The deep, sad chords of the overture to Massenet’s “Werther” at Lyric Opera of Chicago were all we needed to hear. This opera, based on “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by Goethe, was going to be a tragedy. Lyric’s new production, however, is nothing of the sort. Yes, lives are lost and ruined in this […]
American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky eclipses everyone on the stage in the Lyric Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida.” And it’s not just the cobalt blue gown she wears. The production, rich in melody and splendor, recently opened at the Civic Opera House. Her voice is so strong, her shading so stunning and her emotion so […]
Poor Hoffmann is unlucky in love, but his woeful tales give the world magnificent music. Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 57th season and the Civic Opera House rang out with “The Tales of Hoffmann,” packed with Jacques Offenbach’s familiar melodies, one more glorious than the next. The drunken protagonist is foiled by a succession […]
Blood was flowing at the opening of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2010-2011 season the evening of Oct. 1. Giuseppe Verdi’s powerful “Macbeth” starred the mighty American baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role and slim, sensual German soprano Nadja Michael as his fiercely ambitious partner in crime. Sex accompanies the violence in this production […]
