Sondra Radvanovsky, Joseph Calleja, Catalina Cuervo Headline Top 5 Operas To See This Weekend In North America

By David Salazar

It’s time for another weekend of opera, with a wide range of impressive offerings coming from around the continent. This week’s selections include a number of repertory staples as well as some unique modern operas by living composers.

Frida – Atlanta Opera, Georgia

The Atlanta Opera closes out its production of “Frida” with two performances on Friday and Sunday. The opera features Catalina Cuervo in her signature role with Jorge Parodi conducting a production by Jose Maria Condemi. Riccardo Herrera takes on the role of Diego Rivera in what is a work that is gaining strength around the U.S. and is thus a must-see experience.

Rusalka – Canadian Opera Company

Sondra Radvanovsky takes on the title role in a production by Sir. David McVicar. That usually bodes well for any production, but this rendition of the Dvořák classic also stars Štefan Kocán, Elena Manistina, and Pavel Černoch. Johannes Debus conducts the performance on Saturday.

Luisa Miller – Lyric Opera of Chicago, Illinois

Starting on Saturday, Verdi’s middle-period masterwork will get an extended run with a top-notch cast. Krassimira Stoyanova takes on the title role with Joseph Calleja as her lover Rodolfo. Quinn Kelsey, Christian Van Horn, and Solomon Howard round out the cast with Enrique Mazzola conducting. This opera does not get many performances in the U.S. so this is a rare chance to see it is one that you cannot pass up.

27 – Opera Bozeman, Montana

Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek’s work about Gertrude Stein takes center stage for two nights only on Friday and Sunday. The work features Blythe Gaissert, Lauren Snouffer, Andrew Bidlack, Daniel Brevik, and Andrew Lovato in what should be a unique set of performances.

Le Nozze di Figaro – San Francisco Opera, California

One of the big stories out of the 2019-20 season announcements was the reveal that the San Francisco Opera would be showcasing the Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy as its own continuous narrative in a series of productions by Michael Cavanagh. The time to see what this will bring has come with “Nozze” opening on Friday and Sunday with a cast that includes Michael Sumuel, Jeanine De Bique, Levente Molnár, Nicole Heaston, Serena Malfi, and James Creswell, among others.

 

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