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Introduction

Alumnus from Odessa conservatoire and later MMus in composition under Theo Loevendie at Amsterdam conservatoire, the Ukrainian Svitlana Azarova recides in The Hague since 2005.

2015: Commissioned by the Royal Danish Opera to write Opera MOMO based on the book Momo und die Zeitdiebe by Michael Ende. World premiere October 2017 at The Royal Danish Opera (main stage)

Many of her works have been published by MCN/Donemus (The Netherlands) and TEM (Italy) and are performed by for example Orchestre National d'Île de France (ONDIF) conductor Enrique Mazzola (France) and Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (ECSO) conductor Toshi Shimada (USA) Read more

Reviews

Opera Momo og tidstyvene:

5 stars from Politiken 17/10/2017 (Full review)
Slagtøj og onde tidskapitalister

"'Voldsomt, spændende og flot', var nogle af de umiddelbare tillægsord, børnene på min stolerække hæftede på deres oplevelse. Men mere end at bedømme var de egentlig optaget af mere præcist at forstå, hvad det var, de havde oplevet i lyd, ord og billeder.
For "Momo og tidstyvene" i Operaen er noget helt andet end det, de fleste børn eller voksne er vant til. Den nye børneopera er en vild satsning på den økonomisk plagede nationalscene. Det er den upåagtede hollandske komponist Svitlana Azarovas første opera, opsætningen er kæmpestor med enormt mange medvirkende, og forlægget er en filosofisk og højtragende historie om det vigtige i livet. Og så er det som sagt for børn.
Det lykkes smukt! På trods af (eller måske på grund af) et fremmedartet musikalsk univers bygget af skæve udbrud, tætte klange og store mængder slagtøj var der ingen børn i min synsvidde, der stemplede mentalt ud undervejs."

Henrik Friis

Translation:"'Intense, exciting and beautiful' were some of the immediate adjectives that the children on my row described their experience. But more than judging, they were really absorbed by more precisely understanding what they had experienced in sound, words and pictures.
For "Momo and the Times" at the Opera is something completely different from what most children or adults are used to. The new children's opera is a wild bet by the economically troubled national scene. It is the overlooked Dutch composer Svitlana Azarov's first opera, the setup is gigantic with a huge number of participants, and the source is a philosophical and high-profile story about the important things in life. And then it's for kids.
It succeeds beautifully! In spite of (or perhaps because of) a strange musical universe built of crooked outbreaks, dense sounds and large amounts of percussion, there were no children around me signing out mentally along the way."
Henrik Friis


5 stars from Magasinet KBH 17/10/2017 (Full review, Original link)
Momo og tidstyvene *****

"Operaen kaster tankerne hen på opsætninger så store og gennemførte som dem på Broadway i New York. Det hele er visuelt og musikalsk storslået og med en stor præcision og håndværksmæssig snilde. Det er måske derfor, vi har statsstøttet kultur..."
Linea Christensen

Translation:"The Opera reminds one of setups as large and accomplished as those on Broadway in New York. It's all visually and musically magnificent and with great precision and craftsmanship. Maybe that's why we have state-supported culture ..."
Linea Christensen


Review from Expressens kultursida 16/10/2017 (Full review, Original link)
Barnopera blir vass samtidskommentar

"Azarova jobbar i sin första opera gärna med riffiga talkörer, klocktickande orkester och gör i stora ensemblescener Momos fattiga men glada by till ett slags ljus spegelbild av det inskränkta fiskesamhället The Burrough i Benjamin Brittens ”Peter Grimes”. Med kärva, musikaliska dissonanser som ett mullrande hot vid horisonten och slaviskt folklig flair."
Hanna Höglund

Translation:"Azarova works in her first opera with riffy spoken choir, clock ticking orchestra, and in major ensemble scenes, transforms Momo's poor but happy city into a kind of bright reflection of the repressed fishing community "The Burrough" in Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes". With fierce, musical dissonances like a mulling threat in the horizon, and Slavic folk flair..."
Hanna Höglund


The Stuart Review 18/10/2017 (Full review, Original link)

"This feels like it could be anyone’s first opera and it would make them love it and want to go to more. The music reminds me a bit of Written on Skin and The Exterminating Angel: cinematic, tense, exciting- perfect as a gateway to the operatic world. Momo received a standing ovation and I can see why. The production was second to none, the acting and the singing were great and this is the sort of production that can get someone interested in, and loving opera for the rest of their lives. I really hope that it is not just the Danish that get to enjoy this as I think it’s just a wonderful, happy and fun opera that everyone, no matter how old or young will enjoy."
Stuart Martin



La Lettre du Musicien Mover of the Earth, Stopper of the Sun

"En une poignée de minutes, Mover of the Earth, Stopper of the Sun témoigne d’un indéniable savoir-faire orchestral, sa trame de longues tenues de cordes zébrées de cuivres rappelant l’esthétique balte d’un Erkki-Sven Tüür ou d’un Arvö Pärt."
Laurent Vilarem, La Lettre du Musicien


The Day, CT

"What better way to start a new year than with the world premiere of a symphony? The January performance of Ukrainian composer Svitlana Azarova's grand, noisy and thoroughly engrossing symphony "Pure thought transfixed" was a top-shelf event: The composer seated in the hall, the orchestra in top form, and wonderful new sounds to transfix us with a gripping immediacy and sense of discovery. It was also a tribute ECSO Music Director Toshi Shimada who landed this score. Azarova's new works are starting to dot the schedule for major venues in Amsterdam and Paris. A few years from now, we may get to say, ah, yes, I was there for the premiere..."
Milton Moore, The Day, CT