The Ensemble has a night to shine at Chicago Lyric Opera’s A Wondrous Sound

The Chicago Lyric Opera consistently delivers productions that are excellent from bottom to top: luscious sets, incredible musicians and performers and thoughtfully directed shows. As anyone who has worked in the theater can tell you, for that many levels of excellence to exist, there is an enormous, hardworking, and often unseen team of people making the lead performers shine. A Wondrous Sound – a concert at the Chicago Lyric Opera this coming Saturday, April 19, brings some of the lesser-celebrated members of the Opera front and center.

This special concert features the Chorus and the Orchestra to showcase some of opera’s most famous and beloved overtures and choral works, as well as a few classic selections from American Musical Theater. It is conducted by Lyric’s Music Director Enrique Mazzola and hosted by Lyric’s General Director, John Mangum.

The audience is treated to brief explanations and histories of the pieces performed, and the music does the rest, filling the opera house with passion, beauty and melody. The program included well known favorites, such as the Carmen overture, and William Tell. The ensemble also stretched outside their more usual fare with selections from Westside Story, Carousel and The Sound of Music. One unique aspect of the show, pointed out by Chorus Director Michael Black, was that unlike most evenings at the Opera, there was little need for the audience to look up at the translation, you could sit back and let the music wash over you.

All the pieces were relatively brief. General Director and President John Magnum came out after every three or four pieces to introduce them, giving context and a few light jokes, and let the ensemble do what they do best. It was a real-time, real-life, curated, greatest hits playlist, played and sung by word class musicians in what felt like an act of love. Highlights included Verdi’s Nabucco, which was introduced both by John Magnum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola. Mazzola spoke of the power of “Va Pensiero,” the selection from Nabucco. It was written in 1841, when Italy was still a collection of independent kingdoms, troubled by foreign influences, tyrannical rulers and instability.  He described it as a song about the longing for freedom and loved ones that are out of reach when one’s land is ruled by tyrants, which struck a chord with the audience.

While every piece was excellent, there were a few standouts:

The selections from William Tell were the “Gloria al poter supremo!” March and Chorus from the Act 3 overture. The piece is instantly recognizable if you’ve ever seen Looney Toons or the Lone Ranger, and garnered laughter and applause.

“Freudig begrüssen wir edle Halle” from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, was the only German piece of the night. The chorus sang it with obvious relish, and the power to back up their enthusiasm.

We were also treated to Puccini’s “Humming Chorus” from Madame Butterfly, an achingly beautiful and difficult piece of music, as it is entirely hummed, but still has the vocal range one would expect from an Opera. The unique chorus of hums creates an ethereal, heartbreaking sound, that leaves a special sort of silence in its wake. It’s no wonder Madame Butterfly remains one of the most popular operas since its debut in 1904.

I’m a Musical Theater kid at heart, so the world-class treatment of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Rogers and Hammerstein was especially delightful to hear. Mazzola invited the audience to participate in the West Side Story Overture section of “Mambo” which left me feeling like a kid mischievously singing along when my parent had shushed me. The women of the Chorus also provided a playful rendition of “America” that was captivating.

The night ended with arguably two of the more stirring songs from all of American Musical Theater: “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. Given that the sound of excellent singers raising their voices in harmony is already enough to move one’s soul, these two pieces surrounded the audience with what I can only describe as hope, if it had a sound.

There was a special encore at the end, but I don’t want to give it all away. This show is the perfect way to introduce kids, or really anyone, to the power and beauty in Opera and Classic American Theater. Do your family a favor and bring them out for some wondrous sound.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. A final performance is on April 19, at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $65-$345. For more information and tickets, call 312.827.5600 or visit 

www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2024-25/a-wondrous-sound-concert/

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.