A LOVELY COUPLE.

The Lyric Opera of Chicago began life in the highest style, with Maria Callas making her American debut. Fifty years on, it is probably in better health than any other opera company in America. Almost every performance is sold out, and the budget is in the black. Admittedly, you have to go elsewhere for radical ideas about production and repertory; Matthew Epstein, the artistic director, recently left after encountering opposition to his more adventurous plans. But the Lyric has a history of being one of very few American houses--the Houston Grand Opera and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis also come to mind--where premieres are routine, and that's radical in itself. ...