My favourite character from Russian operas is Lyubasha from the Tsar’s Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov. Such a tragic image of a strong, forsaken woman.
When I was 15 years old, my first singing teacher gifted me a volume of arias, one of which was the Lyubasha’s aria (and that album’s still with me).
This aria was also a part of my graduation work, and it’s still a part of my concert life. I enjoy performing that music, and now I’m offering you a new recording of one of the arias.