SFO to Begin 2023–24 Season with Verdi

The first full-length opera to be performed in the 101st season of the San Francisco Opera (SFO) will be Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore (the troubadour). This will mark the beginning of a new chapter in Eun Sun Kim’s tenure as SFO Music Director. For the foreseeable future, every season will include at least one opera by both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, providing an opportunity to appreciate the diverse scope of these two composers.

Here in San Francisco performances of Il trovatore date back to the Gold Rush, and it was first performed by SFO in 1924. More recently, the Schwabacher Summer Concert presented by the Merola Opera Program in the summer of 2019 included performances of both the beginning and final scenes of the opera. Furthermore, it was one of the earliest operas to be presented by Opera at the Ballpark (with its large-screen image transmitted from the War Memorial Opera House).

This season’s staging will be based on a co-production with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, initially directed by David McVicar. Here in San Francisco that staging will be revived by Roy Rallo. The score includes several major choral selections, which will be directed by Chorus Director John Keene.

The gypsy camp from the first scene of the second act, complete with anvil (photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of SFO)

Like many narratives, the plot involves an ill-fated love triangle. The title character is Manrico, who will be sung by Merola alumnus tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz. The woman he loves is Leonora, a noble lady that is clearly above his station. Soprano Angel Blue will be singing this role for the first time. She is being courted by the Conte di Luna, who will be sung by George Petean, who will be making his SFO debut. The other major character in the cast is the gypsy Azucena, who knows Manrico’s true identity. Her role will be sung by mezzo Ekaterina Semenchuk. As is often the case with Verdi operas, none of these characters will have a happy ending. However, on a more positive note, the camp of the gypsies is the scene for the most familiar music from the opera, best known as the “Anvil Chorus.”

This opera will have English supertitles for the Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. It will be given six performances. Four of them will take place 7:30 p.m. on September 12, 20, 23, and 29; and there will be two 2 p.m. performances on Sundays, September 17 and October 1. Ticket prices range from $26 to $426. All 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. In addition, there will be a livestream beginning at 7:30 p.m. on September 20. The charge will be $27.50, and it may be purchased through a separate Web page.