Young soprano Anastasia Kradènova is an artist for whom the opera stage and the chamber hall are not opposites, but two facets of a single whole. Having recently graduated from the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, she continues her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW). Her path began early: music lessons at four, vocal studies at eight, and alongside those — classical ballet, contemporary dance, visual arts, acting courses at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, and even fencing.
"Everything I have learned helps me tremendously on stage and allows me to approach any vocal piece as a theatrical role."
Having fulfilled her dream of entering the Conservatory, Anastasia decided already in her early years of study to complement her Russian training with European experience. First came Graz (Kunstuniversität Graz), where the young soprano made her debut in operas by Britten (Albert Herring) and in a historically informed production of Rameau's opera-ballet Pygmalion, and also gained experience as assistant director on a production of Philippe Boesmans's contemporary opera Reigen.
— How does the European system differ from the Russian one?
— There is a difference, of course, — Anastasia explains. — In Europe you can build your schedule around your individual needs: there is a required set of subjects, but you decide how to combine them. Access to teachers from different traditions is particularly valuable — native exponents of the German, French, Italian, and Spanish schools. In St. Petersburg the focus is on Puccini, Russian music, the great operatic canvases. That is wonderful, but it does not suit everyone — especially at a young age. I missed Mozart, baroque, bel canto — the areas where I am now developing most actively.
— How did you come to chamber music?
— In Austria I discovered Lied. For me it became something extraordinary. There is no stage action — and so every emotion is examined as if under a magnifying glass. You have to work with far more subtle means, and this makes the preparation process very painstaking. A good Lied performance demands enormous concentration and long hours of work together with a pianist. In that sense, Lied undoubtedly echoes our Russian romance. What interests me most right now is studying the stylistic language and particular qualities of this European genre — I have the opportunity to work extensively with specialists here. Mastering style is one of my key tasks, because it is through style that I can convey the composer's intentions as precisely as possible — and that is my central artistic credo. I always begin by trying to understand what the composer wished to express, then complement that with my own personal reading.
Very recently, in collaboration with pianist Anna Braginskaia, Anastasia recorded two rarely performed cycles — Arnold Schoenberg's Op. 2 and Richard Strauss's Mädchenblumen.
"We spent a long time preparing, and I am very pleased with the result. This music radiates a painful beauty, and I am sure we managed to convey the spirit of a turning century. Working on these cycles advanced me enormously as a musician and enriched the palette of my voice. Beautiful sound alone is not enough here — you have to reflect something fractured. And for that I am willing to sacrifice conventional beauty. The recordings are on my YouTube channel."
Today Anastasia continues to expand her chamber repertoire, working on cycles by Poulenc, Debussy, Satie, Mahler, Strauss, and other European composers.
Masterclasses have become an important additional resource for her: she has taken part in sessions with Sergei Leiferkus, Dmitri Vdovin, and most recently Thomas Hampson, where she performed songs by Mahler and Zemlinsky.
Her studies in Vienna have proved extraordinarily rich.
"In a short time I have managed to prepare — with répétiteurs — several serious roles: Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Despina (Così fan tutte), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Adina (L'elisir d'amore). And also — with orchestra — Giulietta from Bellini's rarely performed I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Musetta from La Bohème. Every time I begin working on a role, I fall in love with the character. It matters to me to understand their way of thinking, their situation, to find in my voice the colours that reflect their emotional world. And although my interest in chamber music is enormous, I cannot imagine myself without the great opera stage. I love working with partners, feeling the depth of orchestral sound, living through a story together — it is something I need vitally."
She has also remained open to experiment with contemporary music. In May 2025 she performed the leading role in an ultra-contemporary orchestral project by young Chinese composer Jialu Yang, setting texts by the Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi. An unforgettable experience of working with expressive music on the edge of atonality. The recording is available on her channels.
Anastasia speaks German and English fluently, and is currently deepening her Italian and French.
— What are your plans?
— I plan to take an active part in competitions and masterclasses, and to continue refining my technical mastery. To prepare new roles, vocal cycles, and concert programmes. I do not want to lose my connection with my homeland — St. Petersburg is my home. But I want to share what I have learned in Europe: through performances, projects, and a dialogue of cultures.