Lyric Opera 2022-2023 Issue 4- Don Carlos

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 10 Dear Lyric Family, Greetings! We welcome you to Lyric Opera of Chicago and know that you are in for a very special treat. In another rst this season, Lyric is presenting the 1886 ve-act version in French of Verdi’s epic masterpiece Don Carlos . A tour-de-force experience is in store for you. Inspired by historical characters and events from sixteenth century Spain, but with a dramatic political storyline seemingly ripped from today’s headlines, Don Carlos is an operatic epic, featuring some of Verdi’s most unforgettable music and some of his most profoundly drawn characters. While the Italian-language four-act version of Don Carlos has been presented before by the company, this is the rst time the ve-act version in French will be performed on the Lyric stage. Don Carlos has a different personality when it is performed in the original French, the language of the libretto for which Verdi composed and revised his magni cent score. Somehow, there is greater translucency to the music, and singers can approach both the music and the text in different ways. It is a true pinnacle of Verdi’s creative genius. Our music director, Enrique Mazzola, is a great Verdian, whose performances of Don Carlos are sure to be an unforgettable milestone, with the magni cent Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus, and, of course, our great cast. This is a piece that a company only undertakes when it is able to secure Olympic-level singing artists for the sextet of leading roles. Bringing these iconic characters to vivid life are an internationally regarded cast of artists: tenor Joshua Guerrero in the title role, soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Elisabeth, mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine as Princess Eboli, baritone Igor Golovatenko in his Lyric debut as Rodrigue, bass Dmitry Belosselskiy as King Philippe, and bass Soloman Howard as the Grand Inquisitor. We are so excited for you to experience the epitome of grand opera in Don Carlos . Opportunities like this are rare and take place only through your ongoing support and your commitment to great music theater. Thank you for making this production possible. Sincerely, From the Chair and the General Director SYLVIA NEIL Chair ANTHONY FREUD OBE President, General Director & CEO The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Todd Rosenberg Todd Rosenberg