March 04, 2019
Ring in the New Year with LA BOHEME at Lyric!
If you missed Lyric's captivating new coproduction of Puccini's beloved La bohème in October, you have eight more chances to laugh and cry with the young Bohemians in January.
The entire terrific cast returns for performances January 10 through 31, along with conductor Domingo Hindoyan through January 29, with Stefano Sarzani conducting the final performances in his Lyric debut.
Maria Agresta and Michael Fabiano captured all hearts with their rapturous singing and passionate acting as Mimi and Rodolfo, the opera's central love couple. Here are some of the rave reviews they received:
Agresta sounded radiant….Her Mimì was all goodness and vulnerability….Michael Fabiano immediately engaged listeners….Agresta triumphed at the opera’s finale…[her] sight and sound will not soon be forgotten.
“Fabiano [gave a] passionate, convincing performance in his Lyric debut….he possesses a pleasing tenor voice and an obvious affinity for Puccini’s brand of vocal writing...the clear star was Italian soprano Maria Agresta…[she] made Mimì a signature role.” --Chicago Sun-Times
“The singing is simply gorgeous. The revelation here is a young Michigan-born singer named Michael Fabiano who’s also a formidable actor. And you’ll cry for Maria Agresta’s Mimì too.” --CBS2/Chicago
Michael Fabiano and Maria Agresta
Agresta wielded her warm, focused, bantam-weight soprano with liquid beauty and idiomatic phrasing….[Fabiano] brought intense dramatic presence to Rodolfo and was never less than compelling as a singing actor….Together, he and Agresta made Act 3 the highlight of the evening...consider [his] a major Lyric debut.
“Her singing was terrific...Agresta was a world-class Mimì….One could go a lifetime and never encounter a more moving performance of Mimì than that given by Maria Agresta…[her] singing is superb...Michael Fabiano’s tenor voice rings with the sweetness of Rodolfo’s love…” --Chicago Classical Review
“Agresta is all that one could wish for in a Mimi. She brings tenderness and vulnerability to the poor seamstress who meets a poet when her candle goes out on the stairs. From first to last Agresta sings with soaring beauty, floating glorious high notes and employing a splendid legato line. Her depiction immediately captures your attention and your heart.
“Fabiano sings with both flair and conviction, showing us a confident young man in love whose only true problem is that he cannot provide all the comforts his ailing lover requires.
“The end of the first act is an extended love scene which is touching and sweet, capturing the excitement and warmth of young love. Agresta has the right combination of gentleness and sincerity while Fabiano brings a masculine nobility.” --Hyde Park Herald
Michael Fabiano and Maria Agresta
Don’t miss your chance to experience these captivating artists and their costars in Lyric’s beautiful new production!
See what critics are saying about LA BOHÈME at Lyric Opera
WHY HAVE AUDIENCES BEEN FALLING IN LOVE WITH LA BOHÈME FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS?
