{"id":2124,"date":"2026-01-01T13:42:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T12:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/?p=2124"},"modified":"2026-01-15T21:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:05:52","slug":"new-year-concerts-2026-theatre-ulm-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/2026\/01\/01\/new-year-concerts-2026-theatre-ulm-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW YEAR’S CONCERTS 2026 WITH THE ULM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA \u2013 REVIEWS"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00dcDWEST PRESSE
\nFrom Verdi to Radetzky, always in top form<\/strong>
\nTheatre Ulm<\/strong> At the premiere of the New Year’s Concert, there were standing ovations for the Ulm Philharmonic Orchestra
\nunder Felix Bender and the soloist.<\/p>\n

Diversity was the trump card. And especially Maryna Zubko, who has been with the soloist ensemble for
\nseven years and is currently highly acclaimed as Mim\u00ed in Puccini’s \u2018La Boh\u00e8me\u2019. The German-Ukrainian
\nsoprano in a raspberry-coloured gown is an all-round talent. Her rich, lyrical voice easily outshone the
\norchestra’s forte in \u2018Dich, teure Halle\u2019 from Wagner’s \u2018Tannh\u00e4user\u2019. Versatile and with the most beautiful
\npianissimo, her monologue as Adriana, \u2018Io son l’umile ancella\u2019 from Francesco Cilea’s rare opera, was
\nimpressive. She completely captivated hearts with the charming \u2018Jewellery Aria\u2019 from Gounod’s opera
\n\u2018Faust\u2019, with colouratura brilliance up to the high C. Bravo calls.<\/p>\n

The second part was devoted to light entertainment, heralded by Johann Strauss’s \u2018Waldmeisterouvert\u00fcre\u2019
\nwith its hunting horn theme and the waltz from Tchaikovsky’s \u2018Sleeping Beauty\u2019 ballet. In between, Maryna
\nZubko, in a blue ball gown with a plunging neckline, sang about \u2018love, heaven on earth\u2019 in Leh\u00e1r’s \u2018Paganini\u2019
\noperetta. In a flirtatious mood, the soprano flirted with the conductor, concertmaster Tam\u00e1s F\u00fczesi and the
\naudience in Gerhard Winkler’s Casanova song.<\/p>\n

In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s \u2018Phantom of the Opera\u2019, Benjamin K\u00fcnzel surprised audiences in the baritone role
\nof Raoul in \u2018Think of Me\u2019 alongside the soprano. During his brief review of the year, K\u00fcnzel thanked outgoing
\nartistic director Kay Metzger to special applause. After the hot ride After the hot ride through Saint-Sa\u00ebns’ \u2018Bacchanale\u2019
\nfrom the opera \u2018Samson et Dalila\u2019 and huge cheers, two encores made everyone completely happy. Maryna Zubko,
\nwho is leaving Ulm at her own request at the end of the season to work as a freelance singer, touched the audience
\nwith Puccini’s hit \u2018O mio babbino caro\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EISLINGER ZEITUNG & NUSSBAUM.DE<\/strong>
\nConcert in Eislingen
\n<\/strong>One singer who took the hearts of Eislingen concertgoers by storm is Maryna Zubko. The German-Ukrainian
\nsoprano not only shone on one occasion, but showcased her entire repertoire of skills.
\nWith her powerful voice, she even drowns out the orchestra’s forte. She already demonstrated her calibre in
\nRichard Wagner’s \u2018Tannh\u00e4user\u2019and she can also sing soft notes with a gentle piano and pianissimo, with a melting
\nvoice, she effortlessly masters the coloratura up to the high C, captivating her audience with her commanding stage presence.<\/p>\n

The orchestra and soloist are a well-rehearsed team; Maryna Zubko has been part of the soloist ensemble for seven years.
\nAt the end of the season, she will leave the Theatre Ulm to pursue new paths as a freelance singer.
\nAt least at the current concert opening of the year, the Eislingen guests were still able to enjoy the absolute listening pleasure
\nof the interplay between musicians and top-class soloist.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AUGSBURGER ALLGEMEINE<\/strong>
\nNew Year’s Concert full of emotion and energy<\/strong>
\nSoprano Maryna Zubko will be leaving Ulm in the summer. At the New Year’s Concert, she and the
\nUlm Philharmonic Orchestra will treat the audience to an evening of the highest calibre.<\/p>\n

What do Richard Wagner and Andrew Lloyd Webber have in common? Both rhymed \u2013 Wagner in \u2018Tannh\u00e4user\u2019
\nand Webber in \u2018The Phantom of the Opera\u2019 \u2013 the concepts of \u201cspace\u201d and \u2018dream\u2019, albeit in very different musical
\nstyles. The enormous range presented by soloist Maryna Zubko as the star guest of the New Year’s Concert ranged
\nfrom Wagner’s romantic opera \u2018Tannh\u00e4user\u2019 to musicals: a lively and emotional evening of the highest calibre.<\/p>\n

Under the baton of GMD Felix Bender and charmingly and cheerfully presented by future opera director Benjamin
\nK\u00fcnzel, the Ulm Philharmonic Orchestra and Maryna Zubko showed themselves at their very best. The selection of
\nworks focused on more serious compositions in the first part and significantly lighter fare in the second, but both
\nbefore and after the interval, it was perfectly tailored to the high abilities of the soloist, who is leaving Ulm in
\nthe summer.<\/p>\n

After the opening with the overture from Giuseppe Verdi’s rarely performed opera “La Forza del destino\u2018, Maryna Zubko,
\ndressed in a purple and gold silk gown, greeted \u2019You, dear hall, I greet you again\u2018 \u2013 which was also meant for the
\naudience. The first cries of \u2019Bravo!” could already be heard in the Grand Theatre after this opening. The soloist put
\nall her energy and vocal power, as well as subtle differentiation and emotion, into the opera excerpts in the first part.
\nAs traumatic as Benjamin K\u00fcnzel’s school and adolescent experiences with Goethe’s \u2018Faust\u2019 must have been, according
\nto his vivid description, the programme took up this theme twice, to the delight of the audience, and in different ways.
\nFirst instrumentally with Hector Berlioz’s “La damnation de Faust”, and Maryna Zubko shone vocally and dramatically
\nwith the jewel aria of the enamoured Marguerite from Charles Gounod’s opera \u2018Faust\u2019.<\/p>\n

A murmur rippled through the sold-out hall as Maryna Zubko took to the stage in a blue, low-cut evening gown with
\na slit, adorned with sparkling jewellery on loan from Ulm goldsmith Alfonso Anzivino. This second part is all about
\nlove, with Franz Leh\u00e1r’s \u2018Liebe, du Himmel auf Erden\u2019 (Love, you heaven on earth) and the \u201cCasanova\u201d song by
\n\u2018Caprifischer\u2019 composer Gerhard Winkler, in which Maryna sings about the power of love. The second part is all
\nabout love, with Franz Leh\u00e1r’s \u2018Liebe, du Himmel auf Erden\u2019 (Love, you heaven on earth) and the \u2018Casanova\u2019 song by
\n\u2018Caprifischer\u2019 composer Gerhard Winkler, in which Maryna Zubko coaxed Felix Bender and conductor Tamas F\u00fczesi
\naround her little finger with all her seductive charms. And with Christine Daae’s \u2018Phantom of the Opera\u2019 song \u2018Think
\nof me\u2019, accompanied instrumentally by, among other things, a waltz from Tchaikovsky’s ballet \u2018Sleeping Beauty\u2019
\nand the \u2018Bacchanale\u2019 from Camille Saint-Sa\u00ebns’ opera \u2018Samson and Delilah\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"S\u00dcDWEST PRESSE From Verdi to Radetzky, always in top form Theatre Ulm At the premiere of the New Year’s Concert, there were standing ovations for the Ulm Philharmonic Orchestra under Felix Bender and the soloist. Diversity was the trump card. And especially Maryna Zubko, who has been with the soloist ensemble for seven years and...","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-presse-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2124"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2149,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124\/revisions\/2149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marynazubko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}