The Ukrainian soprano Olga Mykytenko has won numer ous international awards, including the Grand Prix at the Maria Callas International Singing Contest in Athens. Her extraordinary musicality, solid vocal technique, easy coloraturas, and strong expression allow her to sing major roles, from Iolanta, Mimì, and Nedda to Gilda, Violetta, and Lucia. Engaged for many years as a soloist at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kiev, where she made her debut, Olga has performed in opera houses and concert halls around the world. For this her debut album for Chandos, she brings her interpretations of many of Verdis greatest soprano roles from the stage into the studio. Her programme also spans the majority of Verdis operatic output, from Ernani (Elvira) via Macbeth (Lady Macbeth) through to I vespri siciliani (Elena) and of course taking in Violetta (La traviata), among many others, along the way. Accompanied by her compatriot Kirill Karabits and the thrillingly sympathetic Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, this recital is a vocal and musical tour de force.