Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s creamy baritone, easy conversational style, purling legato, and elegant musical manners have seldom sounded more seductive.
- NY Magazine

In Torsten Kerl the Berlin Deutsche Oper has a tireless heroic tenor who is also a refined actor. The voice, of an unmistakably German colour . . . is capable of great expressivity and has a shining top.
- Opera, March ’08

As Suor Angelica, the affecting Italian soprano Barbara Frittoli sang with impassioned lyricism while conveying this vulnerable young woman’s pervasive sadness.
- NY Times, review of the MET’s ‘Trittico’

Our annual fall visit to San Francisco will coincide with the only opportunity to attend three major productions by the adventurous San Francisco Opera in the beautifully restored War Memorial Opera House. This will be by far the most exciting weekend of the season at the Opera, which is now under the leadership of General Director David Gockey and Music Director Donald Runnicles. The exciting announcement of Mr. Gockley’s position has been received with unanimous enthusiasm in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Houston for over three decades.

All three of the operas will be staged in productions which are new to San Francisco. First, Giuseppe Verdi’s brooding melodrama, Simon Boccanegra, will be presented in the brilliant Covent Garden production, showcasing the cult Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the Doge of Genoa in the title role and the radiant Italian soprano Barbara Frittoli as his rediscovered daughter Amelia Grimaldi. Second will be Erich Korngold’s infrequently staged 20th century German opera, Die Tote Stadt (‘The Dead City’), in a lavish co-production already acclaimed at both the Vienna Staatsoper and the Salzburg Festival. American soprano Emily Magee and German tenor Torsten Kerl will recreate the leading roles from their proven Austrian performances. Finally, we are excited by the prospect of encountering the world premiere of The Bonesetter’s Daugher, a commissioned new work by composer Stewart Wallace based on Amy Tan’s popular Chinese novel. Mr. Wallace’s previous work, Harvey Milk, was hailed as an unusually successful contemporary opera at the San Francisco Opera, NY City Opera, and several regional companies. ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’ will appropriately be cast with three Chinese artists in the leading roles: mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, mezzo-soprano Ning Liang, and soprano Qian Yi. Music Director Donald Runnicles will be the conductor for both ‘Simon Boccanegra’ and ‘Die Tote Stadt’, and Stephen Sloane will be on the podium for ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’.

Late September is a welcome period in the city, without hordes of tourists.Restaurants and museums should be refreshingly uncrowded, and the Bay Area generally enjoys pleasant fall weather for strolling throughout the city and for any sightseeing excursions. A Saturday night stay-over is included to insure optimum air fares.

Accommodations for four nights at the deluxe Marriott Hotel (formerly the Pan Pacific), ideally located on Post Street only a couple of blocks from the city’s central Union Square. Within convenient walking distance are a plethora of art galleries and designer shops, and restaurants. The re-named Marriott offers a full range of dining facilities and twenty-four hour room service. It is one of San Francisco’s finest properties and is widely considered an exceptionally desirable hotel. We have been delighted with our experiences there on our frequent visits during the past decade.

IMPORTANT: There are only a few rooms available for the early arrival night of September 24th, at a very expensive rate, due to a convention.