Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 1 Millennium Park Program

13 Rachmaninoff, Aleko , “Ves tabor spit” The one-act opera Aleko (1892) was written while Sergei Rachmaninoff was still a conservatory student. With a Pushkin poem entitled The Gypsies as its dramatic source, Aleko is perhaps the nest of the three operas the composer completed (there are portions of three others – all are one-act works). It was also the work that set Rachmaninoff on his path as a professional. Although the entire work is seldom produced by opera companies outside Russia, bass-baritones everywhere cherish the title character’s powerful monologue. Aleko has married Zem ra, a gypsy, who tires of him and is attracted to a younger member of the gypsy band. Recalling that he had abandoned his old existence for the freedom of gypsy life and for Zem ra, Aleko (like Don José in Bizet’s Carmen ) despairs at the thought of her now- extinguished passion. Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades , “Vy tak pechalny…Ya vas lyublyu” After triumphing with Eugene Onegin in 1879, 11 years later Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky turned again to a work of Alexander Pushkin when he adapted the riveting story The Queen of Spades . Tchaikovsky’s opera of that name is loaded with memorable music, from grand choruses to heartfelt arias and two passionate duets for the hero and heroine. The most celebrated musical episode from this opera belongs to a supporting role for baritone, Prince Yeletsky. This character is engaged to Lisa, who has no interest in him once she falls in love with Gherman, an of cer obsessed with the secret of winning at cards. All three are at a ball where Yeletsky is able to snatch a moment alone with Lisa. He senses that she’s troubled, and in his touchingly heartfelt aria, he begs her to con de in him. Bizet, Carmen , “La cloche a sonné…Dans l’air nous suivons des yeux”; “Quand je vous aimerai?... L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” Based on the famous novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée (1845), Carmen premiered at Paris’s Opéra Comique in 1875. The failure of its premiere deeply saddened Georges Bizet, who didn’t live to see the work skyrocket to international popularity. His masterpiece, Carmen remains one of the most popular of all operas, mesmerizing in its depiction of Spain and the plot’s two emotionally volatile protagonists. In Act One, the men of Seville anticipate the appearance of the young women working in Seville’s cigarette factory, who are on a break. They sing about the intoxicating smoke. When Carmen appears, she’s surrounded by her fellow cigarette girls but also by the men of Seville, all of whom are interested in her. She waves them off, but pauses and, in her captivating “Habanera,” describes love as a bird that no one can tame. Rossini, The Barber of Seville , Overture and excerpts from Act One Italian comic opera was slowly dying, for lack of originality, before Gioachino Rossini came along. Thanks to an extraordinary ability to bring humor to both orchestral and vocal lines, he was able to invigorate operatic comedy singlehandedly. His most famous comedy, The Barber of Seville (1816), based on the play of the same name by Pierre- Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais, is musically and dramatically uproarious from start to nish. Count Almaviva is in love with Dr. Bartolo’s ward, Rosina, and decides to serenade her at dawn (“Ecco ridente in cielo”). Once Figaro, resourceful barber of the city of Seville, conveniently appears (“Largo al factotum”), the count enlists his help in arranging a meeting with Rosina. Bartolo tells a servant not to admit anyone to the house but Don Basilio, Rosina’s music teacher. Before the day is over, Bartolo hopes to marry Rosina himself. Figaro and the count plan to bring the count into Bartolo’s house in disguise. Rosina, who believes her serenader’s name is “Lindoro,” swears that he will be hers (“Una voce poco fa”). Bartolo is worried that this young man could actually be Count Almaviva. Don Basilio suggests that spreading a few rumors could cool Rosina’s feelings for her admirer (“La calunnia”). Figaro reveals to Rosina that Lindoro is head-over-heels in love with her. Rosina produces a note she has written to Lindoro, and Figaro leaves to deliver it. Almaviva barges into Bartolo’s house, impersonating a drunken soldier. He manages to slip a note to Rosina. When the police appear -- summoned by Bartolo -- the disorderly soldier is arrested. After managing to reveal his true identity to the sergeant in command, he’s immediately released, to everyone’s astonishment. — Roger Pines Dramaturg, Lyric Opera of Chicago