San Francisco Opera announced that its Grand Opera Cinema Series will continue at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco continues on Saturday, February 27 at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. with HD screenings of the Company’s acclaimed production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
The Don Juan legend crackles to life in the hands of one of the world’s most beloved composers. Cannily balancing comedy and tragedy, Leah Hausman directs this riveting San Francisco Opera/Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie co-production by David McVicar. The cast features leading baritone Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role, with soprano Elza van den Heever as Donna Anna, soprano Twyla Robinson as Donna Elvira, tenor Charles Castronovo as Don Ottavio and bass Oren Gradus as Leporello. Donald Runnicles, former San Francisco Opera music director and current general music director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony, conducts.
Recorded live in high definition at San Francisco’s historic War Memorial Opera House, the screenings include English subtitles and a brief intermission featuring behind the scenes interviews. All performances feature the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus (Ian Robertson, Chorus Director).
San Francisco Opera partners with Sundance Cinemas to present its Grand Opera Cinema Series for the first time at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, one of the city’s premier movie theaters. The monthly Saturday matinee and Wednesday evening screenings continue through April 2010 with presentations of Camille Saint-Saëns’s sweeping biblical epic Samson and Delilah, featuring mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina and tenor Clifton Forbis, and Giacomo Puccini’s rarely performed gem La Rondine, starring renowned soprano Angela Gheorghiu, tenor Misha Didyk, soprano Anna Christy and tenor Gerard Powers. Please see attached calendar for a complete schedule and screening information.
UPCOMING SCREENINGS:
San Francisco Opera’s Don Giovanni in HD
Saturday, February 27 at 10 a.m. Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. 1881 Post Street, San FranciscoSung in Italian with English subtitles
Running time: 3 hours and 5 minutes with one ten-minute intermission
Rating: General AudiencesLeading baritone Mariusz Kwiecien sings the title role of Mozart’s Don Juan setting in this riveting San Francisco Opera/Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie co-production conceived by director David McVicar and production designer John McFarlane. The cast features sopranos Elza van den Heever (Donna Anna) and Twyla Robinson (Donna Elvira), mezzo-soprano Claudia Mahnke (Zerlina), tenor Charles Castronovo (Don Ottavio), basses Oren Gradus (Leporello) and Kristinn Sigmundsson (Commendatore), and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni (Masetto). Conducted by Donald Runnicles and directed by Leah Hausman. Recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House in Summer 2007.
San Francisco Opera’s Samson and Delilah in HD
Saturday, March 20 at 10 a.m. Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Wednesday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. 1881 Post Street, San FranciscoSung in French with English subtitles
Running time: 2 hours and 35 minutes with two ten-minute intermissions
Rating: General AudiencesSaint-Saëns’s sweeping biblical epic stars mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Delilah and tenor Clifton Forbis as the Old Testament hero who loses his heart, his hair, and nearly his soul. The cast also features bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo as The High Priest of Dagon, bass Oren Gradus in the role of An Old Hebrew and bass-baritone Eric Jordan as Abimélech. Sandra Bernhard directs this sumptuous San Francisco Opera/Nicolas Joël production featuring sets by Douglas Schmidt and costumes by Carrie Robbins. Patrick Summers conducts. Recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House in Fall 2007.
San Francisco Opera’s La Rondine in HD
Saturday, April 3 at 10 a.m. Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Wednesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. 1881 Post Street, San FranciscoSung in Italian with English subtitles
Running time: 2 hours and 5 minutes with one ten-minute intermission
Rating: General AudiencesRenowned soprano Angela Gheorghiu stars as Magda de Civry in Puccini’s rarely-performed gem. Tenor Misha Didyk is the naïve young man (Ruggero) who falls in love with the worldly Magda in this Italian take on Viennese operetta. Soprano Anna Christy (Lisette), tenor Gerard Powers (Prunier) and bass-baritone Philip Skinner (Rambaldo) round out the cast. The stunning Art Deco-inspired production by Nicolas Joël (from Royal Opera, Covent Garden and Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse), with set design by Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Franca Squarciapino, is directed by Stephen Barlow and conducted by Ion Marin. Recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House in Fall 2007.
