Artist of the Week: Dmitry Korchak Makes Lyric Opera of Chicago Debut in ‘Orphée et Eurydice’

By David Salazar

This Saturday, the Lyric Opera of Chicago opens its 2017-18 season with Gluck’s famed “Orphée et Eurydice.” At the center of this drama of lost love will be tenor Dmitry Korchak, who will be taking on the title role of Orphée in his LYOC debut. Joining him will be Ryan Opera Center alumna Andrana Chuchmann as his lover Eurydice.

Korchak has not performed the role of Orphée before either, the tenor known best for his work in the repertoire of Tchaikovsky, Bellini, Rossini, and Mozart. His signature roles include Lensky in “Eugene Onegin,” Arturo in “I Puritani,” Don Ottavio in “Don Giovanni,” and Nadir in “Les Pêcheurs de perles.” His delicate timbre should be a fit for the elegant lines that Gluck wrote for the character of Orphée.

Ever the Rossini lover, the tenor is coming off a run of “Torvaldo e Dorliska” and the Stabat Mater at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and after his Chicago debut, the tenor heads to the Deutsche Oper Berlin to sing his first performances as Jean de Leyde in Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophète.” Later in the season he returns to “I Puritani” in Vienna, “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in in Tokyo, and “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” in Berlin.

Korchak rose to prominence as early as 2004 when he took home the top prize at the Francisco Vinas International Competition in Barcelona as well as two awards at the Operalia Competition in Los Angeles.

Those looking to hear the tenor for the first time can take a look at his extensive discography, which, in addition to featuring many solo albums including “Rendezvous,” also features a lot of opera recordings. Among those are “La Gazza Ladra,” “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” “Mosè in Egitto,” “Don Giovanni,” and “Eugene Onegin,” among others.

Below is the tenor in one of his signature roles, taking on Nadir’s famous aria from “Les Pêcheurs de perles.”

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