June's Summer Opera presentations begin with Mozart's Cosi fan tutte from the Lyric Opera of Chicago (6/6). Subtitled “The School for Lovers,” this beloved Mozart comedy is a probing look into romantic relationships. It starts out with a cynical philosopher’s bet that two beautiful young women can’t remain faithful to their fiancés for 24 hours. As the intrigue deepens, the young women’s affections—and those of the young men—move into a new place that’s risky and scary.
6/6Mozart: Cosi fan tutte (in Italian)
(Lyric Opera of Chicago; James Gaffigan, cond)
CAST:
Fiordiligi: Ana María Martínez
Dorabella: Marianne Crebassa
Ferrando: Andrew Stenson
Guglielmo: Joshua Hopkins
Don Alfonso: Alessandro Corbelli
Despina: Elena Tsallagova
6/13Puccini: Turandot (in Italian)
(Lyric Opera of Chicago; Sir Andrew Davis, cond)
CAST:
A Mandarin: Patrick Guetti
Timur: Andrea Silvestrelli
Calaf: Stefano La Colla
Liù: Maria Agresta
Prince of Persia: Geoffrey Agpalo
Ping Zachary Nelson
Pang: Rodell Rosel
Pong: Keith Jameson
Turandot’s Handmaidens:Desirée Hassler & Stephanie Schoenhofer
Emperor Altoum: Josh Lovell
Turandot: Amber Wagner
6/20Verdi: Rigoletto (in Italian)
(Lyric Opera of Chicago; Marco Armiliato, cond)
CAST:
Duke of Mantua: Matthew Polenzani
Borsa: Mario Rojas
Countess Ceprano: Whitney Morrison
Rigoletto: Quinn Kelsey
Marullo: Takaoki Onishi
Count Ceprano:Alan Higgs
Count Monterone: Todd Thomas
Sparafucile: Alexander Tsymbalyuk
Gilda: Rosa Feola
Giovanna: Lauren Decker
A Page: Diana Newman
An Usher: Kenneth Nichols
Maddalena: Zanda Šv?de
6/27Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (in French)
(Lyric Opera of Chicago; Sir Andrew Davis, cond)
CAST:
Zurga: Mariusz Kwiecie?
Nadir: Matthew Polenzani
Nourabad: Andrea Silvestrelli
Leïla: Marina Rebeka
