by Kevin Puts
A note from the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of The Brightness of Light, Kevin Puts, on the creation of the piece.
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October 08. 2022
Upcoming Dates
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October 08. 2022
Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry in Concert The Brightness of Light
The incomparable Renée Fleming will be joined by charismatic baritone Rod Gilfry for an extraordinary musical event: the Chicago premiere of The Brightness of Light, composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Puts, followed by a delightful collection of Broadway favorites.
The Brightness of Light is a superb new work called "an easy delight" by the Boston Globe, and based on letters between legendary painter Georgia O'Keeffe and her husband, the world-renowned photographer Alfred Stieglitz. These texts and Puts's remarkable music offer a marvelous showcase for the probing, profoundly connecting and sensitive artistry of Fleming and Gilfry as they perform against a backdrop of evocative projections that mingle their art, photos, and letters.
The second half of the concert offers a delightful collection of Broadway favorites from Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, Lerner and Loewe, and more that are sure to leave audiences smiling. Music Director Enrique Mazzola leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra in this special, one-night-only engagement.
Please note, The Brightness of Light will not have an at-home streaming option.
- Running Time: 2 hours with 1 intermission
- Location: Lyric Opera House
Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by the following members of the Enrique Circle: Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, and Robert & Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.
The Enrique Circle is comprised of Lyric's most dedicated supporters who are committed to championing Maestro Enrique Mazzola's exciting artistic vision and legacy.
Articles
With temperatures finally beginning to drop, and a fall full of hefty opera on the horizon, we wanted to catch up with our music director, Enrique Mazzola, to see how he spent his summer, and what he is the most excited for in the 2022/23 Season. His highlights include a summer residency at Austria's Bregenzer Festspiele — where he was recently appointed conductor in residence — leading Madama Butterfly with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, collecting records, and preparing to conduct three operas and a concert back at Lyric this fall. Find his thoughts on this and more as we catch up with Enrique.
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Love letters have been set to music before, but never with more beauty and eloquence than in Kevin Puts’s captivating song cycle for soprano, baritone, and orchestra, "The Brightness of Light." See Renée Fleming, Rod Gilfry, and Music Director Enrique Mazzola in the Midwest premiere of this work, October 8 with the Lyric Opera Orchestra.
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Renée Fleming is no stranger to Lyric Opera of Chicago. While the Grammy Award-winning soprano has performed at every major opera house around the world, on the soundtracks of Oscar-winning films, and even at the Super Bowl, we have been proud to call her a member of the Lyric family for more than 25 years.
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Meet the artists
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Renée Fleming
Soprano
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Rod Gilfry
Baritone
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Enrique Mazzola
Conductor
Program book
Learn more about The Brightness of Light with engaging articles, program notes, artist profiles, and more.
Photo of Renée Fleming: Andrew Eccles