San Francisco Opera: New productions of The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni. 2011 - 2012

"After lunch Richard comes back to Mozart, and particularly Die Zauberflöte, he says that certain things in it marked a turning point in the history of art; Sarastro introduced dignity of spirit in place of conventional dignity - certain things in Mozart will and can never be excelled, he says" Cosima Wagner - Diaries - Saturday, February 23 1878 - (Trans: Geoffery Skelton)

"...We dine at five o'clock and then go and see Die Zauberflöte - Richard describes this work as the genius of the German character, and he draws our attention especially to Pamina's aria (G minor)" - Cosima Wagner - Diaries - Thursday November 11 1880 - (Trans: Geoffery Skelton)

As their Ring Cycle finishes. SF Opera today announced that single ticket sales will be available from Sunday (10/07/11) for its 89th season. While it seems a very full season,  of particular interest to Wagnerians (given Wagner's affinity for both - see here) are new production premieres of Mozart’s The Magic Flute designed by visual artist Jun Kaneko and Don Giovanni by director Gabriele Lavia and set designer Alessandro Camera. Press release to be found below. More when, and if, I get the chance. Either way, visit SF Operas website for more - including details of the full season starting September with Carman.

SAN FRANCISCO (July 8, 2011)—Single (non-subscription) tickets for San Francisco Opera’s 2011–12 Season, running from September 9 through December 4, 2011 and June 8 through July 3, 2012 at the historic War Memorial Opera House, will go on sale to the public on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 10 a.m. Single tickets will be available for David Hockney’s beloved production of Puccini’s Turandot, the world premiere of Heart of a Soldier by Christopher Theofanidis and Donna Di Novelli, the Company premiere of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia starring Renée Fleming, a new production premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the Company premiere of Handel’s Xerxes, Bizet’s Carmen, the Bay Area stage premiere of Philip Glass’ Nixon in China, a new co-production of Verdi’s Attila with Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, and a new production premiere of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The San Francisco Opera Box Office, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 10 for in-person sales or by phone at (415) 864-3330; tickets will also be available for online purchase at sfopera.com.

Kate Lindsey and Lucas Meachem. Photo by Ken Howard/Santa Fe Opera.

In Don Giovanni, Mozart uses a bold, beguiling blend of comedy and drama to tell the tale of a proud, predatory nobleman and the women who are drawn to him. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts a cast of exciting young singers led by former Adler Fellow Lucas Meachem, who starred as Count Almaviva in last fall’s Le Nozze di Figaro, in the title role. Soprano Ellie Dehn, who made her Company debut last year as Countess Almaviva opposite Meachem, is Donna Anna. The cast also features the Company debuts of soprano Serena Farnocchia (Donna Elvira), mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey (Zerlina), tenor Topi Lehtipuu (Don Ottavio) and bass Marco Vinco (Leporello). Noted Italian film and theater director Gabriele Lavia makes his U.S. debut and set designer Alessandro Camera and costume designer Andrea Viotti make their Company debuts in this new San Francisco Opera production premiere.

Endlessly inventive, charmingly fantastical and utterly unique, Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a profound yet lighthearted tale of romantic love, spiritual transcendence and the beguiling art of birdcatching. The internationally acclaimed ensemble cast is led by dynamic young conductor Rory Macdonald and includes lyric tenor and former Adler Fellow Alek Shrader as Tamino (shared with Nathaniel Peake for two performances), soprano Heidi Stober (Pamina), acclaimed baritone Nathan Gunn (Papageno), bass Kristinn Sigmundsson (Sarastro), and in the opera’s most virtuosic role, Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova, who is “in demand everywhere as the Queen of the Night” (The New York Times). Sung in English, this new San Francisco Opera co-production is created by renowned Japanese-American visual artist Jun Kaneko and directed by Harry Silverstein.