Tonight Lyric Opera S Don Giovanni

• Michael Brosilow
• As Giovanni, Don Mariusz Kwiecien woos soprano Andriana Chuchman

The announcement that Robert Falls would be directing Don Giovanni , the opener for Lyric Opera’s 60th season, was reason to hope that this 18th-century staple of the repertoire would get a shakeup that would really make it click with a 21st-century audience.

Meanwhile, the musical performances—by a cast that includes baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Giovanni; sopranos Ana María Martínez, Andriana Chuchman, and Marina Rebeka as his furious conquests; and, especially, tenor Antonio Poli as the designated avenger, Don Ottavio—are excellent, as is the Lyric chorus and the orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis. Kudos too, to the most contemporary part of the production: Colin Ure’s conversational English supertitles (it’s sung in Italian).