San Francisco Opera‘s summer season offers a mixture of classic and new work to the War Memorial Opera House stage.
The company is spending a bundle bringing a co-production of the seldom produced “Les Troyens” (“The Trojans”), by Hector Berlioz, to the stage, all five and a half hours of it. Former Music Director Donald Runnicles leads the orchestra in this marathon, and there’s a top-notch cast, including Anna Caterina Antonacci and Michaela Martens alternating as Cassandra, Susan Graham as Dido, and Sasha Cooke as Anna. The ahistorical Trojan Horse reputedly breathes fire.
Which sounds like more than enough excitement, but for the world premiere of “Two Women” (“La Ciociara”), composed by Marco Tutino, and with Antonacci (again) as Cesira, a role that made Sophia Loren an international star in the movie version. San Francisco regular Francesca Zambello directs.
If these two operas sound too daunting, there’s the more familiar and funny “The Marriage of Figaro.”
“Les Troyens” runs June 7 – July 1
