The dynamic British Wagner specialist Alexander Soddy makes his Chicago Lyric Opera debut not in the orchestra pit but center stage, leading a potpourri advertised as “Wagner: Myth and Music.” Adding to the excitement, the occasion marks the unveiling of the David W. and Orit K. Carpenter Concert Shell, an acoustic enhancement designed to bounce voices and the sound of the orchestra into the Lyric’s overlong shoebox of an auditorium with an immediacy never heard there before. The program remains under wraps, but reading the tea leaves, we’re betting on the overtures plus choral showpieces from The Flying Dutchman and Tannhäuser, with Christine Goerke’s presence as soloist is as good as an I.O.U. for Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene to ring down the final curtain. This just in from the maestro: “You’re pretty spot on! And there’s also some Meistersinger and Tristan for good measure.” —Matthew Gurewitsch