Parsifal is an enigmatic work by the greatest of all German opera composers. Hear John Caird, the director of this new production, set designer Johan Engels, and Lyric Opera dramaturg Roger Pines discuss Wagner’s last opera.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Shakespeare’s searing drama is made more intense by Verdi’s music. Enjoy this discussion with Johan Botha (Otello), Ana María Martínez (Desdemona), and conductor Bertrand de Billy. Moderated by dramaturg Roger Pines.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

One of Verdi's defining operas, Rigoletto is a fountain of memorable melodies, while its suject matter involves moral depravity, licentiousness, and plenty of emotional devastation. Be there when Giuseppe Filianoti (the Duke of Mantua), conductor Evan Rogister, and director Stephen Barlow delve into this Verdi favorite.…

Twenty-four hours in 18th-century Nürnberg on the longest day of the year. That's the when and where of Wagner's comedy. But there is much more-after all, it's Wagner! Join James Morris, Johan Botha, Bo Skovhus, Sir Andrew Davis, and director Marie Lambert as they discuss the opera that Paderewski called "the greatest work of genius ever achieved b…

Some people say La Bohème is a comedy with a sad ending; for others, it's a heavenly romance. Regardless of how it's viewed, it's the most popular opera of all time! Ana María Martínez (Mimì), Dimitri Pittas (Rodolfo), and conductor Emmanuel Villaume talk about this melody-filled Puccini jewel.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

We all know the children's story of two kids getting lost in the woods and happening upon a witch who lives in a gingerbread house. But the opera, especially this production, goes much deeper into the characters and their motivations. Elizabeth DeShong (Hansel), Maria Kanyova (Gretel), and general director Anthony Freud give you the what's-what on …

What's funnier than an old codger smitten with a beautiful young woman? That's the plot of this Donizetti comedy. But there's much more to it! Hear director Sir Thomas Allen, conductor Stephen Lord, and Marlis Petersen (Norina) discuss this comedy with a heart.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

One of the great romantic tragedies, Werther is a story of love, hope, and finally, despair. This production of the Massenet masterwork is directed by Francisco Negrin, who dazzled us last season with his Rinaldo. For this Discovery session he's joined by Matthew Polenzani (Werther) and Sophie Koch (Charlotte) in a thoughtful discussion of the oper…

If you love the bass voice, here's your chance to get up close to one of the most illustrious stars in the business. Hear Ferruccio Furlanetto explain the intricacies and delights of one of Verdi's most sublime scores.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Richard Strauss became the "bad boy" of classical music by pushing the envelope to the extreme. His Elektra only cemented that reputation! Listen as Elektra herself, Christine Goerke, along with Emily Magee (Chrysothemis), Jill Grove (Clytemnestra), and conductor Sir Andrew Davis discuss this musically complex psychological thrill-ride.…

Rinaldo is a tale filled with magic, sorcery, and vocal fireworks. Contralto Sonia Prina and soprano Elza van den Heever certainly know about vocal fireworks; conductor Harry Bicket and director Francisco Negrin add insights in the music and the staging.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Show Boat details the struggles of Americans, both white and black, from the age of steam and riverboats to the year of Lindbergh's transatlantic crossing. Panelists: Ashley Brown (Magnolia), Alyson Cambridge (Julie), Nathan Gunn (Ravenal), Morris Robinson (Joe), Northwestern University's David Bell (director of music theater), and Harvey Young (as…

Lyric music director Sir Andrew Davis provides incomparable insight to the 2012/13 season operas.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Listen as Verdi soprano supreme Sondra Radvanovsky (Aida) and the always-incendiary Jill Grove (Amneris) discuss the late Verdi favorite, Aida.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Join our all-star panel – Lyric’s own Nicole Cabell (Pamina), Charles Castronovo (Tamino), Stéphane Degout (Papageno), and Sir Andrew Davis - to get the what's what on Mozart's final opera, a story of love, friendship, and the ideals of the Enlightenment.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Come along to the world of Straussian delights with Amber Wagner (Prima Donna/Ariadne), Brandon Jovanovich (Bacchus), Anna Christy (Zerbinetta), Alice Coote (The Composer), and Stage Director John Cox for an exploration of this masterful take on high art and low comedy.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Bass Ferruccio Furlanetto (Boris), stage director Julia Pevzner, and Lyric music director Sir Andrew Davis offer lively discourse on Mussorgsky's dark portrait of a tormented ruler and his long-suffering subjects.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Bel canto means beautiful singing, and Lucia is full of it. Listen to Lyric's Lucia (Susanna Phillips), Edgardo (Giuseppe Filianoti), and Maestro Massimo Zanetti in a discussion of Donizetti's bel canto rendering of murder and madness in 17th-century Scotland.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Hear the poet himself, Lyric fave Matthew Polenzani, and the production's musical architect, conductor Emmanuel Villaume, discuss The Tales of Hoffmann in this Discovery Series session, part of the Backstage at Lyric podcasts.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Hercules languished in obscurity for almost two centuries and didn’t receive its first modern performance until 1925! Director Peter Sellars gives us a new production with a fresh perspective on Handel's 1745 creation. For this Discovery Session, The University of Chicago's renowned mythologist Wendy Doniger and the ever-brilliant Sellars delve int…

South African tenor Johan Botha, who previously starred at Lyric in La Gioconda, Pagliacci, and Turandot, is renowned internationally for his portrayal of many of the most formidably difficult roles in the repertoire. One of his specialties is Wagner's Lohengrin, with which he's making his eagerly awaited return to Lyric this season. The role has b…

German mezzo-soprano Michaela Schuster is making her Lyric debut in one of the most fearsomely challenging roles in the entire Wagner repertoire, Ortrud in Lohengrin. Ortrud has brought Schuster huge acclaim in Copenhagen and Munich (her portrayal in the recent new production at Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper is now on DVD). Schuster is a star of a…

Some see it as Wagner's first masterpiece. Others say it was his stepping-stone to the Ring cycle. Either way, Lohengrin is the perfect melding of vocal and orchestral forces and a dramatic tour de force! Join Emily Magee (Elsa), Greer Grimsley (Telramund), and conductor Sir Andrew Davis in an exploration of the master's 1850 magnum opus.…

Sir Andrew Davis, Lyric's renowned music director, introduces listeners to the 2011-12 season, including commentary and musical highlights from all eight operas.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Sagebrush verismo! Rough-and tumble characters, soaring arias, and a harmonically sumptuous score in the original spaghetti Western! Deborah Voigt (Minnie), Marcello Giordani (Dick Johnson), and conductor Sir Andrew Davis hitch up the buckboard and head west for a look at this most adventuresome addition to the Puccini oeuvre.…

A legendary artist and a great Lyric favorite, American bass-baritone James Morris has long been celebrated throughout the world in many of the most formidable roles in the repertoire, including Wagner's Wotan and Dutchman, Puccini's Scarpia, and the four villains of Offenbach's TALES OF HOFFMANN. But Morris is also a big fan of Gilbert and Sulliva…

Canadian soprano Andriana Chuchman, a Ryan Opera Center alumna who is rapidly establishing herself with important companies throughout North America, is returning to Lyric after her captivating portrayal of Valencienne in last season's Merry Widow. English tenor Toby Spence, a star of both of the major London companies and one of the most prominent…

Lyric's music director revealed his immense enthusiasm for Gilbert and Sullivan when he led the company premiere of The Pirates of Penzance (2003-04). Now he's back on the podium for the new production of The Mikado, which he discusses in a lively conversation with the company's dramaturg, Roger Pines.…

One of the most frequently performed stage works in history! Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado has delighted audiences since its 1885 premiere. Gary Griffin, Toby Spence and Neal Davies discuss the 125 year-old socio-political comedy and the two geniuses who created it.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

No Lyric debut in recent seasons has been more eagerly anticipated than that of Stephanie Blythe. The American mezzo-soprano, a star of the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, and the Opera National de Paris, is universally recognized by critics and audiences as one of the finest artists of our time. In this conversation with Lyric broadcast produce…

American baritone Mark Delavan has demonstrated remarkable versatility at Lyric, where he has scored major successes in operas by Gluck, Verdi, Wagner, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and Bolcom. The Verdi repertoire has brought Delavan many triumphs at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Munich, San Francisco, and Santa Fe. He's making his role debut this s…

Currently principal guest conductor of Seattle Opera, Israeli conductor Asher Fisch Fisch appears frequently at the Vienna Staatsoper and is former music director of both the Vienna Volksoper and the Israeli Opera. He is returning to Lyric Opera to conduct his first performances of A Masked Ball. In a lively conversation with Lyric Opera dramaturg …

American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky is acknowledged by audiences and critics throughout North America and Europe as one of today's few true Verdi sopranos. She is returning to Lyric this season to sing her first Amelia, one of the most eagerly awaited role debuts of her career. Here she discusses the formidable challenges of the role in relation to…

The four exceptional young American artists who are portraying the lovers in A Midsummer Night's Dream are all enjoying highly successful careers throughout North America and with major European opera companies. Here they get together for a roundtable discussion about Britten's opera with WFMT's George Preston, host of the Lyric Opera broadcasts.…

American soprano Anna Christy, memorable at Lyric in both A Wedding (world premiere) and Dialogues of the Carmelites (company premiere), is portraying Tytania in Lyric's first production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lyric Opera dramaturg and broadcast commentator Roger Pines speaks with her about her role, this production, and other important care…

A Swedish monarch flirts with his trusted friend's wife and soon enough, they're on the road to perdition. Join A Masked Ball's director, opera legend Renata Scotto and celebrated tenor Frank Lopardo (King Gustavo) as they explore duty, honor, and middle-period Verdi.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

American countertenor David Daniels, the most renowned countertenor of our time, counts Oberon (his fourth Lyric Opera role) among his most acclaimed portrayals. Here he speaks about the music and his characterization of this formidable figure. Asking the questions is WFMT's George Preston, host of the Lyric Opera broadcasts.…

British bass Peter Rose is internationally acknowledged as today's most celebrated exponent of the role of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Here, in conversation with Lyric dramaturg and broadcast commentator Roger Pines, Rose discusses important details regarding this portrayal, which has brought him enormous acclaim in major houses internatio…

Shakespeare has inspired more than a few memorable operas, and this season Lyric is offering two of them -- Verdi's Macbeth (1847) and Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960). This two-hour symposium features director Barbara Gaines (Macbeth) of Chicago Shakespeare Theater; singers David Daniels (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Thomas Hamps…

The young Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee has enjoyed a spectacular rise to international prominence. This season alone includes his debuts at Lyric Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and La Scala. In a conversation with Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines, he discusses Don Jose in Carmen, which introduces him to Lyric audiences this season after he triumphed in the…

American mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner has triumphed in many major houses internationally (the Met, Dallas, Madrid, Paris, Toulouse, Salzburg, and many more). Having debuted at Lyric two seasons ago in Madama Butterfly, she's returning in 2010-11 for two enormously contrasting roles -- the heroine of Carmen and Pitti-Sing in The Mikado. Here Goe…

American soprano Elaine Alvarez has developed an impressive international career (Munich, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Genoa, Athens, and more) since she first appeared at Lyric three seasons ago. She's returning to Lyric this season as Micaela in Carmen. Here, speaking with Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines, she discusses that role, while also explaining what br…

Acclaimed American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen, Escamillo in this season's Carmen, joins celebrated French conductor Alain Altinoglu for an illuminating discussion of Bizet's richly melodic and powerfully dramatic masterpiece.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

German dramatic soprano Nadja Michael, making her eagerly awaited debut as Lady Macbeth, is a star of La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper (where she recently premiered a new Macbeth). Here she speaks with Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines about all aspects of Lyric's production of Verdi's opera, and also discuss…

The brilliantly imaginative Chicago-based choreographer Harrison McEldowney, who is making his Lyric debut with Macbeth, speaks about his contribution to this new production and discusses other major highlights of his fascinatingly varied career. Lyric Opera dramaturg Roger Pines is host.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

The young Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, whose portrayal of Macduff marks his Lyric debut, has won successes in major houses throughout Europe and America. Here he speaks with Lyric Opera dramaturg Roger Pines about his role in Macbeth, other experiences he's had singing Verdi, and the breadth of his repertoire.…

South African dramatic tenor Johan Botha, a true master-singer and hugely acclaimed worldwide portraying the heroes of Wagner, returns to Lyric Opera in the title role of Lohengrin.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Handel's Hercules will mark the return to Lyric of the sensational English mezzo-soprano Alice Coote, who will star in the formidable role of Dejanira.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, acclaimed as one of the most thrilling singers of our time, sings Ulrica in A Masked Ball and then Katisha in The Mikado in her Lyric debut season.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago

Tenor Marcello Giordani, one of Italy's greatest stars and a huge favorite at the Metropolitan Opera, makes his long-awaited return to Lyric as Dick Johnson in The Girl of the Golden West.Από τον Lyric Opera of Chicago