Leisure

  Going back many years, it is hard to remember a Lyric Opera production that fired on all cylinders so marvelously as on the October 23rd performance of “Cinderella.” (No doubt for marketing purposes Lyric calls Rossini’s comic opera “Cinderella” instead of its original, commonly known title, “La cenerentola.”) During the time I have been reporting on the many productions of operas at Lyric, I have never shied away from pointing out (and occasionally discussing “ad nauseum”) various weaknesses in the musical or dramatic presentations, but in this “Cinderella” I was extremely pleased to find only hearty strengths in every …

If you think it’s a long way from the Chicago to the South Pacific, then you haven’t watched Lawrence E. DiStasi making magic on stage. And magic isn’t too strong a word: As a founding member of Lookingglass Theatre, DiStasi helped conjure from thin air a theater company that has become a Chicago gem. And it’s with that troupe that he took to the stage as Long John Silver. To pirate from Shakespeare, it was a question of to argh, or not to argh. Here’s why: For the production, which ran through Jan. 31, DiStasi did his digging to find out whether …

  In nearly 30 years of reviewing opera for this and other columns, never have I been so carried away by the euphoria of experiencing this great art being professionally performed. But the other night, Aass I listened to Mozart’s brilliant overture, played by a group of first-class musicians, I was struck by how lucky we are to have the Chicago Lyric Opera to go to for performances of opera at the highest artistic level. Oh, sure, there’s room for criticism — mainly that Mozart scored the roles of Figaro and the Count for basses, and the Lyric used baritones, …

  Hometown chanteuse Iliana Incandela knows how to win hearts and bring home trophies. After being crowned Columbus Day Queen and earning a spot as the Chicago representative on the CW’s new star-search show “The Next,” she launched a national singing career that has been gaining momentum ever since. Last year, fans voted her into the top 10 of the People’s Voice Contest of the International Songwriters Competition, out of 320-plus entries. She also earned an honorable mention in the overall competition out of 18,000 songs submitted from 118 countries worldwide. For more, click here.      

  Coming all the way from Italy, by musical way of Argentina, they landed in Chicago and showed the Windy City how much musical fire can erupt from just an acoustic guitar and violin. Perugia’s SatorDuo is headed to the area for an ambitious series of concerts near the end of October. Then again, tango music is nothing if not passionate — especially in the capable hands of violinist Paolo Castellani and guitarist Francesco Di Giandomenico. Having played all over Europe (including England and France), they returned to Chicago after several previous visits sponsored by Chiesa Nuova, and arts group led by the Rev. …

  “From rags to riches” has been an extremely common literary theme since literacy began. One of its most popular variations is the “Cinderella” story, which itself has spawned oodles of variations. I myself created one such variation, a one-act musical play for my mostly African-American high school students with a pro football twist back in the ’70s. By far the best-known Cinderella tale is that of the Brothers Grimm, with the mean stepmother, two nasty stepsisters and a Fairy Godmother. In Rossini’s opera of 1817 (libretto by Jacopo Feretti) the stepmother is replaced by Don Magnifico, a stepfather, and …

Anyone who regularly attends Italian fests has heard the golden voice of Italian tenor Moreno Fruzzetti. A native of Pisa, he has enchanted audiences throughout the world for more than 30 years. If you missed him the last time he performed near you, don’t despair. His most recent CD, “E’ amore,” puts his talent at your fingertips. On it, you’ll find the Brazilian beat of “Amado mio,” the ballo liscio stylings of “Amore dimmelo,” the toe-tapping beat of “Quando caliente” and a host of time-honored Italian and American favorites. The CD was produced in Pisa by Maurizio Nuti of the …

  Ballet Légere will hold auditions for its 31st annual production of “The Nutcracker” on Aug. 15 and 16 at Légere Dance Centre in River Forest. Parts are available for girls ages 4-1/2 and up with heights ranging from 45 to 61 inches; boys ages 5 to 12; gymnasts and tumblers; and male and female dancers, both teen and adult, for pointe and non-pointe roles. Callbacks will be held Aug. 22 to 30. Ballet Légere has been performing “The Nutcracker” annually under the direction of Donna Vittorio since 1985. (773-237-1874, www.balletlegere.org)  

  “We Gotta Bingo” is the latest interactive theatrical event to take Chicago by storm. Slated to open for an extended run on Aug. 3 at the new Chicago Theatre Works on Belmont Avenue, the show is set at a fundraiser for a pair of Catholic parishes — one mostly Italian, one more Irish — that are about to merge. The audience interacts throughout the evening with a cast of characters that includes local actors Jane Allyson-D’Arienzo, Mitch Conti, Jerry Marzullo and Jennifer Pompa. (wegottabingo.com)

    Maestro Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2014 performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is available for free on-demand video streaming at cso.org/Beethoven9. The performance — recorded at Orchestra Hall in Chicago on September 18, 2014 — opened the CSO’s 2014/15 season. It featured Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, prepared by Chorus Director Duain Wolfe, and vocal soloists soprano Camilla Nylund, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass-baritone Eric Owens. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is recognized today as one of the pivotal works in the history of music by virtue of …