A superb Carmina Burana at Lyric Opera of Chicago

United States Orff, Carmina Burana: Jasmine Habersham (soprano), David Portillo (tenor),  Ian Rucker (baritone), Uniting Voices Chicago, Chorus and Orchestra of Lyric Opera of Chicago / Enrique Mazzola (conductor). Civic Opera House, Chicago, 16.11,2025. (JLZ)

Limited to just three performances this season, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s remarkable presentation of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana stands out for its fresh approach to the familiar work. Projections reinforce ideas implicit in the texts that the composer selected for his secular cantata, with images from nature such as the intensely burning flames that open and close the performance and shots of forests and flowers. Several projections echo art by Botticelli and others and help to set the stage. Together, the operatic elements brought out the performance dimensions implicit in Orff’s cantata.

The soloists were equally strong in their roles. Ian Rucker demonstrated his wide range in a full-voiced reading. As impressive as he was in the first part of the concert, his passionate intensity in the final numbers was particularly effective. His responses to and interactions with soprano Jasmine Habersham added much to this Carmina Burana, especially Rucker’s intense emotional pitch in the penultimate number, just before the reprise of the opening chorus, ‘O fortuna’. It helped that Rucker dispensed with singing from a score and focused entirely on the music, adding his personal stamp to the role.

The tenor solo ‘Olim lacus colueram’ is brief, but David Portillo was outstanding: secure and convincing throughout, particularly in the extremely high tessitura that gives voice to the roasted swan. He acted the part with relish especially after the choral interjections. It is rare to hear this part performed with such a strong delivery and natural and full sound. Soprano Jasmine Habersham brought a confident stamp to her part, and a climactic high note fit well into her careful phrasing and elegant expression.

Choral forces are essential to Carmina Burana and the Lyric Opera Chorus, directed by Michael Black, gave a fine reading. The opening ‘O fortuna’ was notable for the delicacy that conductor Enrique Mazzola brought to the inner sections of the piece, with fine attention to the dynamics and articulations that underscore the text. The careful enunciation of ‘In taberna’ added a welcome level of clarity, and the onomatopoeic verse of ‘Veni, veni, venias’ benefited from the thoughtful diction and precise rhythms of the Lyric Opera Chorus. It was also good to hear the Uniting Voices Chicago’s children’s chorus, and they were even more impressive for memorizing their parts which allowed them to respond effectively to Mazzola in the culminating scenes of the cantata.

Mazzola was similarly good at bringing out details in the orchestra which gave an exuberant reading of the piece, and at shaping the colors that Orff used to create the sonic image of the Middle Ages. The rich string timbres resounded, with solid intonation anchoring the modal harmonies and giving the work its distinctive style. For these and other reasons, the execution was stunning for the ways it pulled the various forces together.

The performance was quite successful in its thoughtful, modern approach to Carmina Burana. With images reinforcing the text and never intruding upon the music, Lyric’s version was more persuasive than those done on an unadorned stage. It would be good to hear Lyric do concert performances of other works like Mahler’s Das klagende Lied. This kind of presentation would also suit operas like Weber’s Der Freischütz, where atmospheric numbers such as the Wolf’s Glen scene would have center stage. My experience of Carmina Burana at this high level of execution added much to the current year at the Lyric Opera.

James L. Zychowicz

Featured Image: Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Carmina Burana © Kyle Flubacker

Staging:
Lighting – Sarah Riffle
Projection – Adam Larsen
Stage manager – Alaina Bartowiak
Chorus director – Michael Black
United Voices Chicago director – Josephine Lee