San Francisco Opera to present world premiere of “La Ciociara” in 2015
Anna Caterina Antonacci will star in the world premiere of “La Ciociara” (Two Women) at San Francisco Opera in June 2015.
San Francisco Opera will present the world premiere of La Ciociara by Marco Tutino in June 2015. The opera is based on the novel by Alberto Moravia, which inspired the celebrated 1960 film Two Women starring Sophia Loren, about a woman and her teenage daughter attempting to flee Rome during World War II.
La Ciociara will star Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sarah Shafer, Stephen Costello and Mark Delavan, with Nicola Luisotti conducting. The staging, to be directed by Francesca Zambello, is a co-production with Turin’s Teatro Regio, and will run June 13-30.
The company’s future commission is Dream of the Red Chamber by Bright Sheng with a libretto by David Henry Hwang to premiere in the fall of 2016.
San Francisco Opera’s 2014-15 season will open September 5 with Bellini’s Norma in a new production starring Sondra Radvanovsky as the title Druid priestess, with Daveda Karanas as Adalgisa and Marco Berti as Pollione, with Luisotti conducting.
Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah will follow (September 6-21) in its belated San Francisco premiere. Patricia Racette will star with Brandon Jovanovich and Rayond Aceto. Karen Kamensek will conduct.
SFO will present Berlioz’s epic Les Troyens (June 7-July 1, 2015) starring Susan Graham as Dido with Bryan Hymel as Aeneas. Anna Caterina Antonacci, Daveda Karanas and Sasha Cooke will costar in the celebrated David McVicar production, with Donald Runnicles conducting.
Verdi’s Un Ballo in Machera will be revived (October 4-22) with Krassimira Stoyanova as Amelia, Ramon Vargas as Gustavus and Thomas Hampson alternating with Brian Mulligan as Anckarstrom.
The company will presents the local premiere of Handel’s Partenope (October 15-November 2) in a Christopher Alden production, starring Danielle de Niese, David Daniels, Daniel Mack and Alek Shrader. Christian Curnyn will conduct.
Puccini’s Tosca (October 23-November 8) will present Lianna Haroutounian in the title role with Brian Jagde as Cavaradossi and Mark Delavan as Scarpia with Riccardo Frizza conducting.
Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Nov. 9-26) will star Karine Deshayes and René Barbera with Jesús López-Cobos conducting. SFO will close out 2014 with Puccini’s La Boheme in a double-cast production starring Sonya Yoncheva and Leah Crocetto as Mimi, Michael Fabiano and Giorgio Berrugi as Rodolfo, Nadine Sierra and Ellie Dehn as Musetta and Alexey Markov and Brian Mulligan as Marcello. Giuseppe Finzi will conduct.
Along with La Ciociara and Les Troyens, SFO will revive Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in its 2015 summer season, with Patrick Summers conducting. The production will star Philippe Sly, Lisette Oropesa, Luca Pisaroni, Kate Lindsey and Nadine Sierra (June 14-July 5).
