The Pizzetti work, billed as a Chicago premiere, was paired with a requiem even choral buffs probably have never heard of, much less heard: Bonaventura Somma's "Missa Pro Defunctis" (1917), in what was billed as its American premiere. Everything built to a glowing rendition of Tosca's greatest hit, "Vissi d'arte," with gleaming top notes and the melting diminuendo Puccini asks for at the end of the aria, but which a lot of sopranos ignore. Her ample, luscious, firmly focused voice had more than enough power to drive the big climaxes thrillingly, along with the ability to sustain the tender lyricism with a ravishing legato and delicate dynamic nuances. It cannot be said the second cast - headed by Hui He as Tosca Jorge de Leon as Tosca's lover, Mario Cavaradossi and Mark Delavan as their nemesis, Baron Scarpia - was an automatic improvement across the board over the cast Lyric had fielded for the initial run in late January and early February, but the strong singing of Hui He made the show worth sitting through.Īn experienced exponent of this touchstone Puccini role, the Chinese soprano had made a triumphant Lyric debut in 2012 as another self-sacrificing heroine, Verdi's Aida.
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