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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
Throughout the history of opera, composers and librettists have been attracted to ill-starred romance. No one has presented it more
powerfully and movingly than Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose
Eugene Onegin
has stood supreme as the most popular of all Russian
operas for more than 125 years.
I feel particular affection and admiration for this piece, which has figured prominently in my operatic life for many years.
No matter how frequently I experience it in opera houses or hear it in recorded
performances, I never tire of its breathtakingly beautiful score, in which every
episode contributes to the opera’s overwhelming cumulative impact.
In the deeply touching figure of Tatiana,
Eugene Onegin
boasts one of the most
appealing of all operatic heroines. Her celebrated Act One
tour de force
, the “Letter
Scene,” demands absolutely everything of an artist as both singer and actress. There
is also musical and dramatic glory to be found in the ultra-sophisticated hero (or
rather, “anti-hero”) Onegin, the ardent poet Lensky, and the noble Prince Gremin.
Eugene Onegin
is returning to the Civic Opera House in one of the finest
productions this work has received in decades. The director, Robert Carsen, and his
design team have responded to the autumnal lyricism of Tchaikovsky with exquisite
simplicity and sensitivity. The production, having been presented initially at the
Metropolitan Opera, subsequently earned huge public and critical acclaim when first
remounted at Lyric during the 2007-08 season.
I’m thrilled that we’re able to produce
Eugene Onegin
with such a dazzling cast,
full of international stars who are as renowned for their musicality and dramatic
prowess as they are for their outstanding voices. One of our two Onegins in 2007-
08 was the matchlessly dashing Mariusz Kwiecień (most recently our electrifying
Don Giovanni two seasons ago). With Onegin he reprises a role that has become
closely identified with him worldwide. Like him, Ana María Martínez is a great
Lyric favorite, and Tatiana will certainly be one of the most significant role debuts of
her career. Ana María is precisely the artist to convey not only the emotions of the
impulsive teenager in the early scenes, but also the maturity and emotional depth of
the married woman in the last act.
The rest of this cast is similarly stellar. After an absence of several seasons, I’m delighted that Charles Castronovo is returning to
Lyric as Lensky, and that Dmitry Belosselskiy is following up on his success as Zaccaria in last season’s
Nabucco
with his return as
Prince Gremin. A company needs no fewer than three superb mezzo-sopranos for this opera and we have them in the fast-rising Alisa
Kolosova (Olga, Lyric debut) and two other favorite Lyric artists, Katharine Goeldner (Mme. Larina) and Jill Grove (Filipyevna).
Any memorable
Eugene Onegin
requires a conductor able to communicate the vigor and impetuosity of youth, who must also
possess an acute feeling for Tchaikovsky’s profound expressiveness. We have that conductor in Aléjo Perez, the dynamic Argentinian
who will be a great discovery for Chicago. In his still-young career he has already deeply impressed audiences at the Salzburg Festival,
the Opéra National de Paris, La Monnaie in Brussels, and many other prestigious venues internationally.
The freshness, immediacy, and inspiration of Tchaikovsky’s melodies, the sumptuousness of his orchestra, and the immense
appeal of the opera’s characters, will all combine to make
Eugene Onegin
an unforgettably exciting climax for Lyric’s 2016-17 season.
From the General Director
STEVE LEONARD
Anthony Freud
General Director, President & CEO
The Women’s Board Endowed Chair
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February 26 - March 20, 2017