By Janos Gereben
Grand Macabre Looms Grand Again, Troyens Fall
After a long and difficult process of reconsideration, under the pressure of financial problems, San Francisco Opera general
manager Pamela Rosenberg has revised her original plans for the company. Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre will, after all, be
presented, but Berlioz's assuredly grander (and more expensive) Les Troyens, in the English National Opera's controversial
production, will not be scheduled for 2005. As it was a coproduction with SFO, chances are there is a cost involved, even if the
opera doesn't show locally.
Opera lovers may enjoy going through details of the next season-and-a-half (published in its
entirety at the end of this column, as it appeared on the SF Opera's Website), and also
are likely to encounter some disappointments. Indisputably, the return of Frederica von
Stade and Ruth Ann Swenson to leading roles is cause for rejoicing. The introduction
of European singers and production artists is of interest, the lack of roles for the company's own
young singers from the Opera Center is disappointing to those who enjoy discovering
emerging talent, even at the risk of not relying on tried-and-mostly-true singers. On the non-artistic side, it will be interesting to see
how the stream of obscenities in Le Grand Macabre will be received, especially in a
production sung in English, with English supertitles assuring that nothing is to be missed.
& & &
San Francisco Opera Schedule, Through the Summer of 2005
1. Britten, BILLY BUDD
Conductor - Donald Runnicles
Production - Willy Decker*
[* indicates SFO debut]
Director - Sabine Hartmannshenn*
Production Designer - Wolfgang Gussmann*
Chorus master for all productions - Ian Robertson
---
Billy Budd - Nathan Gunn
Edward Fairfax Vere - Kim Begley*
John Claggart - Phillip Ens
2. Mozart, COSI FAN TUTTE
Conductor - Michael Gielen*
Director - John Cox
Production Designer - Robert Perdziola / Robert Bryan*
---
Fiordiligi - Alexandra Deshorties*
Dorabella - Magdalena Koóená*
Despina - Frederica Von Stade
Ferrando - Yann Beuron
Guglielmo - Hanno Müller-Brachmann*
Don Alfonso - Richard Stillwell
3. Tchaikovsky, EUGENE ONEGIN
Conductor - Ilan Volkov
Director - Johannes Schaaf
Production Designer - Peter Pabst / Manfred Voss
Choreographer - Bambi Uden
Dramaturg - Wolfgang Willaschek
---
Eugene Onegin - Russell Braun
Tatyana - Elena Prokina
Olga - Allyson McHardy
Lensky - Piotr Beczala
4. Verdi, LA TRAVIATA
Conductor - Patrick Summers / Robert Wood* 10/5-8
Director - John Copley
Set Designer - John Conklin
Costume Designer - David Walker
---
Violette Valéry - Ruth Ann Swenson /
TBA 10/8
Alfredo Germont - Rolando Villazon*
Giorgi Germont - Dmitri Hvorostovsky / Željko Lucic 10/5-8
5. Ligeti, LE GRAND MACABRE
Conductor - Michael Boder
Director - Kasper Holten*
Production Designer - Steffen Aarfing* / Jesper Kongshaug*
---
Piet The Pot - Graham Clark
Amando - Sara Fulgoni
Amanda - Anne-Sophie Duprels
Nekrotzar - Willard White
Mescalina - Susanne Resmark*
Venus/Gepopo - Caroline Stein*
Prince Go-Go - Matthias Rexroth*
White Minister - John Duykers
6. Wagner, THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
Conductor - Donald Runnicles / Sara Jobin* 12/1
Director - Nikolaus Lehnhoff
Set Designer - Raimund Bauer
Costume Designer - Andrea Schmidt-Futterer / Duane Schuler
Choreographer - Denni Sayers
---
The Dutchman - Juha Uusitalo*
Senta - Nina Stemme*
Erik - Christopher Ventris
Daland - Walter Fink*
7. Bizet, THE PEARL FISHERS
Conductor - Sebastian Lang-Lessing*
Director - Andrew Sinclair
Production Designer - Zandra Rhodes* / Ron Vodicka*
---
Leila - Norah Amsellem
Nadir - Charles Castronovo
Zurga - William Dazeley*
Nourabad - Mark Coles
8. Tchaikovsky, THE QUEEN OF SPADES
Conductor - Donald Runnicles
Director - Richard Jones
Production Designer - John Macfarlane / Jennifer Tipton
---
Lisa - Katarina Dalayman*
The Countess - Hanna Schwarz
Paulina - TBA
Gherman - TBA
Prince Yeletsky - John Hancock
9. Puccini, TOSCA
Conductor - Donald Runnicles / Sara Jobin* 11/7
Production - Lotfi Mansouri
Director - Sandra Bernhard
Production Designer - Thierry Bosquet / Armando Agnini
---
Floria Tosca - Carol Vaness
Mario Cavaradossi - Miroslav Dvorsky*
Baron Scarpia - Mark Delavan
The rest of the current season:
A. January 2004
Rossini, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
Conductor - Francesco Corti*
Director - Johannes Schaaf
Scenic Designer - Hans Dieter Schaal
Costumes - Yan Tax*
Lighting - Paul Pyant*
Dramaturge - Wolfgang Willaschek
---
Count Almaviva - Matthew Polenzani
Bartolo - Kevin Glavin
Rosina - Joyce Di Donato
Figaro - Thomas Hampson
Don Basilo - Phillip Ens*
Berta - Catherine Cook
B. January, June-July, 2004
Puccini, LA BOHEME
Conductor - Donald Runnicles / Alexander Polianichko 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Director - Mark Lamos
Designer - Michael Yeargan
---
Rodolfo - Vinson Cole / Rafael Suárez 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Mimi - Olga Guryakova* / Elena Prokina 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Marcello - Mariusz Kwiecien* / Scott Hendricks 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Schaunard - Troy Cook / Johannes Martin Kränzle 6/18, 29 /
Brad Alexander 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 24, 26; 7/2
Colline - Ayk Martirossian / Friedemann Röhlig 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Musetta - Dina Kuznetsova* / Anna Netrebko 6/5, 9, 13, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29; 7/2
Benoît/Alcindoro - Peter Strummer
C. June-July, 2004
Busoni, DOKTOR FAUST
Conductor - Donald Runnicles
Stage Direction - Jossi Wieler / Sergio Morabito
Dramaturge - Jossi Wieler / Sergio Morabito
Designer - Anna Viebrock
---
Doktor Faust - Rodney Gilfry
Mephistopheles - Chris Merritt
Duke of Parma - TBA
Duchess of Parma - Hope Briggs*
Girl's Brother - Johannes Martin Kränzle
D. June-July, 2004
Janacek, THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Conductor - Donald Runnicles
Director - Daniel Slater*
Designer - Robert Innes Hopkins*
Movement - Aletta Collins* / Simon Mills*
---
The Vixen - Dawn Upshaw
Fox - Dagmar Peckova*
Forester - Thomas Allen
Schoolmaster - Anthony Laciura*
Badger - Peter Strummer
Parson - Gregory Stapp
Forester's Wife - Judith Christin
& & &
The Classical Voice Performance Calendar
A new year may be a good opportunity to remind Classical Voice readers how to use this publication's public-service calendar
of events. It's a do-it-yourself affair, an easy way to announce music events presented by your organization.
Here's a primer: If you want to see what's listed already, click on the "CALENDAR" sign on the bottom of the Classical Voice
screen (between "LAST WEEK" and "ARCHIVES"). Then go to the one of the five regions listed to find events either in San Francisco,
East Bay, South Bay/Peninsula, North Bay or Outlying.
If you want to list an event, use "SUBMISSIONS," the option to the right of
"ARCHIVES."
When you click on "SUBMISSIONS," you will see a form to be used to type in information. It's important to know that whatever
mistakes you make at this point can be corrected easily at several points later on. When you finished typing, click on "VIEW EVENT"
to see how the item will be posted. To make changes, click on the "BACK" button on the browser and return to the form. Once
satisfied, from the "VIEW EVENT" screen, click on "SUBMIT" on the bottom. You're done.
(Janos Gereben, a regular contributor to www.sfcv.org, is arts editor of the
Post Newspaper Group. His e-mail address is janos451@earthlink.net.)
©2003 Janos Gereben, all rights reserved
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