Okay, no one is going to mistake “The Pearl Fishers” for “Carmen,” that’s for sure. “Carmen” is Bizet’s masterpiece, and one of the greatest and most beloved operas of all time. But in a short career tragically cut down in its prime where we have dozens of ideas for projected operas but only a small output of completed operas available to understand how Bizet evolved, experiencing “The Pearl Fishers,” the opera Bizet wrote before “Carmen,” can be immensely illuminating.

The music itself might be well be labeled “Faust lite,” as the influence of Gounod, Bizet’s teacher, particularly on the recitative and choral passages, is embarrassingly obvious. But like Gounod, Bizet knows how to write and milk a pretty tune, and the work’s most famous aria is a crowd-pleaser that is heard throughout the entire three acts. The love triangle that makes up the opera’s static plot could well be called “Norma lite,” as it is a watered-down reworking of that same idea from that opera. There are also touches of Verdi and even some Wagnerian leitmotivs.

What is needed to give the work its due, such as it is, are three technically precise singers who can not only sing their hearts out emotionally but who are also able to blend well together for the work’s carefully crafted duets, trios and ensembles. Unfortunately, this Lyric Opera revival of its production from a decade ago is seldom able to deliver on either count. The famous Act I “friendship” duet is a piece so popular that it was once not uncommon for audience members to duck out after the first act. Here, at least on opening night, the duet was squandered by baritone Nathan Gunn as Zurga and Eric Cutler as Nadir, as the baritone line was inaudible next to the straining, over-loud tenor line; the usual show-stopping raucous reaction was substituted for polite applause of mere recognition. Although the casting of soprano and former Ryan Center alumna Nicole Cabell as priestess Lelia is serviceable, Cabell does not have the floating coloratura that Maureen O’Flynn had the last time around, essential for revealing this role at its best.

This staging of the work, which was hopelessly confused the last time around, has been given a facelift with more colorful sets that make for more visual appeal, but unfortunately, the design team never bothered to read the libretto: the story concerns a Hindu priestess yet the scenery portrays Theravada Buddhism, which has no gods, a central plot device in the story. (Dennis Polkow)

At Civic Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive at Madison, $39-$187, through November 4.

RECOMMENDED

Operatic tastes have always been fickle, and what was the masterpiece of one moment can today be considered trash, and vice-versa. Mere decades ago the operas of Puccini, today’s Lyric Opera favorite, were routinely considered trite and trashy, sentimentalized and watered-down Verdi with vulgar dashes of Wagner. When I once asked Sir Georg Solti why he hadn’t conducted or recorded more Puccini in his long career as an opera conductor, he winced and described Puccini as an “overrated hack.” So it should come as no surprise that Bizet’s “Djamileh,” once championed by no less than Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, fell out of favor more than a century ago and has yet to make it back it back into the repertoire. One practical reason is that the one-act work clocks in at only an hour, and thus has to be filled out to make a full evening. But as the current and mega-rare revival by the City of Chicago’s free summer opera program demonstrates, the work has been ignored at the peril of lovers of French opera. Yes, this story of a slave girl in love with her playboy master is trivial, but would those who would attack the work on that basis alone really want to defend the narrative merits of the shopworn warhorse “Carmen,” for which “Djamileh” is clearly an important stepping stone? Using the space under the newly restored Tiffany Dome done up as an inviting harem complete with large oriental rug, cushiony pillows and water pipe, the colorfully costumed characters sing in French with subtitles with the dialogue spoken in English. Mezzo soprano Katherine Pracht appropriately pines and sings her heart out as the title character and her master Haroun (tenor Cornelius Johnson) gives moments of unexpected tenderness and some wicked trills to his portrayal while the thankless role of matchmaker Splendiano who doesn’t get the girl is sung by baritone Bill McMurray. A short opening set of Middle Eastern music performed by Ronnie Malley on oud (Middle Eastern lute) and percussionist George Lawler perfectly complements the proceedings. (Dennis Polkow)

Free. 7:30pm. August 5, 7, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington; (312)742-8497.

RECOMMENDED

There was a time when Verdi’s “Falstaff” was fashionably unpopular with the public because the work is through composed and there are no arias or “hit tunes” that can be easily excerpted. The orchestra is a full interactive partner with the singing, rather than the “oom?pah?pah” accompaniment style of many of Verdi’s most popular earlier works and thus “real” Verdi lovers often loathed it. Musicians and singers, on the other hand, found the work endlessly fascinating, always finding new things in it. Indeed, it is by far the most musically interesting of Verdi’s operas, and also his most difficult and challenging in terms of ensembling. If one thing goes wrong in “Falstaff,” there is chaos since there are no traditional starts and stops: it is both a director’s and conductor’s nightmare to hold together. Add to the mix that Lyric Opera was unable to persuade Welch bass-baritone superstar Bryn Terfel to reprise the title role (this 1999-2000 season-opening production was conceived for Terfel), that it had engaged Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri to do so but that Maestri canceled due to a “family emergency,” leaving British baritone Andrew Shore to fill in while further cancellations came from Italian mezzo-soprano Bernadette Manca di Nissa as Dame Quickly—replaced by Ryan Center contralto Meredith Arwady—and Swedish baritone Peter Mattei as Ford, replaced by Israeli baritone Boaz Daniel. With such a plethora of vocal casualties for such a complex work, this production managed to rise above the mediocrity that would be expected. One clear reason is conductor Sir Andrew Davis, who kept a steady hand throughout, cueing singers with expert precision, even if some of the tempos early on lagged a bit as a result. Verdi has never been Davis’ strong point, and if he lacked achieving the Italalianate sound that his departing predecessor Bruno Bartoletti could get from the Lyric Opera Orchestra, Davis compensated with precision and timing. The best thing about this “Falstaff” is how much of an ensemble is achieved amongst an unmatched group of singers. New chorus master Donald Nally, who made the party scenes in “traviata” and “boheme” this season sound so wimpy and uninvolved, does a spectacular job here of allowing the chorus to sound virtually transparent in the thrilling finale, that breakneck fugue that declares the Bard’s memorable message that “All the world’s a joke.” (Dennis Polkow)

At the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, (312)332-2244. This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

What a difference a Diva makes. Lyric Opera’s season-opening performances of Verdi’s “La traviata” were not particularly memorable, save for their being the last that Lyric’s music director emeritus Bruno Bartoletti conducted for the company that he had led for so many decades. But revive the production with a new trio of lead singers headed up by superstar soprano Renée Fleming, and the results are nothing short of breathtaking. Fleming has wisely waited to take on Violetta, a role that not only demands extraordinary vocal flexibility but full dramatic weight as well. One is usually sacrificed in favor of the other, but not with Fleming. Not since Beverly Sills has a soprano so looked and sounded this part with such seeming ease. Little wonder that rabid fans were lining up just to leave her notes of adulation on Lyric Opera cocktail napkins, of all things. These performances have long been sold out, but there are turnbacks and there were no-shows at last Saturday’s opening, so patience and persistence should be rewarded. Meanwhile, a DVD “traviata” performance has just been released on Decca that brilliantly captures Fleming soaring in this signature role (it also features Chicago baritone Philip Kraus—also in this production—as the jealous baron). Thankfully, though Lyric could have depended on Fleming’s reputation alone and stacked the rest of the cast with Ryan Center singers as it did with its Diva AWOL “boheme,” frequent Fleming collaborator Thomas Hampson was on hand to make a gregarious Germont and Wilmette tenor Matthew Polenzani makes an impetuous Alfredo, both singing and acting such a storm that the familiar tragedy takes on new life. Bring the hankies. (Dennis Polkow)

At the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, (312)332-2244. This production is now closed.

It went right down to the wire, but a strike by the American Guild of Musical Artists that represents the chorus, dancers, singers, actors and production staff of Lyric Opera was averted by a tentative contract settlement that allowed the September 29 season-opening night gala of Verdi’s “La traviata” to proceed as planned. As if that wasn’t enough drama, Lyric had “fired” a superstar soprano the day before for wanting to be with her husband in New York instead of attending a rehearsal and a costume fitting (see separate “La boheme” review), generating national publicity that the company hadn’t achieved since it took similar actions in 1989 against a then indisposed Luciano Pavarotti. Patrons were also greeted with a surprise insert that these “traviata” performances would be the company’s last for 81-year-old conductor Bruno Bartoletti, who has been associated with Lyric for fifty-one years and who wasn’t being fired but who will now conduct exclusively in his native Italy. Bartoletti’s emotional “addio” and the fact that the curtain was going up at all given the immense difficulties in getting it off the ground, gave the opening a sense of occasion that unfortunately, was rarely matched by the singing or acting onstage. Soprano Elizabeth Futral did a credible job as Violetta, one of the most beloved characters in all opera, but has little of the vocal nor dramatic weight to explore the depths needed to portray this iconic role. Moving and acting more elderly than the supposedly much older Violetta, or even than his father, for that matter, was Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as her young lover Alfredo, who at times did muster some Mediterrean timbre that was dramatically detached from the passion needed for this role. The best chemistry of the evening was between Futral and baritone Mark Delvan as Germont, but such sparks make this a rather different story. The Lyric Opera Chorus sounded remarkably underweight and unfocused during the party scenes under new chorus master Donald Nally. (Dennis Polkow)

At the Civic Opera House, Wacker Drive at Madison, (312)332-2244. This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

In what has become a pre-season tradition of Sir Andrew Davis’ seven-year Lyric Opera music directorship, several of the stars of upcoming productions will perform a free outdoor preview of the 2007-2008 season complete with the full Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus, the latter of which is being prepared for the first time by Lyric’s new chorus master Donald Nally, who has the unenviable job of succeeding Donald Palumbo, who did such a spectacular job here that he now has the same position at the Met. Among those performing are soprano Elizabeth Futral, who will sing Violetta in the season opening production of Verdi’s “La traviata,” Quinn Kelsey, who will sing Marcello in “La boheme” and the Spirit Messenger in Richard Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” Elizabeth De Shong, who will sing Meg in Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Stacey Tappen, who who will perform in “Schatten” and “Falstaff,” Marjorie Owens, who will perform in “traviata,” along with stars of past season productions such as Isabel Bayrakdarian and James Morris. If you’re too far away to hear well, there will be a live broadcast on WFMT FM 98.7 this year. (Dennis Polkow) Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan between Randolph and Monroe, (312)742-1168. Sat 7:30pm. Free.