Music / “Sonia’s Art Song/Lieder Book”, Art Song Canberra. Wesley Music Centre, March 21. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

FREE for the first time to sing a selection of much-loved lieder, soprano Sonia Anfiloff along with Kylie Loveland on piano performed the songs that Sonia missed out on during her studies at ANU.

The great lieder of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Fauré, Strauss, Dvorak, Reynaldo Hahn and Samuel Barber are some of the songs that Anfiloff didn’t get to learn during her training days because as she says, “I had a good teacher”, meaning she wasn’t forced to sing the standards; however, they are now on her performance list.

Beginning with two songs by Schubert, her commanding voice has the power to thrill and cut through, especially in a space the size of Wesley Music Centre. Anfiloff’s bright and bubbly presence adds so much to her performance and the presentation she offers while on stage. 

The developing romanticism in the music that crossed centuries in this concert was fascinating to hear. This development was also apparent in the lyrics, which ranged from the understated to the dreamy and highly poetic.

Loveland’s piano accompaniment was also poetic, and she was switched on during the whole concert. Even when Anfiloff had to stop for a moment, Loveland kept going. But her piano could have been better tuned.

The power of Anfiloff’s voice is matched by her subtleness and refinement. Nevertheless, it is in her fortissimo passages where her voice shines. Few things in the classical music world inspire as a good soprano at full tilt. With Anfiloff, we get that with no holding back.

Whether sung in German, Russian, French or English, it didn’t matter for this singer. Every song held its own attraction through the clarity of her intonation. Her authenticity of each lyric made all the songs sound special.

Singing the way that Anfiloff does can be an emotional experience. She was overcome in one song by a passage bringing back a strong personal memory, but her professional attitude saw her hold it together. Even though she went quiet in a section of this song, she then caught up and continued singing on without a nerve or quiver in her voice.

Anfiloff makes her recitals a powerful, emotional and joyful experience. But it is her electrifying voice that makes the most impact; it is quite extraordinary. 

To wind the concert up with an encore, and to prove her versatility, she added another song, but this time in Italian, “Caro Mio Ben” by Giuseppe Giordan. This recital chased away all that rain and grey skies outside.