Tenor Yusif Eyvazov had earned a reputation as a rising figure even before his 2015 marriage to Anna Netrebko. Critic Heinz Sichrovsky has praised his "dark, mighty voice...capable of heroic outbursts as well as striking legato." After competition victories, he began to attract the attention of Italian conductors and casting directors. A breakthrough in the Russian sphere occurred in 2010, when he was invited to appear in Puccini's Tosca at the Bolshoi Theatre. His relationship with Netrebko may have begun during a February 2014 production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut in Rome, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Eyvazov has specialized in late 19th century and early 20th century Italian repertory, with just a few Russian works. ~ James Manheim