Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 9 The Queen of Spades

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 13 The Rake’s Progress (Portland Opera) Karen Almond/Portland Opera Tosca (San Diego Opera) Ken Howard/San Diego Opera The Marriage of Figaro Michael Brosilow Atilla (Teatro Comunale di Bologna) Rocco Casaluci/Teatro Comunale di Bologna 2016 Rocco Casaluci By the way, on opening night the Lyric audience will be experiencing the beautiful new seats and sightline improvements in the Ardis Krainik Theatre. “We’re thrilled about this opportunity to elevate the Lyric experience for all our guests,” says Freud. The season continues with a major North American premiere: Sir George Benjamin’s newest opera, Lessons in Love and Violence . Benjamin and Sir Andrew Davis have known each other since Benjamin was 18, when he played his piano sonata for the conductor. “George’s music is brilliantly written, and it speaks very directly to any listener,” says Davis. “He’s always written with an extraordinary virtuosity and sense of color that are very appealing.” Freud urges the Lyric audience to “come listen to this music – you’ll be entranced, moved, and excited by it.” Lyric has been involved in Lessons from the very beginning. “London’s Royal Opera was the lead co- commissioner and co-producer,” says Freud, “and because of Benjamin’s reputation and distinction, a partnership of major international houses was quickly put together – that’s very unusual for a new piece. Lyric is the only North American partner, and we will be giving the North American premiere. That was something I felt was very important.” A riveting thriller, Lessons presents a harrowing power struggle pitting the king and his lover against his military advisor (who’s in a political and romantic liaison with the king’s wife). “The opera is cleverly topical, although not actually about a particular ruler or leader,” says Freud. “It presents a totalitarian regime in which those with power abuse it and teach the next generation the worst possible lessons.” Sir Andrew notes that “the really shocking thing is the lesson the king’s son learns at the end,” to which Freud adds that “it makes the opera’s title so smart. This work is about the lessons that we teach younger generations. Like this season’s Dead Man Walking, Lessons is a stunning, immediate drama, but very different in style – more pure music theater, and more intense from beginning to end. It’s also much more concise – 90 minutes with no intermission.” The production is by Katie Mitchell, one of Britain’s most innovative opera and theater directors. “She works with the precision of a surgeon with her cast,” notes Freud, who engaged Mitchell at WNO for her first five operas. “She’s also a real collaborator with any composer or librettist, including Martin Crimp, the brilliant librettist of Lessons .” Two of today’s most outstanding singing actors, French baritone Stéphane Degout (King) and American tenor William Burden (Mortimer), will be joined by the dazzling American soprano Georgia Jarman (Isabel) and the charismatic Hungarian-Romanian baritone Gyula Orendt (Gaveston), the latter two in their Lyric debuts.