Placido Domingo, ‘Wonderful Life’ top SF Opera season
From the gripping double bill of “Cav” and “Pag” to the heartfelt delight of “It’s a Wonderful Life” — and the long-awaited return of Placido Domingo — San Francisco Opera’s 2018-19 season has plenty of thrills in store.
Announced by General Director Matthew Shilvock this week, the company’s 96th season will run Sept. 7 through June 28, 2019. Nine operas will be presented in productions new to the War Memorial Opera House.
“What we have in these productions are very visceral expressions of emotion which will be told through the artistry of opera at the highest level,” said Shilvock, adding that the works span a range from verismo intensity to fairy-tale enchantment.
The season opens Sept. 7 with Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” — aka “Cav” and “Pag” — in José Cura’s double-bill production set in Buenos Aires.
The fall season also includes Donizetti’s “Roberto Devereux” (Sept. 8-27), starring soprano Sandra Radvanovsky; Puccini’s “Tosca” (Oct. 3-30), featuring the company debut of soprano Carmen Giannattasio; and Strauss’ “Arabella” (Oct. 16-Nov. 3), with Ellie Dehn in the title role. “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Nov. 17-Dec. 9), by Bay Area composer Jake Heggie, makes its West Coast premiere with tenor William Burden as George Bailey.
Domingo, in his first S.F. Opera appearance since 2010, returns in concert Oct. 21. Soprano Ana María Martinez and tenor Arturo Chacón Cruz join Domingo, conductor Jordi Bernàcer and the San Francisco Opera orchestra in a program of arias and duets. The renowned tenor’s appearance will be “a very special highlight of the season,” said Shilvock, “and a real celebration of this company’s legacy.”
The summer season (June 5-28, 2019) brings Bizet’s “Carmen,” starring J’Nai Bridges; Handel’s “Orlando” with Sasha Cooke and David Daniels, and Dvorak’s “Rusalka.”
Full subscriptions, $172$3,024, and half series, $71$1,512, are available now; single tickets go on sale in June; 415-864-3330, www. sfopera.com.