Opera is where it’s all happening in San Francisco this weekend!
Not only will San Francisco Opera’s production of Don Giovanni be screened live at AT&T Park tomorrow, but the final performances of the Company’s Summer Season – Verdi’s Rigoletto and Puccini’s La Bohème – take place at the War Memorial Opera House on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon respectively, and on Sunday evening Classical KDFC broadcasts San Francisco Opera’s 2016 production of Verdi’s Aida.
This staging of Aida – a co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera – was directed by Francesca Zambello, and the broadcast features soprano Leah Crocetto in the title role, and tenor Brian Jagde as Ramades. Both made their role debuts in this production. Set in Egypt at a time of conflict between the Egyptians and the Ethiopians, the opera tells the love story of an Ethiopian slave girl, Aida, and Ramades, a captain of the Egyptian guard. To complicate matters, Adia’s mistress, Amneris, is also in love with Ramades, resulting in a tale of love, duplicity and, ultimately, tragedy.
The San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Director Ian Robertson) is led by Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti, an enthusiastic proponent of the Italian operatic repertoire.
The radio broadcast of San Francisco Opera’s Aida takes place on Classical KDFC on Sunday evening, July 2, at 8.00 pm. Visit www.kdfc.com for tuning frequencies, or listen online.