Julia Lezhneva pushes the boundaries of vocal virtuosity

Handel: FLAVIO, RE DE’ LONGOBARDI - Amante, stravagante, Bayreuth Baroque Festival 2023 THE SONGBIRD: Julia Lezhneva (Юлия Лежнева) was born in 1989 in Russia. She studied at music schools and privately with Irina Zhurina, Elena Obraztsova, and Yvonne Kenny among many others and became a protege of Kiri Te Kanawa. Lezhneva specializes in florid baroque and classical-era material, but also sings Rossini, Meyerbeer, and Russian composers. Lezhneva has made several recital recordings and appeared to critical acclaim in Salzburg, Paris, London, Brussels, New York, Vienna, and Amsterdam. THE MUSIC: “Flavio, re de’ Longobardi“ (commonly referred to as just “Flavio“) is an opera seria by Handel that premiered in London in 1723. It is notable for being one of Handel’s few operas to feature leading roles for all the voice categories of his day – soprano, contralto, castrato, tenor, and bass. Naturally, we are interested in Emilia, the soprano role, which was originally s