Robert Falls' DON GIOVANNI Returns to Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago continues the 2019/20 season with a revival of its original, provocative Don Giovanni, marking the return of Tony Award-winning Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls. Set in 1920s Spain, Falls' 'jazz age' Don Giovanni is riveting and bold and won enthusiastic acclaim when it opened Lyric's 60th anniversary season in 2014.

Lyric's Don Giovanni opens on Thursday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. The production runs for nine performances at the Lyric Opera House (20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago). Sung in Italian with projected English translations.

Tickets start at $39 and are available now at lyricopera.org/dongiovanni or by calling 312-827-5600.

A seducer, philanderer, and libertine who lives only for his own pleasure, Don Giovanni is the quintessential "charming monster," as Falls calls him, in Mozart's keenly observed tale of lust and revenge. He's aided and abetted by his frustrated servant Leporello as he variously evades and pursues the beauties who catch his eye: fiery Donna Elvira, tormented Donna Anna, and impressionable Zerlina. Filled with thrilling music and plot twists, including a truly gripping finale, Lyric's Don Giovanni unfolds in 1920s Spain, with Giovanni radiating irresistible movie-star charisma.

Lyric's Don Giovanni will be conducted by James Gaffigan, who made his much-acclaimed Lyric Opera debut conducting Così fan tutte in the 2017/18 season. Russan bass Ildar Abdrazakov makes his Lyric debut in the title role (Nov. 14-30) with Italian baritone Davide Luciano (Lyric debut) stepping in to lead the December performances (Dec. 3-8). Bass-baritone Matthew Rose returns to Lyric as Leporello with soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen (Lyric debut) as Donna Anna, tenor Ben Bliss as her fiancé Don Ottavio, Ryan Opera Center alumna and soprano Amanda Majeski as Donna Elvira, and Chinese soprano Ying Fang (Lyric debut) as Zerlina.

Award-winning veteran Chicago theater director Robert Falls returns to direct. His frequent collaborators Ana Kuzmanic (costumes) and Walt Spangler(sets) have created a richly colored and textured production, enhanced by Duane Schuler's lighting designs.

Don Giovanni is an original Lyric production.

Lead Sponsor: The Negaunee Foundation Cosponsors: Howard L. Gottlieb and Barbara G. Greis, Nancy and Sanfred Koltun, and Mazza Foundation.

Lyric Opera of Chicago's mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.

Founded in 1954, Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent.

Under the leadership of general director, president & CEO Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become The Great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility.

To learn more about Lyric's season, go to lyricopera.org. You can also join the conversation with @LyricOpera on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. #Lyric1920 #LongLivePassion

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