'Manon' to kick off the Lyric Opera's exciting 54th season
With Lyric Opera of Chicago's season moving into its final two months, the 2008-09 season is approaching faster than we realize -- and just-released details of the 54th season are exciting, to say the least.
Next season will offer as its gala opening night on Sept. 27 Jules Massenet's "Manon," its first of 11 performances through October. The season will conclude March 28, 2009, when the curtain falls on the Lyric's new production of Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio." In all, there will be 80 performances of nine operas, including the popular verismo double bill of Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" and Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci."
The season will include two new productions and three new-to-Lyric productions (one of them the long-awaited Lyric premiere of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess").
Also, the company will for the first time showcase its acclaimed chorus in a holiday concert titled "Holly and Ivy," conducted by the chorus' director, Donald Nally, on Dec. 14.
"Manon" will star the dynamic French soprano Natalie Dessay in the title role, with tenor Jonas Kauffmann as the nobleman De Grieux. Dessay earned well-deserved accolades in the 2003-04 season for her portrayal of the daunting title role in Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor."
The two new Lyric-created productions will be Alban Berg's "Lulu," starring Marlis Petersen and Wolfgang Schöne (Lyric Opera debut) in a Paul Curran-Kevin Knight production; along with the aforementioned "The Abduction from the Seraglio," starring Erin Wall and Matthew Polenzani in a production designed by Chas Rader-Shieber and David Zinn.
The long-awaited company premiere of George Gershwin's beloved "Porgy and Bess" will be a major highlight of Lyric's 54th season, running from Nov. 18 to Dec. 19. It will be seen in the critically acclaimed Francesco Zambello production previously mounted at Los Angeles Opera and Washington National Opera.
The season-opening production of "Manon" was created by David McVicar for English National Opera; and Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," which will open Jan. 27, 2008, will be presented in a David Hockney-designed production from Los Angeles Opera.
"Porgy and Bess" has been one of the most requested operas in the Lyric's history, and finally it arrives here, with 13 performances. Generally accepted as the greatest of American Operas, it was premiered in New York in 1935. Based on the Broadway play "Porgy," it has lyrics by Gershwin's brother, Ira Gershwin, and Dorothy and DuBose Heyward.
"Porgy and Bess" will be conducted by John DeMain (his Lyric Opera debut), with Kelly Kuo (debut) conducting the performances of Dec. 5-6. Zambello will be the stage director, Peter J. Davison (debut) the set designer and Paul Tazewell (debut) the costume designer.
"Tristan und Isolde" will return for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, with music director Sir Andres Davis on the podium, joined by a world-class cast including soprano Deborah Voigt as Isolde, tenor Clifton Forbis as Tristan, and in their lyric Opera debuts, mezzo-soprano Petra Lang as Brangäne and bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo as Kurwenal.
The Lyric's own productions of Georges Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers," Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," and the already mentioned duo of "Cavalleria rusticana" and "Pagliacci" will round out the season.
Subscribers to Lyric's 54th season will have 22 series from four operas up to the full season to choose from. Subscription brochures will be mailed this month. You can call (312) 332-2244, Ext. 5600 for more information or to purchase subscriptions. Or go to lyricopera.org.