It will be a mix of the familiar and the new — as seven new and new-to-Chicago productions — make their way to the stage of Chicago’s Lyric Opera for the 2018-2019 season it was announced Tuesday.
The seaon’s productions will include: “La bohème,” “Idomeneo,” “Siegfried,” “Il trovatore,” “Cendrillon,” “Elektra,” “La traviata,” “Ariodante” and “An American Dream.”
“This season’s repertoire includes three of the most deservedly popular Italian operas,” said music director Sir Andrew Davis in Tuesday’s announcement. “I think La Scala West [as Lyric was once known] was due for an overdose and I suspect there are many in our audience who will agree. And alongside them we have both Wagner AND Strauss and three rarities – in which I include Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo’ – that will astonish and delight.”
The season announcement was made by general director Anthony Freud and Davis at the Lyric Opera House.
“In planning our latest season,” Freud said via statement, “we have assembled a truly exceptional roster of well-known singers returning to Lyric, including Maria Agresta, Jamie Barton, Janai Brugger, Alice Coote, Iestyn Davies, Danielle de Niese, Christine Goerke, Kyle Ketelsen, Zeljko Lučić, Michaela Martens, Eric Owens, Matthew Polenzani, Albina Shagimuratova, Heidi Stober, Russell Thomas, Elza van den Heever, Erin Wall, and Samuel Youn.”
Davis will conduct “Idomeneo” ( Oct. 13 – Nov. 2; seen previously at Lyric in 1997 and 1977), “Siegfried” (Nov. 3 – 16, which continues the Lyric’s four-year Ring cycle) and the Lyric’s premiere of “Cendrillon” (Dec. 1, 2018 – Jan. 20, 2019). Guest conductors announced for the season will include: Domingo Hindoyan (“La bohème,” Oct. 6 – 20, 2018 and Jan. 10 – 25, 2019), Marco Armiliato (“Il trovatore,” Nov. 17 – Dec. 9), Donald Runnicles (“Elektra,” Feb. 2 – 22, 2019), Michael Christie (“La traviata,” Feb. 16 – Mar. 22, 2019), and Harry Bicket (“Ariodante,” Mar. 2 – 17, 2019).
The Midwest premiere of the World War II era-inspired “An American Dream” chamber opera by composer Jack Perla and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo, will be presented by Lyric Unlimited at the Harris Theater in March 2019.
Other highlights from Tuesday’s announcement:
— Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in recital (Dec. 2, 2018), with pianist Malcolm Martineau
— Renee Fleming 25th anniversary concert gala (March 23, 2019)
— A new grand-scale musical coproduction of “West Side Story” (May 3-June 2019, directed by Francesca Zambello)
Subscription series tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 7 at lyricopera.org. New this year: subscriptions combining remaining performances from the 2017-2018 season and performances in the 2018-2019 season will be available for purchase. For complete season information, visit lyricopera.org.
