CHICAGO — Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky might not have the name recognition of such peers as Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, or Anna Netrebko, but she has to be counted among the major operatic artists of our time.
Following a well-received run in January in the title role in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, Radvanovsky further cemented her standing Feb. 8 with a thrilling concert under the auspices of Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the program, titled The Puccini Heroines, she sang 12 arias (including two she shared as encores) from the Italian composer’s operas with back-up from the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the company’s music director, Enrique Mazzola.
This is the type of a showcase an opera company would only give to one of its most valued artists. Since making her Lyric debut in the title role in Susannah in 2002-03, Radvanovsky has appeared in more than a dozen productions with the company. And indeed, it can rightly be called her hometown company, because she is a Chicago native who announced during the concert that she had recently moved back to the city. In addition, this program, which continues for two more performances on Feb. 13 and 16, is a kind of a follow-up to a 2019 presentation, The Three Queens, in which she headlined a group of singers who performed semi-staged finales from three Donizetti operas.
While filling a role in an operatic production is no easy task, a solo concert like The Puccini Heroines is an especially high-pressure venture. There are no sets or costumes and no other singers sharing the stage in a 3,276-stage hall. And unlike in an opera, there is no lead-in to the arias and no theatrical context. The singer has to jump directly into each aria and immediately provide a sense of the character and inhabit the complex emotions of that moment.
Radvanovsky did that and so much more with spotless technique, artistic panache, ample power, and real star presence. The soprano has always been known for stamina, and she performed with such seeming ease throughout that one could easily imagine her sailing through another half-dozen arias. That sense of ease extended to her handful of convivial introductions, which she kept short and nicely to the point. And it could be seen in her wonderfully playful take on the evening’s final encore, “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi, as she treated Mazzola as the father to whom the aria is addressed and had some fun as she demonstratively held one of the long notes. But she never sank into schmaltz or over-indulgence here or anywhere else on this classy program.
At the same time, there was never any sense of sameness across the dozen arias as she potently conveyed the ever-changing mix of emotions contained in these operatic solos, including love, regret, and grief. Drawing the two biggest ovations of the evening were “Vissi d’arte” from Tosca (which she proclaimed to be her “very favorite opera”) and “In questa reggia” from Turandot. These moments show both the strength and vulnerability of their iconic characters, a combination Radvanovsky can get across as convincingly as any singer around. There were plenty of other high points as well, like her lovely take on “Mi chiamano Mimì” from La Bohème, in which she captured the character’s youthfulness and humble charm.
As is required of any top-level soprano, Radvanovsky knows how to nail the soaring phrases that generate such exhilarating effects, as she did to maximum advantage in “Addio, mio dolce amor” from Edgar, one of the lesser-known selections on the program. But she can deliver heft and expressiveness across her wide range, as she showed again and again. Given the strength and reach of her upper register, it is impressive how beautiful her low, mezzo-soprano-like register can be, with its deep-hued tones. These were on full display in “Senza mamma” from Suor Angelica (the second part of Il trittico), in which Radvanovsky poignantly communicated Sister Angelica’s brutal pain as she mourns the death of the son from whom she had been long separated.
While this concert, of course, was primarily a showcase for Radvanovsky, it was also a much-deserved opportunity for the Lyric Opera Orchestra to come up from the pit and take its place in the spotlight right behind the soprano. And the orchestra more than lived up to the moment. Even regular Lyric attendees who know what a fine ensemble it is likely were delighted to realize how good this orchestra sounded when listeners were allowed to appreciate it onstage in a fuller, more up-close way.
The company didn’t scrimp for this concert, adding 16 extra musicians, bringing the total contingent to 77. They played with a compelling immediacy and delivered a full, lush, and enveloping sound. These are veteran opera players, so they had a sure-footed feel for Puccini’s long lines and romantic stylings, and they knew how to breathe and flow with a singer. The concert was also a moment to take stock of Mazzola, who began his duties in 2021-22 after Andrew Davis’ long and influential tenure. This is his orchestra now, and he demonstrated a real rapport with his musicians as they backed Radvanovsky to the hilt at every turn.
The opera world marked the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death in 2024, and this concert was yet another moment to appreciate the full scope of his accomplishments. Although his unabashed Romanticism has its critics, the composer was one of the unquestioned greats in opera history and one of the few who could sustain such a program.
This outing was the debut of The Puccini Heroines, and, given its unqualified success, don’t be surprised to see Radvanovsky performing the program soon with other companies around the United States and perhaps even beyond.
The Puccini Heroines continues at Lyric Opera of Chicago through Feb. 16. For information and tickets, go here.
