Soprano Venera Gimadieva has quickly become one of the most sought-after lyric coloratura sopranos in Europe. Having studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire and on the Young Artist Programme at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, she now performs regularly at prestigious opera houses and venues across Europe and the USA.
Venera recently sang Liù Turandot for La Monnaie, Brussels. Other roles she is adding to her repertoire include Micaëla Carmen, Konstanze Die Entführung aus dem Seral, Countess Le nozze di Figaro.
Her operatic engagements include Donna Anna Don Giovanni (Glyndebourne), Violetta La traviata (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Hong Kong Opera, Teatro Mario del Monaco, Treviso and Teatro Verdi, Padova, Washington National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and her US debut with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl); title role Lucia di Lammermoor (Staatsoper Hamburg, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Real, Madrid and Bayerische Staatsoper); Elvira I puritani (Teatro Real, Madrid and Wiener Staatsoper); The Queen of Shemakha The Golden Cockerel (Adelaide Festival, Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Teatro Real Madrid and Santa Fe Opera); Amina La sonnambula (Deutsche Oper Berlin and Bolshoi Theatre); Giulietta I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Marguerite Les Huguenots (Semperoper Dresden); Juliette Roméo et Juliette (Gran Teatro Nacional Lima); Gilda Rigoletto (Hungarian State Opera); and Norina Don Pasquale and the title role in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow-Maiden (Bolshoi Theatre).
Gimadieva's recital and concert repertoire features bel canto arias and Russian arias and song repertoire. She has given recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival (Russian repertoire by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Rimsky-Korsakov); the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow (as part of a concert of bel canto arias by Bellini and Donizetti); and Wigmore Hall (Russian repertoire by Glière, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky) accompanied by her husband, pianist Pavel Nebolsin.
Gimadieva has worked with conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Vasily Petrenko, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Ivor Bolton, Evelino Pidò, Tugan Sokhiev, Yves Abel, Domingo Hindoyan and Daniel Oren, and directors including David McVicar. Laurent Pelly, Paul Curran and Francesca Zambello. She won the Golden Mask award for Best Female Performer in Opera for her performance as Amina La sonnambula (2014, Bolshoi Theatre), as well as First Prize in the 2010 International Shalyapin Competition and Second Prize in the 2015 Paris Opera Competition.
Gimadieva's discography includes her critically acclaimed performance as Violetta La traviata at Glyndebourne (Opus Arte), The Queen of Shemakha The Golden Cockerel at Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels (BelAir Classiques) and the Operngala für die Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung (Naxos). Her first solo album Momento Immobile, a collection of bel canto arias by Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini with The Hallé Orchestra conducted by Gianluca Marcianò, was released on Rubicon Classics in 2018.
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Liù, Turandot
La Monnaie, Brussels, June 2024
There's no need for any make-up for Verena Gimadieva's Liu, who sweeps you off your feet with a voice that is ideally suited to her character, pure and limpid. The way she delivers her voice is a miracle: it's not everyone who knows how to alternate intensity and fragility in the same breath, depending on the nuances of the text.
ForumOpera, Dominique Joucken
Turandot's faithful maid, Liù, is portrayed by Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva, who captivates the audience. Her ethereal, graceful voice makes for a resolutely emotional performance, with the arias delivered with precision and diligence. She brings the necessary romantic nobility to the role, along with the complexity of the character.
Olyrix, Par Soline Heurtebise
In the role of Liù, who throws herself out of a window to avoid revealing Calaf's name, is the talented and touching soprano Venera Gimadieva who shows great control of her voice, is lyrical and intense.
Giornale della Musica, Alma Torretta
Queen of Shemakha, The Golden Cockerel
Adelaide Festival, March 2022
The Queen of Shemaka, performed here by Venera Gimadieva, is both the embodiment of this lure and the cause of the Tsar’s ultimate emasculation. Resplendent in a stunning peacock feather headdress by costume designer Victoria Behr, Gimadieva delivers a sublime rendition of Hymn to the Sun. [...] Gimadieva handles the chromatic scale of Rimsky-Korsakov’s music perfectly.
Jansson J. Antmann, Limelight, March 2022 *****
The principal cast, Pavlo Hunka (Tsar Dodon), Venera Gimadieva (Queen of Chemakha), Andrei Popov (Astrologer), Samuel Dandas (Tsarevich Aphron), Nicholas Jones (Tsarevich Gvidon), Mischa Schelomianski (Polkan), Samantha Clarke (Golden Cockerel’s Voice) and Matthew Whittet (On stage Cockerel), all gave exquisite performances. However, Hunka, Gimadieva and Popov’s performances pushed this opera into a league of its own. Their voices were velvet, both in their solo work and when singing together. Popov’s upper register was incredibly pure and natural, as was Gimadieva.
Ben Stefanoff, Glam Adelaide, March 2022 *****
Venera Gimadieva sings this part with a bewitchingly mellifluous sound, and it is worth seeing this production just to hear her sing.
Nicholas Routley, Australian Stage, March 2022
The capriciously murderous tsar is comically seduced by the comely Queen of Chemakha, played by Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva, who sang with a wonderfully agile coloratura voice.
Steve Dow, The Age, March 2022
The Tsaritsa of Chemakha is sung by Venera Gimadieva, her rich voice perfectly complementing the seductive nature of her character, with all of the moves and facial expressions to complete the wonderful interpretation.
Barry Lenny, Broadway World, March 2022
...there were also memorable contributions from the singers, including Gimadieva’s dazzling lyric soprano...
Humphrey Bower, Arts Hub, March 2022
The gorgeous Queen of Chemakha – Venera Gimadieva – appears in diaphanous tinselly dress, and in the long second act seduction of Dodon she, Arvo Volmer and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra realise every ounce of sexiness that the music provides.
Nicholas Braithwaite, InDaily, March 2022
Marguerite, Les Huguenots
Semperoper Dresden, July 2019
Venera Gimadieva was the Queen of Navarre, a somewhat silly character who tries to bring peace between the two religious sects. It is a classic coloratura soprano role, and Gimadieva dazzled with the agility of her voice and her ease on the high notes. The phosphorescent quality of her top register, which flutters in a myriad of colours, was perfectly suited to the character’s flirty nature.
Laura Servidei, Bachtrack, 1 July 2019
Venera Gimadieva is an attractive Queen Marguerite, secure in her coloraturas...
Roberto Becker, Concerti.de, 1 July 2019
Venera Gimadieva as Queen Marguerite successfully conquers the coloratura heights of her part.
Joachim Lange, Die Deutsche Bühne, 1 July 2019
The Hallé cond. Gianluca Marcianò / Momento Immobile
Rubicon; RCD1021 / release date 26 October 2018
Gimadieva tackles the coloratura with dexterity, presenting characterful interpretations throughout. [Both guest soloists] serve to highlight Gimadieva’s vocal pyrotechnics
BBC Music Magazine, January 2019
Title role, Lucia di Lammermoor
Bayerische Staatsoper, May 2018
Venera Gimadieva was a perfect Lucia to Flórez’ Edgardo. Her voice exuded excitement and anticipation, with a brilliant, phosphorescent top register perfectly suited to the young girl in love.
Laura Servidei, Bachtrack
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