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A resonant Tosca

Someone needed to take him out.

By DEANNA ISAACS

There’s a war raging in Europe. A brutal clash that includes an entrenched repressive autocracy and ordinary civilians determined to fi ght for their freedom. Tyrannical power is vested in one man—a deranged “security” professional who cares only about his own twisted agenda. He decides who lives and dies; everyone trembles before him.

Someone needs to take him out.

Sound familiar? It’s Tosca at Lyric Opera, where someone does take him out. But with consequences. It’s not a happy ending.

Meanwhile, it’s feast or famine for opera in Chicago. We can wander for months in an opera desert, then fi nd ourselves caught in a torrent. Four operas and an oratorio are opening on stages here this month, most in the next two weeks, including two on the same Saturday night—one of them a one-off. However accidental, it feels like a festival.

Tosca famously features some of opera’s most thrilling music. This production, helmed by women—Eun Sun Kim conducting the excellent Lyric Opera Orchestra, and director Louisa Muller—doesn’t disappoint on that score. It presents two glorious voices, soprano Michelle Bradley and tenor Russell Thomas, in the lead roles of an opera star (Tosca) and her lover (the artist Cavaradossi)—along with a story that, while set in Rome in 1800, resonates with the desperate moment we’re living in.

All the more so since the villain, police chief Baron Scarpia, who can be the evil but charismatic hub of the story, is, in this production, a relatively nondescript presence. As sung by baritone Fabián Veloz , he’s almost as unimposing as that twerp in the Kremlin who’s holding the world hostage with threats of nuclear Armageddon.

Tosca, with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, but riding securely on its Giacomo Puccini score (which has been ably described as the “best fi lm music” ever), was fi rst produced in 1900. It usually plays as verismo melodrama, with Scarpia’s deviousness and lust pitted against Cavaradossi’s noble nature and Tosca’s fi ery spirit, while the battles for control of Europe rage in the distant background. Before the curtain went up on Lyric’s opening night, however, general director Anthony Freud took the stage to deliver this brief message: “Opera is an international art form . . . our company includes members with strong Ukrainian roots . . . our hearts go out to all those su ering as a result of the horrifying war in Ukraine.”

Then, as the audience stood, chorus, orchestra, and those in attendance who knew it united for a performance of the Ukrainian national anthem. The war at the crux of Tosca’s plot melded with the war we’re watching in real time.

The international nature of classical music, noted by Freud, means that the lesser e ects of this war will include cancellations of performances for logistical and philosophical reasons. And it brings a longstanding quandary—the original cancel culture question—to the fore.

Does an artist’s behavior matter?

Should an artist’s political or social opinion a ect our response to their work?

Is the answer different for a living artist than for one—like, say, Wagner—who’s dead?

Earlier this month Russian soprano and Lyric Opera favorite Anna Netrebko withdrew from a Metropolitan Opera production of Turandot, opening in April (and from Don Carlos next season), after the Met demanded that she “repudiate her public support for Vladimir Putin while he wages war on Ukraine.”

In a statement issued by the Met, general manager Peter Gelb said this is “a great artistic loss . . . but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”

Netrebko, who has supported Putin in the past (and once told an interviewer that she would have loved to have been his girlfriend), had posted her own statement on Facebook days earlier, in response to a concert cancellation in Denmark. “I am opposed to this war,” Netrebko said, but “forcing artists or any public fi gure to voice their political opinions in public and to denounce their homeland is not right.”

Lyric Opera isn’t having to deal with this question right now; no Russian singers are scheduled before fall. And it’s not an issue yet at Symphony Center, where a spokesperson said no performers have publicly shown support for Russia and its leadership, and programming has not been impacted..

“Every week we welcome artists to our stage from all over the world as part of an ongoing belief that music can be a bridge from one culture to another, can bring healing in di cult times, and in this moment can also be a sign of support and encouragement for the people of Ukraine,” is how Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association president Je Alexander responded to an emailed query.

But on Friday, the Auditorium Theatre announced that appearances by the Russian-based Eifman Ballet (of Saint Petersburg), scheduled for May 20-22, have been cancelled, “in light of COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and the current geopolitical climate.” A spokesperson for the Auditorium said Eifman cancelled its entire U.S. tour.

Here’s what’s on tap for opera fans in Chicago this month: two free semi-staged concert performances of Pale Courage, by Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts faculty member Kyong Mee Choi, performed by graduate voice students at the Merle Reskin Theatre, March 18-19; Terence

Tosca at Lyric Opera TODD ROSENBERG

Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones (based on the memoir by Charles M. Blow) at Lyric Opera, March 24-April 8; Chicago Fringe Opera’s production of Two Remain (Out of Darkness), by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer at the Edge Theater, March 26-27 and April 2-3; and Haymarket Opera Company’s one-night-only performance of Alessandro Stradella’s oratorio La Susanna, March 26 at DePaul University’s Gannon Concert Hall. Tosca continues at Lyric Opera through April 10. v @DeannaIsaacs

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Six Chicago coworking spaces to inspire your best work

By Megan Eileen McDonough, Content Strategist at Deskpass

Paid sponsored content from Deskpass

Working from home is great, but not all the time. While most correspondence makes sense virtually, there’s a certain magic of meeting with your team in person—safely, of course, and when inspiration strikes. With the pandemic accelerating what was already a trend toward flexible work arrangements, it’s quickly becoming the norm. Employees report higher levels of productivity, less stress, and a better work/life balance when allowed to choose (and, with Deskpass’s filters, even curate) their ideal workplace environment.

Spring is in the air, and now is the perfect time to get out of the house and check in to some of Chicago’s best coworking spaces, all available on the Deskpass network.

Loop Space: TeamWorking by TechNexus Vibe: collaborative Great for: remote teams

When it comes to flexible work solutions, TeamWorking at TechNexus is tough to top. They offer virtual-enabled small-group meeting rooms, many large TVs on rolling carts that can connect anywhere virtually, and the ability for teams to access their shared coworking areas. There’s also a roof terrace, wellness center, podcast studio, and more.

West Loop Space: Bond Collective Vibe: luxury Great for: large team meetings

Bond Collective sure knows how to make a great first impression. It’s a design lover’s dream; get ready for massive (yet tasteful) ceiling chandeliers, plush sofas, and leather chairs. Spanning 70,000 square feet of private and shared o ce space, conference rooms accommodate up to 12 people, and their boardroom can fit 20—whiteboards, presentation displays, and multimedia connectors and adapters included.

South Loop Space: Mox.E Vibe: inclusive Great for: networking

Mox.E is a BIPOC-owned and business-focused workspace with a social-impact mission. They support ethnic diversity and foster the spirit of entrepreneurial collaboration. It’s a go-to coworking space for underrepresented entrepreneurs to build, connect, and capitalize their businesses. In addition to three meeting rooms and a private o ce, Mox.E hosts networking events and workshops.

River Point Space: Servcorp Vibe: professional Great for: corporate meetings

Located in one of Chicago’s newest and most noteworthy skyscrapers, Servcorp’s 17th-floor space features floor-to-ceiling windows o ering panoramic views of the Chicago River. The fully-furnished workspace balances privacy and open space, with a selection of offices, boardrooms, meeting rooms, and communal areas to work from. They have a second location in the Loop.

Avondale Space: Guild Row Vibe: community-oriented Great for: creators

Designed by emerging Chicago-based firm DAAM (an acronym for Design, Architecture, Art, and Making), the Guild Row campus includes a coworking space, teaching kitchen, woodshed, live fire cooking station, and a members lounge with a cafe and bar. It’s definitely a go-to for creatives of all industries; you’ll find everyone here from nonprofit professionals and educators to artists and activists.

Highland Park Space: Dayhouse Coworking Vibe: welcoming Great for: working parents

This women-owned workspace has parent-friendly policies in place, an entrepreneurial energy, and leads with a focus on workday wellness. Housed in a vintage industrial building with exposed brick and beams, it has West Loop luxury vibes with suburban convenience. Amenities include conference rooms, a quiet work zone, phone booths, lactation room, and more.

Deskpass is a hybrid work solution for companies with remote or distributed teams. Through our network of thousands of workspaces across the world, we provide on-demand desks, meeting rooms, and private offices by the hour, day, week, and month. There’s no setup or monthly fees—it’s purely pay as you go. Deskpass is available globally. HYBRID WORK—a flexible arrangement where employees can work from home, their office, a coworking space, or all three—allows hiring teams to tap into larger talent pools, increase diversity at their company, and retain happy employees. Here are four elements employees want most in a workplace:

Proximity to their home

Many workers enjoy walking or biking to the space and exploring the surrounding neighborhoods to visit lunch spots nearby, saving time in their day and leading to be er work/life balance.

A private space to take calls

Phone booths are becoming increasingly important, especially for those who cowork from the common area of a coworking space but need privacy for phone calls or virtual meetings.

A professional environment

Environment is everything. Spaces with an inspiring atmosphere, a variety of seating options, reliable WiFi, and easy access to public transportation are top of mind.

Business amenities

Employees prioritize workspaces with phone booths, meeting room technology, printing stations, and standing desks. A space’s amenities are featured on its Deskpass profile.