The San Francisco Opera’s summer season was canceled, but the company is still offering audiences a glimpse into the three productions that should have opened in June.
“Celebrating the Summer Season,” hosted by general director Matthew Shilvock, will examine the operas — Verdi’s “Ernani,” Handel’s “Partenope,” and Mason Bates’s “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” — that were taken off the calendar due to the Coronavirus shutdown.
Beginning July 10 as the company’s first-ever virtual live event, the event includes music, conversations and performances designed to honor the three operas and the artists who were scheduled to appear in them.
Featured artists include San Francisco Opera Music Director Designate Eun Sun Kim; sopranos Michelle Bradley and Louise Alder, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, countertenor Jakub Józef Orlínski; tenor Russell Thomas, and Bay Area composer Mason Bates.
The three-part, 90-minute program opens with a tribute to “Ernani.” Verdi’s 1844 work — which was a hit in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era — will be represented by the opera’s prelude, conducted by Kim and played by members of the San Francisco Opera orchestra, performing from their homes. Bradley, who was scheduled to make her company debut as Elvira, will sing the opera’s beloved aria, “Ernani, involami.” Thomas, who would have appeared in the opera’s title role, will sing the Act II aria, “Odi il voto.” He was to be the first to sing the aria on the War Memorial stage; famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti was scheduled to sing it in the company’s 1984 production, but cancelled due to illness, and the aria was cut.
Also on the program: a conversation with Alder and Orlínski, who were scheduled to appear in “Partenope” in what would have been their American opera debuts. Shilvock will speak with the artists about their respective roles in Christopher Alden’s vibrant production of Handel’s opera.
“Celebrating the Summer Season” concludes with excerpts from “Steve Jobs.” Bates’s opera, with libretto by Mark Campbell, premiered at Santa Fe Opera in 2017; San Francisco Opera’s production would have marked its Bay Area premiere. Scenes from the opera will be shown, followed by a conversation with Bates and a performance by Cooke, who created the role of Laurene Powell Jobs at the opera’s premiere.
With the announcement, Shilvock said that the company is celebrating the operas “that should have been on our stage right now.” There’s more to come: this event, he said, “will be a preview of other virtual programs we are planning for the fall that will incorporate performances, conversations, behind-the-scenes features and special surprises.”
Details: 7:30 p.m. July 10, available on demand through July 12; free; access to production is here.
Live from the Studio: Opera San Jose’s response to the season shutdown has been swift and ambitious: the company has announced plans to create new broadcast capabilities, with performances already on the calendar.
The Fred Heiman Digital Media Studio is designed to stream performances featuring 2020-21 resident artists — beginning this weekend.
Baritone Eugene Brancoveanu launches the series July 11 with a recital performance of Robert Schumann’s “Dichterliebe” (A Poet’s Love.) Accompanying Brancoveanu in the beloved song cycle is conductor-pianist Christopher Ray. Both are Opera San Jose resident artists.
The new performance space is located at Opera San Jose headquarters; events still to be announced will include pre-show lectures and post-show “In Conversation” events with the artists on selected dates.
Details: July 11; $15-$50, “pay what you choose”; 408-437-4450; www.operasj.org.
Baroque Opera on tap: Nicholas McGegan has concluded his tenure as music director of the Philharmonia Baroque Opera, but he’s assembled an opera playlist of thrilling musical excerpts from Baroque masterworks he’s conducted over the years. Handel is featured, with performances by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Drew Minter, and others; additional highlights include works by Monteverdi, Rameau, and Lully. Find it on primephonic, the classical music streaming site.
Contact Georgia Rowe at growe@pacbell.net.
