage with Massetto is a safe one , happy but boring life. This is why she is tempted to surrender to Don Giovanni. She feels that this might be her last chance to get more excitement in life. I can not really blame her for that: Don Giovanni is wealthy, handsome and irresistible. I imagine Ruggiero Raimondy or Placido Domingo type of Don G, who would turns on all her senses, would make her burn with desire when she sees him approaching her. Through the opera Zerlina is making a journey. She grows and becomes more sensible. She learns to appreciate what fate has sent her and how lucky she was to escape the fate of Donna Elvira and Donna Anna.

One of the most praised operas, Don Giovanni
combines high drama with comedy to illustrate the eventual fiery end of the mythical womanizer.
As the story opens, Don Giovanni steals away from Donna Anna's house, but she pursues him. The commotion alarms her father, the Commendatore, who duels with and is killed by Don Giovanni.
He sets off again with his servant, Leporello, and meets the grieving Donna Elvira, who loves him although he has betrayed her. Making a quick exit, he next encounters a lively bunch of peasants, among them the pretty Zerlina and her clumsy fiancé, Masetto. Don Giovanni spirits Zerlina away, but her enraged scream alerts the suspicious Masetto, and the Don is unmasked as a seducer and murderer. He escapes, only to be confronted later by a statue of the murdered Commendatore, who extends an icy grip to drag an unrepentant Don Giovanni to the depths of hell.

I can recommend two most fascinating book about Mozart, his life and women.
Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life by Robert Spaethling and Mozart's Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music by Jane Glover

Hampstead Synagogue

2008-01-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

Recital by Russian/Israeli soprano Ilona Domnich with Nigel Foster
Organized by The Hampstead Synagogue Ladies Guild

http://www.hampsteadshul.org.uk/

Sunday 13th January 2008

I always enjoy singing for the Jewish community. It feels like I am singing for my family. People come after the concert and talk to me about Israel, about their worries for this beautiful land. They tell me honestly what they liked from the program and what did not quite work. I can ask them if they understood the words or what was the balance between the pianist and me. They tell me about other successful singers and how should I dress. Once a woman came to meet and said: ' Darling, go and get yourself a better bra, I can recommend to you a very nice place..

This concert will take place at the home of Sandra & David Berzon, 19 Harman Drive, NW2
For more details, please phone Linda Brin on 020 7435-4476
or email her at ladiesguild@hampsteadshul.org.uk

Once I sang for a similar event, there was a very old man sitting in the first row. I started singing and he fell a sleep. Then half way through the concert he started snoring very loudly. His neighbor touched his shoulder, the man woke up and in a very loud voice said: ' Has she started singing yet?' His phrase came when I was singing the highest note of a cadenza at the end of the aria...

La voix Humaine

2007-12-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

La Voix Humaine
The Humane Voice

F. Poulenc

Poulenc's one-act solo opera, after a monologue by Cocteau, contains some of his most personal and sophisticated music.Presented in an intimate, site-specific version for Hampstead and Highgate Festival, London

(www.hamandhigh.co.uk)

Ilona Domnich-Soprano
Sergey Rybin-Piano
Sebastian Harcombe- Direction
Alex Stone-Lighting Design

May 17th (Thurs) and 22nd (Tues) 2007 at 8.30pm.
Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Rosslyn Hill, LondonNW3
(http://www.liederkreis.com/)

What a tremendous work! And how much preparation is involved...

I am only feeling a bit frustrated that there were only two performances. First time is always a spontaneous, fresh and unknown field. Second time it is starting to get into your blood and you feel freer to take small risks and relax at some places. But then you need at least few more performances so this magnificent piece does become part of you and you can explore it more and find new ways to it. I found myself thinking about Elle all the time, even at times asking myself how would she do certain things if she was me.

When director and I initially talked about this role and Elle's character, he suggested and we together developed a new interpretation of La Voix events. Elle is a young Russian immigrant to Paris before the revolution. Her parents would be killed by the Bolsheviks and her grand mother will bring her to France in a hurry with very few belongings. Then the grand mother will die, leaving her with nothing but her old scarf. Ella is a student of ballet, where she meets him. An wealthy English man older then her , one of the arts supporters. He then rents a flat, subsidises her existence and visits her from time to time. She is completely dependant on him, emotionally and financially. Eventually he becomes tired of her and find someone else who he will marry in the next morning after the conversation with Elle. The evening of the conversation between them is the actual dramatic one act opera.

I can recommend to watch a DVD called Francis Poulenc and Friends, where Denis Duval, the singer- actress, who first performed La Voix Humaine sings excerpts form this opera. This is the most honest and believable performance of all La Voix I have heard.

http://classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=4513

http://www.liederkreis.com/page.php?domain_name=liederkreis.com&viewpage=HUMAN%20VOICE

BBC 4

2007-12-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/intune/picturegallery_2007_july.shtml?select=06

Christmas with ETO

2007-12-12T15:58:00.003-08:00

What a interesting and strange evening that was! I learned specially for this concert few scenes from La Boheme during my holidays on Canary Island. In a hotel, without a piano. Which meant that i had a rehearsal on the day with a tenor, one hour before it all started. I was approached by one of the drunk guests in the interval, who begged me to come and join him on the balcony and sing from there. Plus after the concert has ended I fell of the stair case and wiped the floor with my beautiful concert dress.

Apart from that I sang well, loved the way tenor sang and the beautiful hall. Had a nice meal before and enjoyed showing off in Adele's aria and Musetta's Waltz. The audience was very warm and friendly.

Christmass with ETO at the Royal Automobile Club

The Rooms Above

2007-12-12T15:57:00.001-08:00

The Rooms above is a music studion where I teach piano, singing, practice with a pianist and rehearse on my own.

I love this space and the piano, Baby grand- Broadwood and sons. Apparently the oldest piano manufactures in Brittan.

I also love the views from the windows. Sometimes I can see people who have roofs as part of their apartment. They use it as terraces or balcony to party or just to have a pleasant meal with friends. Occasionally couples having a romantic dinner. What a lovely addition to ones flat, especially in London.

One never thinks that there is so much life happening on the roofs of the buildings!

Floral Hall

2007-11-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Floral Hall at Covent Garden

16th December, private event
Ilona Domnich-soprano
Mark Chaundy-tenor

Arias and duets, by Puccini, Verdi, Bernstein, Delibes

Lauderdale house

2007-11-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Lauderdale House
Tuesday, November 13 at 7:30

Ilona Domnich- soprano & Nigel Foster- piano
A Daphna Wizo charity event

The program will include: songs and arias by Schubert, Rachmaninov, Delibes, Pucinni, Floyd, Lehar, Strauss and Gershwin.

Box office: 020 8348 8716

WIZO is the largest Jewish women's organisation in UK. It is a non-party political movement of Zionist women providing a powerful voice on human rights issues and concerns relating to the status of women and is the largest Jewish women's organisation in UK.

Very nice tea in a nearby pub! Lots of singing at this recital, mostly famous soprano repertoire: songs and arias. I have only talked once and it felt enough. The music spoke for itself. Most beautiful grounds and gardens are surrounding the LH. Did not think much of the piano and was surprised that at this kind of level the piano is not at the higher standard. would like to sing there again as it was very friendly acoustically for the voice.

Autumn with riverside

2007-11-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Holy Trinity Church ,Claygate
Saturday November 10th at 7:30pm

Ilona Domnich-soprano
David Soar-baritone
Gill Ford- piano
Riverside Opera Chorus

Box office:01372 460257
Finger buffet afterwards in the hall

When one starts singing, one does not know what would be the first impression. The people in the audience, at least the majority, see you and hear you for the first time. Nobody knows what to expect. On many occasions I feel that there is a moment of establishing the status between the singer and the audiences. This balance is fluctuating at the first moments. The audience is in charge, demanding, curious, strong and the singer is vulnerable, exposed.

This turns upside down very soon. In fact once the singer has started singing.. The power of the singing voice, expressiveness overcomes it all and rules over the audience. The singer understands the the audience enjoying it and it gives a boost of energy and freedom for more expression, creation and musical joy.

On this occasion I felt that the status turn over almost immediately, as I could feel magnetic energy and encouraging silence from the audience.

With Riverside Opera I have sang Tatiana in Eugeny Onegin earlier this year. This is my dream role and it was great to be able to sing this role with a small orchestra and in a relatively small theater. In my opinion Tatiana is committing a double suicide. First when she writes the frivolous letter to Onegin, exposing her feelings and breaking the rules. Second time, when she rejects him and decides to stay faithful to her husband, the old fellow. I love and admire the depths of her emotional storm and the strengths that she finds in herself. The music is reflecting so well every detail of emotional development. Tchaikovsky is a real master of touching you by the depths of your soul.
The Richmond Theater

Tatiana at the birthday party

Tatiana with onegin: 'Farewell forever..'

Isle of Skye

2007-09-25T14:43:00.001-07:00

Imagine: Fast Wind, Vast Spaces, Giant Rocks, Dark Blue sea, with excitable waves and long distances for your eye to catch. This is the Isle of Skye, where according to a local saying: 'There is no tree for a dog to pee'

Sometimes I feel there very small, microscopic and in great danger. What if the Rocks decide to fall? What if the sea over floods the banks?

But most of the time I feel enormous, partly because of the amount of oxygen that travels through your lungs. Partly, because of this giants that surround me. I always think that these giants must also feel microscopic compare to the size of the universe and therefore we are all part of one thing. We are somehow united.

This is the place to escape from the busy city life and feel real connection to the nature. Sit at the top of one of the heights and look down onto the sea. listen to the rhythm of the waves and sounds of the wind, birds, sheep and cows. Sing with the wind and feel how your voice caries away and disappears. This is my idea of heaven.
http://www.skye.co.uk/

St. Petersburg

2007-09-25T03:41:00.000-07:00

St. Peterburg!!! where I was born is remaining the most special part of me , my existence, culture. My view on life, way of thinking are affected by this city and its people, who say that once born there you have a st. Peterburgian blood in you.

The City was founded in 1703. An eastern legend that is now part of the city mythology describes the first days of the city:

'Construction of the City had began, but the Marsh Swallowed all the stones. Blocks after blocks, but all had disappeared and nothing remained on the surface but Swamp. The Tzar Peotr the Great saw that this was still not his city, and with these words he began to lift block after block and assemble them in mid-air. In this manner he constructed the entire city, and when it was complete he let it fall to earth.'

It is Russia's second largest and Europe's third largest city after Moscow and London. Surrounded by Neva River, Gulf of Finland and Baltic sea. St. Petersburg enjoys the image of being the most European city of Russia. It is called with pridy, by its people 'The Northen Capital.

The new city's first building was the Peter and Paul Fortress it originally also bore the name of Sankt Pieterburg. It was laid down on Zaiachiy (Hare's) Island, just off the right bank of the Neva. The marshland was drained and the city spread under the supervision of German and Dutch engineers , whom Peter had invited to Russia. Peter restricted the construction of stone buildings in all of Russia outside of St Petersburg, so that all stonemasons would come to help build the new city.

I do not think St. Peterburg has ever known an easy times. I tend to think about this gorgeous city with deep sadness. Its greatness had a price which was paid by the lives of people for nearly 300 years.

After the Civil War, and murder of the Tsar Nicholai the 2nd and his family, as well as millions of anti-Soviet people, the renaming to Leningrad was designed to destroy last hopes among the resistance, and show strong dictatorship of Lenin's communist party and the Soviet regime.

St. Petersburg was devastated by Lenin's Red Terror then by Stalin's Regime in addition to crime and vandalism in the series of revolutions and wars. Between 1917 and 1930s, about two million people fled the city, educated intellectuals and aristocracy, who emigrated to Europe and America. At the same time many political, social and paramilitary groups had followed the communist government in their move to Moscow, as the benefits of capital status had left the city.

During Second World War Leningrad was surrounded under a siege by the German Wehrmacht from 1941 to 1944. The City was constantly bombed and systematically isolated it from any supplies, causing death of more than 1 million civilians in 3 years.
My Grand Mother, was 13 at the time, she used to run with other children onto the roofs of the buildings and throw sand at the shelled bombs, so it would not explode on the top of the building. She said that people were desperate for food. They were only given 125 grams of bread for a week and few potatoes. Her pictures of that time look dreadful. She looked like a walking skeleton. People were eating rubbish, cats, dogs, mice and rats and sometimes dead corpses.
So, now , even that i did not experience it myself, every time I am throwing food i feel strange sense of guilt, as if could change something. After two years of the siege- blockade, Leningrad became an empty "ghost-city" with thousands of ruined and abandoned homes.

After such horrors there is no wonder that people wanted to revive the city and to make it the most beautiful of all. I have never for example seen such beautiful underground stations in any of the European major cities. Not in London or Paris , not in Barcelona or Berlin. But in St. Petersburg you descend into an underground station and you really feel the greatness of Russia, the generous warm hand of Russian soul its people and of the Russian Nature (endless, wide fields, forests, rivers). The singing soul of Russia, when your voice wants to continue into an endless space and reflect the happiness and the suffering, the love and the misery of this land.

My grand mother Zoya was a history teacher and a tour guide and from very young age I was passionate about this city.When I left Russia I was 13 years old and I was totally in love with St. Petersburg. First few weeks I used to dream that I fly above the city, looking down at all the familiar places and wonder that I have never seen it before form such hight.

Hampstead heath

2007-09-25T03:18:00.001-07:00

Hampstead heath is undoubtedly the most inspiring and relaxing green space in London. I absolutely adore it and wish to spend more time there. I can sit and listen to the sounds of leaves trembling in the wind, ducks lending in the water like small airplanes, distant dog's barking and smell the air, filled with combinations of different trees and flowers. When my lungs are becoming bigger then the rest of the body and I feel the urge to either run in the fields or sing. Then I think that a person does not really need much for happiness.

Hampstead Heath was featured on the television programme Seven natural wonders as one of the wonders of the London area. Apparently there are about 20 something ponds, which are fed by the Fleet river which starts on the Heath and flows down to the River Thames at Blackfriars. I tried to swim in a mixed pond, but found it unnatural. It was far too cold and the water was dark, I found myself constantly thinking that a dead body might come into the surface anytime or a monster-fish will bit my leg off.

My favourite places

2007-09-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

Tree number one in Regents park. This is the tree where I used to meet my future husband, sit underneath, watch the sun goes down and have lovely, long conversations. Now I return to this tree with our little son and we feed ducks. I love this tree!
There is also tree number 2 on the other side of the park, by the small lake.

Wherever I lived in London, there have been always a tree opposite my window. It is amazing to wake up in the morning and see green leaves moving gently in the wind. They are awake and calling me I start my day.

Bicycle, pilates, power walking

2007-09-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

I want to ride my bicycle...

I have got a new bicycle with a toddler sit on the back. It is amazing and at the same time scary to ride with your child through the streets. I can imaging how much Ethan enjoys the ride , the wind in his face and the scenery around him. I can still remember when I was a child the feeling of being carried away. I could close my eyes and sense it now as if I am small again.

But the risk is great, specially on the big roads, which i am trying to avoid.

I love walking, looking at houses, being nosy, staring at peoples windows. I love to imaging what people say, when i can not actually hear them. Also to compare different styles of furnishing their houses. I love walking in London. There is a healthy mixture of everything, from all around the world.
Lets say I walk on the Kilburn High street. On the same street i see Afro-Cuban hair salon, Tai noodle bar, Lebanize restaurant, Italian restaurant, Arab butcher, Russian food shop, Philippino grocery, English pub and Chinese fish stall. Wow!!! I absolutely love it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-Fitness-Nina-Barough/dp/1405300922

Pilates is my love and hate. Once I am into it I can swear by it and talk only about wonders that it does to my body. But once I missed a week I hate going back to it. I hate to be committed and to know that it is all for selfish me, me, me.
http://www.belsizestudio.com/