The Lyric opera of Chicago continues their season on this week’s Sunday Opera (6/3 3:00 p.m.) with a tragic tale of callous privilege and contempt in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The cast includes Quinn Kelsey in the title role, and he’s joined by Rosa Feola as the infatuated Gilda, Matthew Polenzani as the feckless Duke of Mantua, and Alexander Tsymbalyuk as the treacherous Sparafucile. Also in the cast are Zanda Svede as Maddalena and Lauren Decker as Giovanna. Marco Armiliato conducts.
After the opera, join host Michael Kownacky for something a bit different as he brings you Felix Mendelssohn’s complete incidental score for a play by Jean Racine, “Athalie,” based on the biblical story of Athaliah, the Queen Consort of Judah in the 9th century BCE. To some, this work is a neglected gem; to others, it should just be neglected. Tune in to see what you think.
