Upon me reminding them of my right of first refusal, I was told that the company believed they did not have the obligation to engage me. He added, “Fast forward to January this year, when I get a call from one of Lyric’s top tier managers who informed me that Lyric was going to open the season with my production of ‘Ernani’ but that they were going to go with another director, even while using the previous physical production as I created it. This made sense, given I have a right of first refusal to direct it (standard in the case of new productions and very much how the business operates).” Right before COVID hit us, it was supposed to be presented by the San Francisco Opera (with me directing, of course). The final show was beautiful and well received. The gist is: in back in 2009, Lyric Opera of Chicago honored me with the offer to create a brand new production of Verdi’s ‘Ernani.’ As the director, it was my job to come up with the concept, work with my designers, make decisions about every aspect of its presentation (from sets to costumes, props and lights) and, ultimately, be responsible for the overall artistic product. He said, “I was not planning to post about this but I feel I have no option now, given people have asked me about it, are wondering or even making up reasons or explanations. The director took to Facebook and posted a lengthy letter noting that the revival fo his production from 2009 had been staged without ever being notified or given the option to direct the revival. Unlike the projections and other high-tech wizardry seen in some recent Lyric productions, the scenery here featured traditional painted drops (including the addition of a striking, newly realized 65-by-56-foot mountain scene for Act 1) with hanging chandeliers and other visual elements that work effectively enough and pair well with Marr’s opulent and no doubt well-researched period costumes.Jose Maria Condemi is speaking out against the Lyric Opera of Chicago regarding the revival of Verdi’s “Ernani.”
He retired following Friday’s performance from his current post - wardrobe, wigs and makeup artist director.
The production brought back sets and costumes that were originally used for the company’s 2009-10 presentation of “Ernani.” They were designed by Scott Marr, who has worked at Lyric since 1990. And it could partly be attributed to the opera itself, which for all its musical strengths and fascinating character interactions simply does not have the dramatic potency of some of Verdi’s later, better-known operas.īut at the same time, at least part of the blame must be placed at the feet of stage director Louisa Muller, who arguably needed to do more to sharpen the identities of the four principal characters and animate the dynamics among them. This rigidity could, of course, have been the result of just the unsettledness or tentativeness of opening night.
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