The Opera Festival of Chicago celebrated a successful second season in July with fully staged productions of Italian opera masterworks Il Corsaro and L’Inganno Felice, along with a special concert honoring the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of legendary soprano Renata Tebaldi. The Festival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was born during the pandemic to bring rare […]
Opera was born in Italy. Virtuosos like Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo Puccini have honed the craft over time and spread it across the globe, rapturing audiences for centuries. So, it is safe to say that what truly endears our hearts and arrests our senses about this medium is more than intricate costumes and opulent theaters […]
Listening to opera is not for everyone, this much is true. But far too many people exempt themselves from the glitz and glamour of a live opera performance because they’re afraid they won’t like it — or worse, won’t understand it and risk looking like a hayseed. Use this helpful guide to find out which […]
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s love affair with the beautiful Renée Fleming shows no signs of cooling, and after the premiere of “The Merry Widow” Nov. 14, the whole arts community and beyond appeared to be wrapped in the embrace of this acclaimed American soprano. A virtually sold-out crowd packed the Civic Opera House to see and […]
“Tosca” has everything. A chilling story of an opera singer and a painter trapped in the political turmoil of 1800 Rome; their passionate, doomed love story; and blood—oh yes, lots and lots of blood—all borne on the crest of Puccini’s magnificent music. Lyric Opera of Chicago opened a new production of this glorious tragedy at […]
“Anna Bolena” premiered in December of 1830, composed by Gaetano Donizetti, who lived from 1797 to 1848. So it is a bel canto opera, right? Yes, but don’t think the principals will just stand there and sing. The three hour and 25 minute production at Lyric Opera of Chicago opened Saturday, Dec. 6, and this […]
George and Ira Gershwin and Dubose Hayward’s “Porgy and Bess” is both a spectacle and a love story. It portrays a tight-knit community and a doomed couple, its focus careening back and forth between those opposite poles. Lyric Opera of Chicago brought that tale of African Americans on Catfish Row in South Carolina to pulsating […]
Opera is a terrific entertainment for all ages. Brilliant vocalism is the centerpiece, of course—opera is famous for its solo and ensemble singing—but it also incorporates thrilling choral and orchestral music, plus the visual stimulation of fabulous scenery and costumes, and the theatrical excitement of great acting, dancing, even sword-fighting. It’s all performed live, almost […]
“Madama Butterfly” opened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago Tuesday, Oct. 15, and it is a production the likes of which I have never seen. And like most opera fans, I rarely miss a chance to see Giacomo Puccini’s magnificent telling of this tragic tale. The curtain rises on the stage of the Civic Opera […]
Vengence. Revenge. Don’t get mad, get even. The desire to exact retribution is so universal that Scripture is on record warning us against it.
