San Francisco Opera announced today that the Company’s 89th season will open with Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot at the War Memorial Opera House. Puccini’s masterpiece will be brought to life by set designer David Hockney with costumes by Ian Falconer. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti will conduct a cast of renowned singers with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
The celebrated cast of principal singers features Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin in the title role, tenor Marco Berti as Calaf and Adler Fellow Leah Crocetto as Liù.
“The world’s reigning Turandot” (Opera Britannia), Iréne Theorin marks her first appearances with San Francisco Opera as the Chinese princess. The Swedish soprano has previously performed this role at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden and in Copenhagen, Dresden, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.
Maestro Nicola Luisotti begins the third season of his tenure as San Francisco Opera’s music director with this production. This season he also leads Don Giovanni, Carmen, a new co-production with Milan’s La Scala of Attila with the Company and two special concerts with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra co-presented with Cal Performances in Berkeley.
Puccini’s final opera, Turandot features some of the composer’s most glorious music, including the stirring anthem “Nessun dorma.”
Directed by Garnett Bruce, this production is designed by renowned painter, photographer and print-maker David Hockney, who has also created stage designs for the Glyndebourne Festival, La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera.
Turandot
San Francisco Opera
Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the seven performances of Turandot in September and October are scheduled for September 9 (8 p.m.), September 14 (7:30 p.m.), September 17 (8 p.m.), September 22 (7:30 p.m.), September 25 (2 p.m.), October 1 (8 p.m.), and October 4 (7:30 p.m.), 2011. San Francisco Opera will also present three performances of Turandot in November led by Giuseppe Finzi and starring American dramatic soprano Susan Foster and Italian tenor Walter Fraccaro.
Photo by Johan Persson.