San Francisco Opera presents Puccini's TURANDOT

San Francisco Opera will present Giacomo Puccini's Turandot at the War Memorial Opera House in six performances from November 18 through December 9. After opening the Company's 2017 Fall Season in September, the work returns in the colorful production by British-born artist David Hockney and with a cast headed by internationally renowned Swedish soprano Nina Stemme. Tenor Brian Jagde reprises the role of Calaf, soprano Leah Crocetto sings Liù and bass Soloman Howard makes his Company and role debuts as Timur. In his first San Francisco Opera appearance, American conductor Christopher Franklin leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and dancers.

One of the most acclaimed and celebrated dramatic sopranos of her generation, Nina Stemme made her San Francisco Opera debut in 2004 as Senta in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer and returned in 2011 as Brünnhilde in her first complete cycles of Wagner's multi-opera epic, Der Ring des Nibelungen. The Mercury News observed: "She is a singer of arresting power and sheer delicacy, her voice both spacious and focused." Known for her portrayals of opera's most challenging roles, Stemme has earned praise for her Isolde (which opened the Metropolitan Opera's 2016-17 Season), Brünnhilde, Elektra, and Princess Turandot, the latter which she has performed at Munich's Bavarian State Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Milan's Teatro alla Scala and the Metropolitan Opera.

American tenor Brian Jagde, who made his role debut as Calaf at San Francisco Opera in September, returns for all November and December performances. The San Francisco Chronicle praised Jagde's "shapely and direct" performance, calling special attention to how the tenor "combined sinew and tonal clarity in an irresistible alloy" in Calaf's famous aria "Nessun dorma." Leah Crocetto sings Liù, a breakout role for the American soprano which she first portrayed on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House in 2011 and at the Metropolitan Opera in 2015. Jagde and Crocetto recently performed the roles of Radames and Aida in San Francisco Opera's new production of Verdi's Aida.

Washington, D.C. bass Soloman Howard, who recently performed as the King in Verdi's Aida at Washington National Opera, makes his Company debut as Timur. Baritone Joo Won Kang and tenors Julius Ahn and Joel Sorensen reprise their roles of Ping, Pang and Pong with which they opened the 2017 Fall Season. Bass-baritone and current San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Brad Walker returns as the Mandarin and tenor Robert Brubaker sings Emperor Altoum.

Born in Pittsburgh and currently based in Lucca, Italy, conductor Christopher Franklin launched his career in Italy's leading opera houses and festivals. He has since led performances at Vienna's Konzerthaus, Paris' Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Teatro de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Minnesota Opera and Boston Lyric Opera.

David Hockney's staging of Turandot, a co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, was first mounted at San Francisco Opera in 1993. Earlier this season, the San Francisco Chronicle hailed the visionary artist's "vivid, sanguinary production, a whirl of swooping lines cloaked in nightmarish reds and greens ... continues to underscore perfectly the alarming power of Puccini's work."

Sung in Italian with English supertitles, Turandot is scheduled for six performances at the War Memorial Opera House: November 18 (7:30 p.m.), November 25 (7:30 p.m.), November 28 (7:30 p.m.); December 3 (2 p.m.), December 6 (7:30 p.m.) and December 9 (7:30 p.m.), 2017.

Tickets for Turandot are priced from $26 to $398. Please visit sfopera.com for further details or call the Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330. San Francisco Opera Box Office hours are Monday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. during performance season. Casts, programs, prices and schedules are subject to change.

All War Memorial Opera House opera performances are preceded by a Pre-Opera Talk beginning 55 minutes prior to curtain. Turandot Pre-Opera Talks will be presented by music history educator Robert Hartwell and are free of charge to patrons with tickets for the corresponding performance.

OperaVision screens, suspended from the ceiling of the balcony section at selected performances, provide close-up and mid-range ensemble shots in high-definition video; English subtitles appear at the bottom of each screen. OperaVision is made possible by the Koret-Taube Media Suite. Visit sfopera.com for OperaVision dates.

The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue. Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART Station and near numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For further public transportation information, visit bart.gov and sfmta.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.