“Götterdämmerung,” or “Twilight of the Gods,” is the last of the four operas, or music dramas, that make up Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle. In April 2021, Chicagoans could see Yuval Sharon’s radical adaptation thereof. But “Twilight: Gods” was performed not at Chicago’s justly beloved Lyric Opera House on Wacker Drive but inside the subterranean Millennium Lakeside parking garage, a dystopian-looking part of town previously associated more with the Blues Brothers.
Take note of that date. Live entertainment in Chicago was still shut down as the pandemic continued to wreak havoc on downtown. But rather than sit on his hands or turn only to Zoom, the Lyric Opera’s general director, Anthony Freud, instead brought in a thrilling cultural attraction that could be enjoyed, live, from the comfort of your car. For the city’s culture lovers, it is hard to overstate the emotional impact of that risky production. It signaled optimism and resilience at a bleak moment for the arts.
The retiring Freud exits Lyric on Wednesday after 13 years at the helm with his replacement soon to be announced. His tenure at Lyric included not just operas by the canonical likes of Verdi, Puccini and Wagner, but new operas such as Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” and “Champion,” as well as “The Factotum,” a developing but memorable piece from Will Liverman and DJ King Rico that was set on Chicago’s South Side.
Outside of all that, Freud also oversaw the pandemic-era renovation of Lyric’s historic home, everything from new seats to an outer lobby that protects patrons from the cold, secured a deal with the Joffrey Ballet to take up residence there (a win-win for both companies) and deftly walked the crucial line between pushing his audience to embrace the new and allowing them to enjoy the traditional repertoire so many of them still crave, as well they should. His tenure saw extraordinary fiscal challenges, especially given the size and cost structure of the company he headed, and we all have our naysayers, but in our view Freud leaves Lyric in as good a shape as any general director could have managed.
Lyric remains, of course, a world-class artistic institution in Chicago, fully worthy of the descriptor. And with 3,276 seats, its home is a vital real estate anchor and economic engine in the Loop.
Freud, a loyal and genial steward who deserves this city’s thanks as he returns to his native Britain, has ensured our Lyric remains vibrant and essential.
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