Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 4a Anna Netrebko

P R O G R A M N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 16 | December 2, 2018 Of Ruggero Leoncavallo ’s 21 stage works we remember only one, the classic verismo tragedy Pagliacci . Nothing could be further removed from that work’s hair-raising drama than the high spirits of the song “Mattinata” (“Morning”), a song in which one seems to feel the sun of Italy. The accompaniment’s buoyancy matches the irrepressible energy of the singer, whose beloved is urged to open the door to hear the serenade. Gabriel Fauré ’s fame rests in large part on his Requiem and more than 120 songs. The latter are the essential cornerstone of modern French mélodies , along with those of Debussy. They demand enormous musicality and interpretive intelligence, as well as exceptional beauty of voice. The songs vary widely in terms of text and basic mood, with the poetry coming from virtually all the major 19th- and early 20th-century French poets. Fauré’s most famous song by some distance, “Après un rêve” (“After a dream”), one of the most achingly beautiful songs of longing written in any language, truly pulls at the heartstrings in the singer’s quietly anguished wish for the beloved in his dream to return. For a master of symphonic music, Antonín Dvořák was surprisingly prolific in his writing for the voice. Of his ten operas, however, only one – the glorious Rusalka (1901) – is frequently heard internationally, and his more than 100 songs are not performed as often as they deserve. Perhaps most familiar in Dvořák’s song output are the seven Gypsy Songs (1880). He composed them especially for tenor Gustav Walter, a huge favorite at the Court Opera (now State Opera) in Vienna. The brief poems by Adolf Heyduk, covering the passion, sorrow, and sweetness of gypsy life, were set by Dvořák in German, but Heyduk eventually created a Czech translation invariably used today. The dignified, ineffably touching fourth song, “Když mne stará matka” (best known in English as “Songs my mother taught me”), is matched perhaps only by Rusalka ’s “Song to the Moon” and the second-movement theme of the New World Symphony as the most universally beloved of all Dvořák melodies. American composer Douglas Moore ’s ten stage works included most notably The Ballad of Baby Doe (1956). It was introduced in Central City, Colorado, and in fact, all but one scene of the opera takes place in Colorado itself. The exception is the last scene of the opera’s first act – the wedding reception of the wealthy Denver businessman Horace Tabor and his beautiful bride, Elizabeth “Baby” Doe, in Washington, D.C. Tabor’s wealth rests on his ownership of a silver mine in Colorado. Guests at the wedding are discussing whether the silver standard should be repealed when Baby intervenes, defending silver in romantic and exceedingly touching terms. Jacques Offenbach was famously referred to by Rossini as “the Mozart of the Champs-Élysées.” The sobriquet was appropriate, for Offenbach in his stage works shared with Mozart a special zest and pure joy in his musical spirit, as well as graceful style and a dazzling sense of humor. The topical references pervading his operettas entranced Parisian audiences, as did the glorious melodies abounding in Offenbach at his best. Vying with the cancan from Orphée aux enfers as the most familiar melody in any Offenbach work is the sensuously beautiful Barcarolle from Les contes d’Hoffmann (1881). When that opera’s “Venice act” opens with the poet Hoffmann’s friend Nicklausse joining with the Venetian courtesan Giulietta to hail the beautiful night, one can easily envision the water undulating against the gondolas. You can include a bequest for Lyric in your will or trust, or name Lyric as the beneficiary of your IRA, retirement plan, or life insurance policy. You can also use charitable gift annuities, other charitable trusts, or even real estate to make a planned gift to Lyric. PLANNED GIFTS Lyric is fortunate to have had thousands of loyal subscribers and ticket buyers who have been thrilled for more than sixty years by the operas they have seen here. If you are one of these dedicated opera lovers, consider leaving part of your estate to Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planned giving is a meaningful way to help Lyric continue to produce grand opera at the highest possible level and ensure that opera will be enjoyed for years to come. All planned givers are invited to join The Overture Society, and enjoy exclusive benefits of membership. For more information, please contact Jonathan Siner, Lyric’s Senior Director of Planned Giving, at 312.827.5677 or jsiner@lyricopera.org , or Mike Biver, Director of Planned Giving, at 312.827. 5655 or mbiver@lyricopera.org . Cendrillon (Cinderella) by Massenet BILLCOOPER ‰ROYALOPERAHOUSE Be Loyal to the Realm Leave part of your Kingdom to Lyric!