At Lyric Opera, ‘Proximity’ is quite possibly an unprecedented approach to short opera trilogies

Director Yuval Sharon gives feedback as the cast rehearses “Four Portraits,” one of three works comprising “Proximity” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

In the more than 400-year history of opera, it might seem that just about everything possible has been tried at one point or another. But Lyric Opera of Chicago is about to unveil something that it believes has never been done before.

“I don’t want to be dogmatically claiming there is no precedent,” said Anthony Freud, Lyric’s general director, president and chief executive officer. “But I’ve certainly not come across one and, as we were talking, the idea of trying something that didn’t have a precedent was very appealing.”