Music of beauty and enormity… it is a perfect masterpiece… it is a hymn to humanity… to the international solidarity of those who, subjected to the most terrible evil, stood up against fascism.
–Dmitri Shostakovich about The Passenger
The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the Chicago premiere of Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger February 24 through March 15, 2015. This poignant and gripping 20th-century masterpiece is set to a libretto by Alexander Medvedev and is based on the book The Passenger by the Polish writer and concentration camp survivor, Zofia Posmysz. Suppressed for more than 40 years, Weinberg’s gripping opera has emerged anew, electrifying audiences at Austria’s Bregenz Festival and again in Warsaw and London. The opera had its U.S. premiere on January 18, 2014 at the Houston Grand Opera, and its New York premiere on July 10, 2014 as part of the Lincoln Center Festival.
In conjunction with The Passenger, Lyric Unlimited—the arm of Lyric Opera of Chicago dedicated to community engagement, new artistic initiatives, and collaborative events—is partnering with a range of cultural institutions to present a wide-ranging series exploring the themes and messages of Weinberg’s important work. “Memory and Reckoning” includes discussions with scholars and creators of The Passenger production, performances of Weinberg’s chamber music by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, orchestral music by the Northwestern University symphony and chamber orchestras, a film screening of the classic 1963 Polish film version of the book, directed by Andrzej Munk, and the world premiere of a newly commissioned klezmer opera, The Property by Wlad Marhulets.
January 29 – March 5, 2015
Memory and Reckoning: A Series Exploring Mieczysław Weinberg
Venues throughout the Chicago area
Ticket prices vary by venue and date
Info and details: www.lyricopera.org
February 24- March 15, 2015
Lyric Opera performs The Passenger by Mieczysław Weinberg
Civic Opera House
20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL
Tickets and Info: lyricopera.org
[Source: polishculture-nyc.org]