Iurii Samoilov in La cambiale di matrimonio at the Rossini Opera Festival in 2020 / Photo: Amati Ricciardi Photography

On Saturday, audiences watching and listening worldwide had the chance to judge the Met role debut run of baritone Iurii Samoilov in Eugene Onegin. Christopher Corwin, who reviewed the opening night for Parterre Box, had mostly positive things to say:

The Ukrainian baritone, replacing the originally announced Igor Golovatenko, is a veteran Onegin who played his part as more feckless and less cruel than others have. His mellow, medium-sized voice worked best in the first Act; later, it lacked the desperate edge needed for his slow-dawning realization that he’d screwed up his life and lost the woman he should have cherished. One might have assumed that he lacked top notes as he skipped the alternative high ending to Onegin’s first aria that nearly every baritone takes. However, his potent high notes readily conveyed his anguished desolation at the final curtain.

Samoilov, who’s seriously got that quirked up E-boy thing going on, has three more performances remaining as Onegin before returning to the Rossini Opera Festival in August for La scala di seta. Earlier this spring, he performed opposite his Met Tatiana, Asmik Grigorian, as the Lescaut to her Manon L. in Barcelona.

The conductor of this performance, Dmitry Korchak, was recently featured on Parterre Box, fulfilling tenorial duties alongside Vasilisa Berzhanskaya.

Rossini: La cambiale di matrimonio, “Grazie… grazie…”

Iurii Samoilov

Conductor: Dmitry Korchak
Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro
8 August 2020
Broadcast