BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, 14/06/2023
Main Prize - Concert 4 BBC National Orchestra of Wales Ryan Bancroft Vasyl Solodkyy, tenor (32, Ukraine) Donizetti : "Una furtiva lagrima" ( L'elisir d'amore ) Verdi : "Tutto parea sorridere... Si, di Corsari il fulmine" ( Il corsaro ) Dvorák : "Vidino divná presladká" ( Rusalka ) If any of this competition's tenors were going to go tenorissimo (see the entry for Concert 1), based on his Song Prize round, I had expected it to be Solodkyy. However, apart from "Una furtiva lagrima", his other choices were not nearly as standard as might have been expected. His darker timbre was quite rewarding in the Donizetti, but there were a couple of slight technical hitches that marred a smooth delivery, and they recurred in the Verdi aria and cabaletta. It was, however, nice to hear his voice really switch gear for the Verdi, taking on a firmer, meatier quality. The Rusalka extract, from the end of Act 1, was also a nice choice, except that...