Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended
"...Berlioz's grandiose opera "Les Troyens" is a tale of two cities. The ambitious new production mounted by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the company's first presentation of this prodigiously demanding work, is an epic venture with two outcomes. Musically, it is resplendent, a huge success by a stellar cast under the leadership of Andrew Davis; conceptually, which is really to say visually, this "Troyens" - The Trojans - struggles to bear its own leaden weight."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Everything about Les Troyens is big. Hector Berlioz's massive opera boasts 5 acts, lasts nearly 5 hours even with numerous small cuts (and two 30-minute intermissions), has 22 named roles, and requires a vastly expanded chorus (about 100 singers) and 2 orchestras (the main one in the pit and another offstage) as well as a short ballet. And then there's the epic storyline based on Virgil's Aeneid. It's no wonder that Les Troyens is so rarely performed. Most opera companies simply don't have the resources to pull it off."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The five hour, with two intermissions, held me with the emotionally varied and powerful score, the coral voices and the nicely paced staging. But Berlioz's lush score keeps the opera enticing. This is an important and rarely produced opera that begs to be seen."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Opera fans have a rare opportunity now to experience a production of composer and librettist Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens. This nearly five-hour long adaptation of Virgil's Aeneid is so musically demanding that even Berlioz did not hear it performed within his lifetime-the closest he got was a production of the second half in 1863 which eliminated most of the ballets and was beset by technical and contractual difficulties."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Recommended
"...The opera is smart enough to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problems of this world, but provides some sign posts that, if follows, can help minimize the human tragedy of political conflict. In recognizing and highlighting these themes through clever design work, artful staging, and masterful artistry, the Lyric Opera of Chicago has succeeded in making Parisian Grand Opera more relevant than ever."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Les Troyens, or The Trojans, is awe-inspiring, thrilling, and certainly one of the most gigantic and convincing masterpieces of music-drama. It is the grandest of grand operas yet with tremendous intimacy. The duration of this cathedral of opera is about four hours and thirty minutes with two intermissions. Les Troyens is a bridge between classicism and romanticism."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...In a brash and cinematic siege of our city, Hector Berlioz’s epic tale of Greeks, Trojans and Carthaginians loving, living and dying in the shadow of an inevitable Rome is being given a new, transcendent production at Lyric Opera."
