Thursday, October 27, 2022

SFO: A New Eurydice for Gluck’s Opera

Yesterday’s “busy weekend” article included the opening night for the San Francisco Opera (SFO) performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata featuring new staging by Shawna Lucey on Friday, November 11. The following Tuesday will mark the opening night for the next SFO offering, Orpheus and Eurydice by Christoph Willibald Gluck. This will be only the second presentation of this opera in the War Memorial Opera House, the first having been given in 1959.

Soprano Meigui Zhang

When this production was being planned, soprano Christina Gansch was cast for the title role of Eurydice. However, she withdrew because she was expecting her second child. The role will now be taken by soprano Meigui Zhang, who will be singing that part for the first time. She will be joined by countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, who will be making his SFO debut in the other title role of Orpheus. The only other soloist in the cast is the role of Amore (love), which will be sung by soprano Nicole Heaton en travesti. However, Gluck included a generous share of choral passages, which will be sung by the Opera Chorus, prepared by Chorus Director John Keene.

The creative team will be led by Director Matthew Ozawa, who will work with choreographer Rena Butler. Alexander V. Nichols has designed both sets and projections for the staging. Jessica Jahn is costume designer, and Yuki Nakase Link has designed the lighting. The conductor will be Peter Whelan, who will be making his American operatic debut.

This production will be given five performances at 7:30 p.m. on November 15, 18, and 26 and on December 1 and at 2 p.m. on November 20. Ticket prices range from $26 to $408; and, depending on location, there is a facility fee of either $2 or $3 per ticket. There will also be a livestream of the November 20 performance. Virtual tickets are currently being sold for $27.50, processed through the Web page for digital content. All other tickets may be purchased in the outer lobby of the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue or by calling the Box Office at 415-864-3330. Box Office hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday. There is also a Web page with hyperlinks for purchasing tickets for all five of the performances.

No comments: