..notably the thoughtful Tatyana of Ilona Domnich, who has
a quality of stillness that helps convey the introspective yearning of a girl whose imagination is fired by her reading, and
thus, predictably, by the dark and enigmatic Onegin. Better still, Domnich has the ability to colour her already pleasing
sound so that it embraces a wealth of feeling, and, by the time Tatyana has married Prince Gremin (a noble Julian Close),
she conveys a natural dignity and resolve both in her bearing and her singing..
Guardian
..as Tatiana, the young Russian/Israeli soprano Ilona
Domnich triumphed in the role, by turns hesitant, impulsive, rapturous and, finally, icy and imperious. The voice
is easy throughout the register, she managed to spin a fabulously gossamer pianissimo line in the descending scales
of the letter scene, and produced warm and full-bodied tone whenever called upon to do so... Domnich revealed a steady intensity
of character throughout the evening, never lost focus, and produced some technical singing that was a joy to experience close
up and personal.
Musicriticism
OPERA NOW choice
la Voix humaine
"A revelation...conjuring
heavily oppressive atmosphere from little more than darkness, a few bedside props and some taped passing trains, with the
audience gathered in close on three sides and the piano lost in the shadows.
La voix was turned into a squalid, bedsit drama, unadulterated by heroic grandeur, with the audience
on its knees, not just emotionally but morally. It felt like we were peering at this little drama through a keyhole, voyeuristically
and shabbily.
I've seen a lot of La Voix
Humaines but this was the first to leave me on the edge of tears. It was superb. Ilona Domnich, the young
uk-based Russian soprano in the solo role, gave, the most compelling performance of the piece I've ever witnessed: not
big in gesture- she had no gallery to play to- but minutely observed, utterly credible, and sang with disarming, jewel-like
beauty.
That her English had a Slavic
sponginess in the consonants only added to the sense of vulnerability and pathos. And her pebble-in-the throat vibrato did
the same, its edginess of the endearing rather than excoriating kind. This was a wonderful affecting little show, and one
that ought to launch Ilona Domnich on a serious career.
Michael White, Opera Now
'.. Ilona Domnich was unforgettable
in this lengthy, demanding and harrowing role, responding skillfully to every nuance in the text (her voice finding countless
varieties of light and shade), and adroitly and sensitively to Sebastian Harcombe's sympathetic direction. I felt I was
watching something natural and real a human being in distress, desperate, trying to cope with the ugliness of a life that
held out no hope for her.
I liked the bareness of juxtaposing
a single musical instrument with a single human voice.. Even the silences spoke. The style ranged from gruffness to tenderness,
from brusqueness to delicacy.
Classical source
Don Giovanni/Zerlina
'..Ilona
Domnich is a sweet-toned, knowing Zerlina,' Hugh Canning, From The Sunday Times
March 23, 2008
'..Ilona Domnich
is a strikingly assured Zerlina, audible even in the low tessitura of the quintets' Independent on Sunday
Mar 23, 2008 by Classical Anna Picard
'..and
the peasant girl Zerlina (Ilona Domnich, definitely a name to watch out for in the future)' Arts Theatre until Saturday
3rd May, Cambridge, Review by Rachel Fentem
'..she had a graceful stage presence and sang both her arias attractively
and with opulent tone.', Ruth Elleson © 2008, Opera today
The London Song Festival/ Spanish song recital
'..Ilona Domnich was clearly already a favorite of local audiences with her bell like soprano. Les Filles de Cadix
showed off all the glitter at the top of her voice, and she did equally well with the specially commissioned and rather intense
cycle Sea: The Soul of Spain' Serena Fenwick, MUSICALPOINTERS October 2007
Magic
Flute/ Pamina English Touring Opera
..Ilona Domnich as Pamina sang with a beautiful, shimmering light-lyric
soprano, ideal for this innocent Mozart heroine. Her aria was beautifully heartfelt.' O Modjeska 31 Jan 05
Madam Herz/ Waiting for Figaro (Mozart)
'..Russian-born Ilona Domnich
sings in clearer English than many a native speaker.' Opera News, September 2004