Oct 17, 2019

Lyric Opera of Chicago Makes Cast Change For Title Role of ‘Don Giovanni’

By Francisco Salazar

Ildar Abdrazakov will no longer perform the title role of “Don Giovanni” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Instead, the company will bring in Lucas Meachem to take on the famed title role for six performances between Nov. 14-30; Davide Luciano remains on the schedule for the final three.

Per a press release, the Russian bass has withdrawn in order to be closer to home to manage a family situation.

In addition to his performances as Don Giovanni, Meachem is slated to return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in February for “The Queen of Spades.” He has performed with the company in such operas as “Iphigenée en Tauride,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Les Troyens,” and “La Bohème.”

Meachem’s 2019-20 season also includes performances of “Carmen” at the Teatro Regio Torino and “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at the Dallas Opera.

Abdrazakov is slated for performances of “La Damnation de Faust” at the Metropolitan Opera, followed by three straight productions of “Don Carlo” with the Salzburg Easter Festival, the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Semperoper Dresden.

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By Francisco Salazar

FRANCISCO SALAZAR, (Publisher) worked as a reporter for Latin Post where he has had the privilege of interviewing numerous opera stars including Anita Rachvelishvili and Ailyn Perez. He also worked as an entertainment reporter where he covered the New York and Tribeca Film Festivals and interviewed many celebrities such as Antonio Banderas, Edgar Ramirez and Benedict Cumberbatch. He currently freelances for Remezcla.

He holds a Masters in Media Management from the New School and a Bachelor's in Film Production and Italian studies from Hofstra University.