San Francisco Classical Voice

S.F. Opera's A Masked Ball
San Francisco Opera's first season under General Director David Gockley opens with Verdi's midcareer A Masked Ball (see review). Deborah Voigt stars as Amelia, with debuting tenor Marcus Haddock as the jolly King Gustav and debuting baritone Ambroglio Maestri as Amelia's fatally jealous husband, Ankarström. Marco Armiliato conducts. Sept. 13, 17, 20, 23, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$235, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (L.H.)

Opera San José's Roméo et Juliette
The South Bay scene kicks off with a rarity of particular interest. Beginning early this month, Opera San José starts its run of eight performances at the California Theatre of Gounod's lyric Roméo et Juliette, not heard in the Bay Area since Festival Opera's 2004 production. OSJ sports a new lineup of headline talent, including soprano Rochelle Bard making her debut as Juliette. The prize-winning Bard comes with a pedigree of East Coast companies, most recently in major roles with the Baltimore Opera. Sept. 12, 15, 21, 23, 8 p.m.; Sept. 17, 24, 3 p.m.; California Theatre, San Jose, $65-$85, (408) 437-4450, www.operasj.org. (S.M.)

Die Fledermaus
Also at S.F. Opera this month is Johann Strauss Jr.'s operetta of marital indiscretion and revenge (see review). Christine Goerke is Rosalinde, Wolfgang Brendel is Eisenstein, and Donald Runnicles conducts. Sept. 12, 14, 16, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $30-$245, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (M.V.C.)

S. F. Lyric Opera’s Il Trovatore
The “other” opera company in San Francisco opens its 2006-2007 season with Verdi’s hot-blooded Il Trovatore, the archetypal romantic opera, complete with gypsies, noblemen, a convent, romantic rivalries, and poison concealed in a ring. Performed in English at the Florence Gould Theater at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, it will likely make for a lively and entertaining production with plenty of impact. Barnaby Palmer, SFLO’s talented artistic director, conducts. Sept. 15, 16, 22, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 24, 1:30 p.m.; Florence Gould Theater, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, $15-$28 (under 12 free), (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. (L.H.)

The Peony Pavilion
Love conquers death in The Peony Pavilion, as a scholar falls in love with the ghost of a young girl and then brings her back from the grave. In its original form, the Chinese kunqu opera, a great classic, lasted 20 hours; Cal Performances presents a nine-hour version over three nights. You can, if you like, attend only one three-hour segment. There will also be a symposium on the piece Sept. 14-17 at Alumni House on the UC Berkeley campus (times not yet announced). Sept. 15-16, 7 p.m; Sept. 17, 3 p.m.; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, $30-$86, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents. (L.H.)

Philharmonia Baroque
Nicholas McGegan celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first appearance with Philharmonia Baroque by conducting Handel’s Apollo e Dafne, which was on that very first program. The performances feature the delightful soprano Christine Brandes and baritone William Berger. An orchestral suite from Rameau’s Zaïs rounds out the program. Sept. 12, 8 p.m., Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, Lafayette; Sept. 15, 8 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto; $29-$67, (415) 252-1288, www.philharmonia.org. (L.H.)

"New Music in an Old Cathedral"
Ten contemporary-music vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers take over Grace Cathedral for two evenings of musical musings to kick off the cathedral's 100th anniversary. The event is produced by UC Berkeley’s Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT). A taste of the proceedings, which will be different each night: "Voices for a Soprano and Live Computer,” performed by Stanford music professor John Chowning using eight-channel sound and featuring soprano Maureen Chowning. Sept. 14-15, 7 p.m., Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, $10-$40, (866) 468-3399, www.ticketweb.com. (M.B.)

Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
and Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano

Kiri and Flicka Together
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Stade, nearly retired from the operatic stage, give a joint recital. It is likely to be both nostalgic and full of charm and affection. Sept. 21, 8 p.m, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, $48-$110, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents. (L.H.)

"Complete" Schubert Sonatas
Whether he plays all of the Schubert sonatas (20 of them), or all the complete sonatas (11), Meng-Chieh Liu's four recitals (three this fall) are bound to be a rare treat for those who cannot get enough music of the composer whose "brief existence was neither very successful nor eventful" (David Mason Greene). Liu's own existence might have been even briefer — it has certainly been plenty eventful. At age 21, he was diagnosed with a commonly fatal and debilitating form of vasculitis, a disease of the connective tissue. Despite being told he would never play again, he persevered, and through heroic retraining he was able to return to his calling (and to rave reviews) three years later in 1998. Sept. 22, 8 p.m.; Sept. 24, 4 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (J.D.)

Rolando Villazón
Acclaimed tenor Rolando Villazón, a grad of the 1998 Merola Opera Program, will be in town for a recital at UC Berkeley, as part of Cal Performance's lineup. What's on the program? That part is still a mystery. Sept. 24, 3 p.m., Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley, $68, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. (M.V.C.)

Shostakovich Mini-Festival
Join the Alexander String Quartet, pianist Roger Woodward, and lecturer Robert Greenberg in singing Happy Birthday to Dmitri, born a hundred years ago on Sept. 25 (unless you're on the Julian calendar), in San Francisco Performances' mini-festival dedicated to the other big birthday boy this year. Sept. 24, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sept. 25, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $22-$89, (415) 392-2545, www.performances.org. (M.B.)