Critic’s Choice

Thu Feb 11, 2016 at 12:33 pm

By Lawrence A. Johnson

Tatiana Serjan in Lyric Opera's "Nabucco." Photo: Andrew Cioffi

Tatiana Serjan in Lyric Opera’s “Nabucco.” Photo: Andrew Cioffi

After a season-opening stumble last fall with a numbing Marriage of Figaro, the Lyric Opera of Chicago has gone from strength to strength. Heading into the final weeks of the opera season, Chicago audiences are spoiled for choice with the two productions currently running in repertory at the Civic Opera House

There is just one more performance of Nabucco 7:30 p.m. Friday, and it’s worth changing plans tomorrow night to catch Tatiana Serjan’s astounding performance as the villainess Abigaille. Apart from a rather low-energy Željko Lučić in the title role, the rest of the cast and production are faultless, and this is a rare chance to hear Verdi’s first great success.

Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier is also receiving a terrific staging on Wacker Drive with a trio of superb women in the principal roles (Sophie Koch, Amanda Majeski and Christina Landshamer), an effective traditional staging, and impressive company debuts by conductor Edward Gardner and director Martina Weber. Only seven more performances through March 13.

lyricopera.org; 312-827-5600.

Posted in Uncategorized


Leave a Comment