The 1995 Season
This will be the last season for the SFO in the War Memorial Opera House
before it undergoes a long
awaited year and a half renovation (the '96 season will be elsewhere, but
the house should
reopen in time for the '97 season, SFO's 75th anniversary.)
Ticket prices vary between $21 and $135 (Soap: the per ticket production
costs would probably come out to double those prices.) Check with the War
Memorial Opera House Box Office: (415) 864-3330
Donizetti: Anna Bolena
(Sung in Italian)
- Cast:
- Anne Boleyn: Carol Vaness
- Jane Seymour: Susanne Mentzer
- Henry VIII: Roberto Scandiuzzi
- Lord Richard Percy: Giuseppe Sabbatini
- Harvey: Dennis Petersen
- Production:
- Conductor: Roberto Abbado
- Director: John Copley
- Set Designer: John Pascoe
- Costume Designer: Michael Stennett
- Dates: Sept. 8, 12, 15, 24(M), 27, 30
Glinka:Ruslan and Lyudmila
(Sung in
Russian)
- Cast:
- Lyudmila: Anna Netrebko
- Ratmir: Elena Zaremba
- Gorislava: Valentina Tsedipova
- Naina: Catherine Cook
- Ruslan: Jeffrey Wells/Vladimir Ognovenko
- Finn: Vladimir Atlantov
- Farlaf: Vladimir Ognovenko
- Production:
- Conductor: Valery Gergiev
- Production: Lofti Mansouri
- Designers: Alexander Golovin/ Konstantin Korovin
- Realized by Thierry Bosquet
- Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
- Dates: Sept. 9, 14, 17(M), 19, 22, 26, 29
Verdi:La Traviata
(Sung in Italian)
- Cast:
- Violetta: Verónica Villarroel
- Flora: Elizabeth Bishop
- Alfredo: Roberto Aronica
- Germont: Gregory Yurisich
- Baron Douphol: Eduardo del Campo
- Gastone: Alfredo Portilla
- Production:
- Conductor: Steven Mercurio
- Production: John Copley
- Designer: John Conklin
- Costume Designer: David Walker
- Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
- Dates: Sept. 16, 20, 23, 28, Oct. 1(M), 4, 7, 12
Puccini:Madama Butterfly
(Sung in
Italian)
- Cast:
- Cio-Cio-San: Catherine Malfitano/Yoko Watanabe (Dec.)
- Suzuki: Catherine Keen
- B. F. Pinkerton: Richard Leech/Richard Margison (Dec.)
- Sharpless: Victor Ledbetter/Theodore Berg (Dec.)
- Goro: Dennis Petersen/Michel Sénéchal (Dec.)
- Bonze: Philip Skinner
- Production:
- Conductor: Donald Runnicles
- Director: Sandra Bernhard
- Designer: Toni Businger
- Dates: Oct. 3, 6, 8(M), 11, 14, 17, 20, 22(M), Dec. 2(M), 4, 9
Rossini:La Cenerentola
(Sung in Italian)
- Cast:
- Angelina: Olga Borodina
- Don Ramiro: Kurt Streit
- Don Magnifico: Simone Alaimo
- Dandini: Lucio Gallo
- Clorinda: Kristin Clayton
- Tisbe: Elizabeth Bishop
- Alidoro: Dale Travis
- Production:
- Conductor: Carlo Rizzi
- Production: Jean-Perre Ponnelle
- Director: Chrisopher Alden
- Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
- Dates: Oct. 13, 15(M), 18, 21, 25, 28, Nov. 2
Gounod:Faust
(Sung in French)
- Cast:
- Marguerite: Nancy Gustafson
- Siebel: Susan Quittmeyer
- Marthe Schwerlein: Catherine Cook
- Faust: Richard Leech
- Méphistophélès: Samuel Ramey
- Valentin: Rodney Gilfry
- Wagner: Philip Skinner
- Production:
- Conductor: Patrick Summers
- Director:
- Designer: Gerard Howland
- Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
- Dates: Oct. 26, 29(M), 31 Nov. 3, 8, 11, 16
Wagner:Die Walküre
(Sung in German)
- Cast:
- Brünnhilde: Gabriele Schnaut
- Sieglinde: Anne Evans
- Fricka: Marjana Lipovsek
- Faust: Richard Leech
- Siegmund: Paul Elming
- Wotan: James Morris/Willard White
- Hunding: Victor von Halem
- Production:
- Conductor: Donald Runnicles
- Production: Nikolaus Lenhoff
- Stage Director: Laurie Feldman
- Designer: John Conklin
- Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
- Dates: Nov. 4, 7, 12(M), 15, 21, 25, 29
Mozart:Don Giovanni
(Sung in Italian)
- Cast:
- Donna Anna: Deborah Riedel
- Donna Elvira: Daniela Dessi
- Zerlina: Rebecca Evans
- Don Giovanni: Samuel Ramey (Nov. 14, 18, 20)/William Shimell
- Don Ottavio: John Mark Ainsley/Stanford Olsen (Dec. 1, 3, 7)
- Leporello: Alfonso Antoniozzi
- Masetto: Earle Patriarco
- Production:
- Conductor: Donald Runnicles
- Director: Lofti Mansouri
- Designer:Gerard Howland
- Dates: Nov. 14, 18, 20, 24, 28, Dec. 1, 3(M), 7
Dvorák:Rusalka
(Sung in Czech)
- Cast:
- Rusalka: Renée Fleming
- The Foreign Princess: Stephanie Sundine
- Jezibaba: Felicity Palmer
- The Prince: Sergei Larin
- The Water Sprite: Philip Skinner
- The Gamekeeper: Michel Sénéchal
- Masetto: Earle Patriarco
- Production:
- Conductor: Charles Mackerras
- Director: Laurie Feldman
- Designer :Günther Schneider-Siemssen
- Costume Designer: Dietmar Solt
- Lighting Designer: Joan Arhelger
- Dates: Nov. 26, 30 Dec. 2, 6, 8, 10(M)
Although I've tried to proofread this information very
carefully, I cannot
guarantee, nor will I be responsible for its accuracy. This information is
taken from
early promotional material and some cast and/or production changes are
inevitable.
The ultimate authority remains the San Francisco Opera and information can be
obtained by calling (415) 864-3330. However, I would appreciate knowing about
any inaccuracies which you may find, as well as comments or suggestions.
Steve Auerbach <sauerbac@netcom.com>