THE SONGBIRD: Sonia Zlatkova was born in Bulgaria. She began her vocal training in Varna as a teenager, then studied at the Music Academy in Sofia. In 1989 she won first prize and the gold medal at the Maria Callas competition in Athens, followed in 1991 with first prize at the “Neue Stimmen” competition in Germany. Her operatic debut was in Sofia as Lucia, followed by Gilda, Rosina, and Queen of the Night. She was a member of the ensemble at the Dortmund Opera from 1992, performing standard coloratura and soubrette roles. In 1995 she was engaged as a principal soprano in Graz with roles that started to tilt more toward the lyric repertoire including Pamina, Susanna, Zerlina, Musetta, Nannetta, Micaela, Mimi, Lauretta, and Cio-Cio San. Zlatova has sung guest appearances and concerts in Stuttgart, Dresden, Saarbrücken, Essen, Liége, Frankfurt, Vienna, Bregenz, Karlsruhe, and St. Gallen. She teaches singing at the Art University of Graz.
THE MUSIC: Verdi's "Rigoletto" is a true operatic masterpiece and one of the most performed and recorded works in history. Its premiere in Venice in 1851 was a triumph with the public -- some critics at the time felt the plot was too dark and the music too tuneful, but simply put, they were wrong; "Rigoletto" has never faded from the core repertoire in 170+ years. The opera contains many watershed innovations in plot and character, musical structure, and orchestration. Gilda's aria "Caro nome che il mio cor" is one example as there were really no arias prior to it that had its unusual structure, inventive blend of rhythm and melody, and shimmering orchestration, all elements that Verdi combined to effectively convey the breathless innocence of the naive young woman's first infatuation. The score as written tops out at a High C#, but it has become fairly standard practice for sopranos to insert a short cadenza with a staccato volley to a High D#. The full scene ends with a long coda where Gilda dreamily repeats phrases of its main theme, unaware that the conniving Courtiers are stealthily approaching in the dark to abduct her, and then softly diminishes on a long trill held over two and a half measures.