March 06, 2019
I PURITANI: Vocal Fireworks and Passions That Run High
The Olympics are coming this February! You may be excited about the athletics that will be taking place in Seoul, but equally as thrilling is the feat of acrobatic vocals that will be coming to Lyric’s stage when I Puritani opens on February 4. Bellini’s masterpiece has it all – passions that run high in the midst of the English Civil War, star-crossed love, madness, and ultimately a happiliy-ever-after ending where love triumphs over politics.
"Albina Shagimuratova [is] a dominant force, first among a cast of equals…she earned the thunderous ovation she got at its end." – The New York Times
Above all, audiences can look forward to the thrilling bel canto musical tour-de-force for which Bellini is known, brought to life by a cast of the most sought-after voices in the world. Soprano Albina Shagimuratova, who has triumphed in Lyric’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Rigoletto, stars as the fragile Elvira. Bel canto tenor sensation Lawrence Brownlee returns to Lyric following star turns in Cinderella and Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, as the cavalier Arturo who must choose between love and duty. Making the stratospheric high notes and florid lines of Bellini’s masterpiece sound easy is hard work, but this duo does it with their Olympic-level vocalism.
“[Lawrence Brownlee’s] sound has warmth and bloom…he soars up to ringing top notes, high Cs and even higher.” – The New York Times
We sat down with director Eric Einhorn, who will bring to life this production from the Metropolitan Opera. I Puritani features historically detailed sets and costumes that provide all of the splendor of grand opera. Einhorn shares the deeply relatable story that forms the basis of this great dramatic work.
