Baglioni (the formidable tenor Curtis Bannister), the humane (and notably stylish) doctor who rebukes Rappaccini for his warped experiments, and warns Giovanni against becoming caught up in them. As he notes, “Poison can become an elixir with the slightest alteration,” just as love can turn into a deadly poison.Īlso crucial to the story is Dr. It is from his window that he sees Rappaccini’s beautiful and even more lonely daughter, Beatriz (soprano Megan Pachecano), who is essentially held hostage by her father, for whom she is the crucial subject of his demonic experiments. Rappaccini (baritone Levi Hernandez) framed by the staircase, and the balcony area above it serving as the dreary apartment into which Giovanni (lustrous tenor Daniel Montenegro), a medical student from sunny Naples, has just moved. (Photo: Justin Barbin)ĭeftly directed in its Chicago premiere by Crystal Manich, the opera plays out on two levels, with the lush (and poisonous) courtyard garden of Dr. Rappaccinni, in the Chicago Opera Theater production of “La hija de Rappaccini” (“Rappaccini’s Daughter”). (In fact, the story is set in Padua, Italy, although it is sung in Spanish with English subtitles.) First performed in 1991, much of its subject matter - isolation, loneliness, the nature of medical experimentation - seems very much of this moment, while its feverish neo-romantic score has an almost Italianate quality. “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the work of Daniel Catan (the late Mexican composer of Sephardic Jewish descent), and librettist Juan Tovar (who drew on a play by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Octavio Paz that was based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1844 short story), is an ideal example. La hija de Rappaccini” (“Rappaccini’s Daughter”)Ĭhicago Opera Theater has a well-earned reputation for uncovering exceptionally fine new or rarely produced operas and treating them to highly polished, handsomely realized productions. Here is a closer look at each production: At the same time, Lyric Opera of Chicago literally went underground - and even more “grand-scale” - transforming a vast portion of the mazelike Millennium Lakeside Parking Garage into the backdrop for “Twilight: Gods,” a highly condensed, drive-thru adaptation of “Gotterdammerung,” the fourth (and final) installment in Richard Wagner’s epic “Ring Cycle” whose title conjures up world-altering visions of chaos and destruction, and whose audience remains seated in their cars. Coins are $25 each or five for $100 and can be purchased below.Chicago Opera Theater chose a grand curving staircase in the Field Museum to serve as the backdrop for its livestreamed production of “La hija de Rappaccini” (“Rappaccini’s Daughter”), a haunting tale about a warped scientist, his daughter and the lover who cannot save her or himself. The Circle invites you to share in this mythos by purchasing a commemorative Una Notte a Roma coin to throw and wish, not for a return to Rome, but for the Lyric’s triumphant return to the stage after a two-year intermission. According to legend, throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain will bring you back to Rome in the future. The Lyric Opera Ball will also feature its own Fontana di Trevi, Trevi Fountain.
Ball guests who contribute at the Virtuoso Benefactor Level or above will receive exclusive invitations to the ball Benefactor Party at the stunning home of Dan Meiners and David Brinkerhoff. Various sponsorship levels and tickets are available for purchase below, reserve your table or tickets today. In addition, the Lyric offers innovative programs designed to further music and arts education in schools, area neighborhoods, and underserved communities. The Lyric Opera Ball supports the mission of the Lyric to bring high-quality live operatic performances to the Kansas City area and five-state region. From elegant ambience reminiscent of ancient Roman architecture to the sounds of beautiful Italian music, the evening promises to be a night This black-tie ball to benefit Lyric Opera of Kansas City will feature a silent auction, a gourmet multi-course dinner, vocal entertainment, and dancing to the band Lost Wax. With the city of Rome in mind, the Lyric Opera Circle cordially invites you to the 2022 Lyric Opera Ball, Una Notte a Roma (One Night in Rome), on Saturday, April 9, at the Loews Kansas City Hotel.