The Puccini Heroines reviewed by Jacob Davis

*****  Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) wrote operas that have remained among the most-frequently performed in the world since their debuts, including several with iconic roles for lyric sopranos. Tosca, Cio-Cio-San, Manon, Turandot. And yet, even Puccini has operas that are rarely seen or heard, at least in Chicago, leaving much of his music neglected. During observances of the hundredth anniversary of his death last year, Sondra Radvanovsky, a leading opera performer with local roots, and the Lyric Opera’s former CEO Anthony Freud had the idea to do a Puccini concert featuring a sampling of soprano pieces from across the composer’s career. Visitors to the Lyric now have a chance to hear Radvanovsky perform both the famous showstoppers and the lesser-known treats accompanied by the Lyric’s music director, Enrique Mazzola, and the Lyric Opera Orchestra.
The show starts a bit low-key with a musical selection from Le Villi, Puccini’s first opera, and we get an alluring projection of a magic forest before Radvanovsky enters with her first aria “Se come voi piccina.” Greg Emetaz’s projections are the only scenery throughout the concert and their mysterious moods draw us into the radically different world of each play. So, too, do Radvanovsky’s interpretations, which communicate the emotional stakes of each work even when a viewer cannot rely on prior knowledge of the plot. But for those pieces that are better known, such as Mimi’s “Si. Mi chiamano Mimi” from La bohème and “Vissi d’arte” from Tosca, Radvanovsky demonstrates a rich take on each character in just a few minutes, shifting from a shy shut-in to a courageous diva while still capturing the nuance of each phrase.

Along with ten vocal selections in the main show and two encores, the Lyric Opera Orchestra performs five intermezzos from the same selection of plays. They are not quite in chronological order, a selection from Edgar, Puccini’s second opera, is in the second half of the concert, but they keep the performance varied while delving deeper into the operas like Suor Angelica that are less often seen in Chicago. Radvanovsky has a great rapport with Mazzola, especially during the funnier arias, as well as with the audience. She provides brief commentary on her history with a few of the selections and how they inspired her choices, as well as their place in the contemporary musical landscape. Radvanovsky says she particularly enjoys playing characters like the bold Tosca, and that’s evident in her vocal power. The concert’s climax is Turandot’s “In questa reggia,” an extremely dramatic moment during which Radvanovsky captures the character’s power and her fear of vulnerability, her anger, and her loneliness. It’s a great role for her and a demonstration of why Puccini still endures after over a hundred years.
Sondra Radvanovsky in Concert: The Puccini Heroines will continue at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N Upper Wacker Drive, Chicago, thru February 16, with the following showtimes:
February 13: 7:00 pm
February 16: 2:00 pm
Running time is one hour and fifty minutes with one intermission. There is also a thirty-minute preview talk an hour before the show.
Performances are in Italian with English supertitles.
Ticket prices start at $69. The Lyric offers parking deals with Poetry Garage at 201 W Madison St. if inquired about in advance. To order, visit LyricOpera.org or call 321-827-5600.
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click “Sondra Radvanovsky in Concert: The Puccini Heroines.”