The Australian soprano will sing Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, sharing the role with Anna Netrebko.

Australian soprano Nicole Car will step in to replace Sonya Yoncheva in Paris National Opera’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. The Bulgarian soprano was to sing the June run – replacing Anna Netrebko who will sing the role in May – but has dropped out. According to operawire.com, she said the role no longer suited her, “both in terms of the character and of her musical writing.” Yoncheva only recently made her debut as Tatyana at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, to positive reviews.

Taking over the June run, Car will be making her Paris debut. “I’m thrilled to be revisiting one of my favourite roles in one of the world’s leading houses,” she told Limelight. “To be making my debut in Paris singing Tatyana is a huge honour.”

^{Nicole Car and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Eugene Onegin at Covent Garden}

Car is very familiar with role, having sung Tatyana at Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and in Sydney and Melbourne for Opera Australia.

“Nicole Car is an absolute stand out,” wrote Limelight Editor Clive Paget of her performance in Sydney in 2014. “Her Tatyana is simple, thoughtful, passionate and bookish all at once. She never overplays her hand, yet convinces throughout as she runs the emotional gamut. Her vocal performance is remarkable. Her rich, clean soprano is evenly produced across the full range, never losing power at the bottom, never forcing at the top, and crucially connected at all times to the character.”

Car also sings the complete ‘letter scene’ from Eugene Onegin in her album The Kiss, which earned five stars from Limelight reviewer Steve Moffat.

“Sharing the role with the wonderful Anna Netrebko is a little daunting,” Car said. “But I’m looking forward to the challenge!”