Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 3 Idomeneo

L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 6 | October 13 - November 2, 2018 A number of great operas are seen comparatively rarely at Lyric, for the simple reason that assembling the right cast, production, and conductor is a daunting challenge. Mozart’s Idomeneo is a good example, heard here in only two previous seasons. I’m thrilled that this astounding work is returning to our stage for the first time in more than 20 years. We could view Idomeneo as Mozart’s Greek tragedy. Certainly this can also be considered the first truly great opera of his all-too-brief career, written in classic opera seria style. We have extraordinarily passionate characters, expressing their desperate, life-or-death conflicts in music of unforgettable beauty and eloquence. Idomeneo is the only one of Mozart’s great operatic masterpieces that our music director, Sir Andrew Davis, has never conducted. It is a source of great satisfaction to Andrew to be leading his long-awaited first Idomeneo . He is, of course, one of the world’s great Mozartians, possessing a superb command of the architecture of a work built on this grand scale. is season’s Idomeneo was created by the late director/designer Jean-Pierre Ponnelle for the Metropolitan Opera. Very much in keeping with the spirit of the work, Ponnelle constructed a riveting visual fusion of the ancient world and the world of the Enlightenment. It provides a perfect frame for communicating this work’s cumulative musical and dramatic power. It’s always a pleasure to welcome to Lyric a cast made up of such exceptional artists, beginning with Matthew Polenzani in the title role. As a Ryan Opera Center alumnus, Matthew is “one of our own.” All of us at Lyric take pride in the stature he has attained among today’s most outstanding artists. Vocally, Idomeneo requires an extraordinary combination of grandeur and agility, as enormous subtlety both musically and textually. e character is the heart of this piece; his agony breaks our hearts, and the characterization is the most significant lever in ensuring that this masterpiece comes to full life onstage. Matthew has demonstrated internationally he is the Idomeneo of our time – a masterful singer and a profoundly moving actor. Onstage with Matthew are four of today’s most dazzling Mozart interpreters, including two other Ryan Opera Center alumni who have gone on to major careers. Each is making an important role debut in this production: Erin Wall (Elettra), who has previously dazzled Lyric audiences with the heroines of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, e Magic Flute, and e Abduction from the Seraglio ; and David Portillo (Arbace), singing his most important Mozart role at Lyric to date. After her triumphant Lyric debut in last season’s Turandot , we’re delighted to welcome back Chicago native Janai Brugger as Ilia, one of the most touching and captivating of all Mozart heroines. Partnering her as Idamante, in what we can expect to be an outstandingly successful Lyric debut, is Angela Brower, the American mezzo-soprano who has enchanted audiences throughout Europe. Idomeneo ’s return to Lyric is an occasion for rejoicing. I’m thrilled that you’re here to share it with us. Anthony Freud General Director, President & CEO e Women’s Board Endowed Chair From the General Director STEVE LEONARD