Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2006-2007 season. Next season they’ll be producing the following operas:
Turandot
The grandest of all of Puccini’s operas has a major flaw: Puccini did not live to complete it. Nonetheless the opera is of such surpassing greatness and grandeur that it continues to be performed frequently by the world’s great opera companies. This may be the same production we saw last time around which as pretty darned good IIRC.
Iphigénie en Tauride
I find 18th century opera seria pretty rough sledding but Susan Graham’s Octavian in this season’s Der Rosenkavalier was so wonderful that it mediates what I’d otherwise look forward to with some foreboding. If I’m not mistaken this production premieres in San Francisco this summer. We’ve never seen this production here so I’d don’t know what to expect.
Salome
Do you recall the operatic soprano who appeared on 60 Minutes not long ago to discuss her weight loss after gastric bypass surgery? That was Deborah Voigt and, apparently, she’s decided that when you’ve got it, flaunt it so she’s taking it all off as the title character in this new production of Richard Strauss’s Salome. It’s a great, if intense, opera in a new production.
il Trovatore
il Trovatore is probably my favorite Verdi opera (although not my wife’s) and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.
Roméo et Juliette
We’ll be seeing a production owned by the Los Angeles Opera. A good opera. Not my favorite.
Die Fledermaus
Johann Strauss, Jr., Viennese operetta, waking up in a public park dressed as a bat. Who could ask for anything more?
Così fan tutte
We haven’t seen Così in quite a while and I have no idea whatsoever why not. It’s a wonderful opera and I’m seeing it again. It’s being done in early 20th century dress. I wonder if I’ll be able to keep from thinking of the wonderful movie Cosi which centers around the production of the Mozart opera in a mental institution.
Dialogues of the Carmelites
I haven’t decided whether I’m looking forward to Poulenc’s opera set in France during The Terror or not. I’m not that crazy about Poulenc, mid-20th century opera, or the unalloyed soprano voice. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I’m especially looking forward to the new production of Trovatore. It’ll be my first time seeing it – and I’m so curious what they do with the Anvil Chorus!