Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 6 Tosca 2

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 13 cycle will take the stage at the Royal Opera starting next year. When his production of Fiddler on the Roof premiered in Berlin in 2017, international critics heralded the arrival of a completely original and unique experience created from this revered, Tony Award-winning masterpiece. The season also offers the grand return of Georges Bizet’s Carmen , the immortal tale of the restless, free- spirited heroine and Don José, the soldier who is ineluctably drawn to her. This production will star J’Nai Bridges, an alumna of Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, as the alluring femme fatale; her co- stars include Charles Castronovo, one of the world’s most acclaimed tenors last seen as the endearing Nemorino in The Elixir of Love , and Golda Schultz and Andrei Kymach in their Lyric debuts. The production is conducted by Henrik Nánási and directed by Marie Lambert. Next in the season is Verdi’s epic drama Don Carlos , presented at Lyric for the first time in its original five-act French version, conducted by Music Director Enrique Mazzola in a production by Sir David McVicar. Acknowledged as one of the most magnificent achievements in the history of opera, Don Carlos masterfully reveals the private turmoil of very public personalities. In 16th century Spain, King Philip II is torn apart by his own jealous suspicions that his son, crown prince Carlos, and Queen Elisabeth—Philip’s young wife and Carlos’s stepmother—are in love. The drama unfolds and confronts audiences with unforgettable intensity and thrilling musical splendor. This epic reveals Verdi in his prime, in a production graced with performances from Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Clémentine Margaine, Joshua Guerrero, Igor Golovatenko in his Lyric debut, Dmitry Belosselskiy, and Soloman Howard. Bravura vocal acrobatics are up next, in the Lyric premiere of Rossini’s frothy Le Comte Ory . The creator of The Barber of Seville strikes again with this sidesplitting comedy replete with onstage antics that match its high- energy music. Hijinks ensue when Countess Adèle sequesters herself in her castle while her valiant brother is away on a crusade. In his absence, the amorous Count Ory stops at nothing (including disguising himself as a nun!) to gain entry to the castle and woo the virtuous Countess. In this witty Bartlett Sher production from the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Music Director Enrique Mazzola, bel canto tenor par excellence Lawrence Brownlee stars in the virtuosic title role—one of his specialties internationally— opposite the Countess of Kathryn Lewek, one of her generation’s most scintillating coloratura sopranos. You’ll smile from the overture to the happy ending. Cheryl Mann Photo: Iko Freese/Komische Oper Berlin Photo: Javier del Real/ Teatro Real Photo: Jacob F. Lucas/ Seattle Opera ELISABETH Rachel Willis- Sørensen CARLOS Joshua Guerrero EBOLI Clémentine Margaine RODRIGUE Igor Golovatenko PHILIPPE Dmitry Belosselskiy GRAND INQUISITOR Soloman Howard ORY Lawrence Brownlee ADÈLE Kathryn Lewek Le Comte Ory Fiddler on the Roof Don Carlos