Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 10A Renee Fleming Gala

L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 22 | March 23, 2019 Mozart, e Marriage of Figaro , Overture; “Porgi amor” e Marriage of Figaro , which opens with an irresistibly spirited overture, has its first moment of genuine melancholy at the opening of Act Two. Alone in her boudoir, Countess Almaviva laments the loss of her husband’s love. e aria she sings, one of the most exquisite pieces Mozart ever composed, presents a supreme test of legato control, combined with profoundly touching expressiveness. Widely acknowledged as her generation’s premier interpreter of the Countess, Renée Fleming appeared in this signature role at Lyric during the 1997/98 season. Mozart, Così fan tutte , “Un aura amorosa” Two officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, accept a bet from Don Alfonso that their fiancées can’t remain faithful for 24 hours. When they are wooed by the young men in disguise, Fiordiligi and Dorabella put up a brave front of resistance, leaving Ferrando and Guglielmo triumphant. After the young women leave, Ferrando – thinking of his beloved Dorabella – pauses for a gentle reverie, singing one of the most dulcet of all Mozart tenor arias. Verdi, I vespri siciliani , “O patria....O tu Palermo” Verdi’s 19th opera presents a fictional account of the rebellion that took place in Sicily in 1282. In the opera Giovanni da Procida, a fanatical Sicilian patriot who had been exiled for his clandestine activities, has returned in secret to create an uprising against the French occupation. Having arrived at a valley outside the city, he joyfully salutes his beloved homeland, singing one of the noblest and most stirring of all of Verdi’s bass arias. Renée Fleming has appeared in two Verdi operas at Lyric: Otello (2001/02) and La traviata (2007/08). Puccini, Tosca , “Vissi d’arte” A revolutionary, Mario Cavaradossi, has been apprehended by Baron Scarpia and is to be shot at dawn. Scarpia lusts after Cavaradossi’s lover, the singer Floria Tosca. He has his price: a night with Tosca in exchange for Cavaradossi’s life. Hearing drums in the distance accompanying prisoners to execution, the bewildered Tosca addresses God. In her passionately heartfelt aria, she asks why her lifelong devotion to art and love should be so cruelly rewarded. Donizetti, La lle du régiment , “Ah, mes amis….Pour mon âme quel destin” As an orphan, Marie was adopted as the “daughter” of the 21st Regiment and became their mascot. Now a delightful young woman, she saves the life of a handsome young Tyrolean, Tonio, who falls in love with her. e regiment’s sergeant, Sulpice, informs him that only a member of the 21st can marry Marie. e men are delighted when Tonio joins the 21st, and his excitement expresses itself in this aria, famous for its nine high C’s. Boito, Me stofele , “Ecco il mondo” e old philosopher Faust makes a bargain: he will have the devil Mefistofele’s services on earth, on condition that their positions be reversed after Faust dies. Transformed into a handsome young man, Faust woos the innocent Margherita. Later, Mefistofele urges Faust up the mountains to witness the Witches’ Sabbath. Witches and warlocks appear; Mefistofele demands obeisance as their king. ey present him with the attributes of power and a symbol of the world, which he derides and then destroys in his aria, one of the great showpieces in the Italian bass repertoire. Verdi, Falsta , “Un coro e terminiam la scena….Tutto nel mondo è burla” Verdi’s final work for the stage – atypically for him, a comedy (only the second of his long career) – ends with a finale written in the form of a fugue. e old knight Sir John Falstaff has just been taught a lesson for his amorous pursuit of Alice Ford and Meg Page. He leads everyone in declaring, “All the world’s a joke, and man is born a joker.” Dvořák, Rusalka , “Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” e water nymph Rusalka feels irresistibly drawn to a prince who has come to the lake to swim. She was invisible to him when she held him in her arms. Now she is desperate to be a woman, so she can experience his love. Although deeply distressed by Rusalka’s words, the water goblin Vodník advises her to seek the help of Ježibaba, the forest witch. Rusalka then appeals to the moon, begging to know where her beloved may be. She sings the uniquely soulful “Song to the Moon,” which – thanks, above all, to the advocacy of Renée Fleming – has in recent decades become the most popular of all Slavic soprano arias. Gounod, Faust , “O sainte médaille….Avant de quitter ces lieux” A village fair is in progress. Joining the group of students and townspeople is a soldier, Valentin, who holds a medallion his sister Marguerite has given him for protection in battle. He prays that God will protect Marguerite in his absence, singing an aria that, surprisingly, was added after the opera’s premiere, and solely as the composer Gounod’s favor to a great artist: Sir Charles Santley, who sang Valentin in English (“Avant de quitter ces lieux” became “Even bravest heart may swell”) for a London performance in 1864. Renée Fleming made her triumphant role debut as Marguerite at Lyric during the 1995/96 season. Massenet, aïs , “Méditation”; “Baigne d’eau mes mains” In fourth-century Alexandria, the monk Athanaël wishes to reform the courtesan aïs and offers her salvation. Believing only in the power of love, she is perplexed that her words so infuriate him. He eventually persuades her to follow him to a convent in the desert. ey reach an oasis near the convent, where Athanaël realizes that aïs is exhausted. Once he brings her water and fruit, the two refresh themselves in the course of an exquisitely intimate duet. Renée Fleming sang the title role in her first staged performances of this opera at Lyric during the 2002/03 season. Offenbach, Les contes d’Ho mann , “Allez! Pour te livrer combat… Scintille, diamant” In Venice, the poet Hoffmann becomes infatuated with Giulietta, a beautiful courtesan. Everyone at Giulietta’s party is invited by their hostess to the game room. Overheard by the magician Dapertutto, Hoffmann lightly dismisses Nicklausse’s warning against falling in love with Giulietta. Alone, Dapertutto gazes at a beautiful diamond and, in his mesmerizing aria, resolves to use the jewel to ensnare Giulietta. Program Notes