Opera on the big screen at the Castro Theater

[thoreau]

San Francisco historic Castro Theatre has been added to the list of over 120 movie theaters across the country screening San Francisco Opera digital cinema presentations, beginning this month. The 14-hundred seat theater, built in 1922 and a registered landmark, is one of the few remaining movie palaces in the nation from the 1920's that is still in operation.

The Castro Theatre screenings will begin on Monday, March 17 with three showings of Puccini's La Rondine. Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah will be presented on March 31, followed by Mozart's Don Giovanni on April 14, and Puccini's Madama Butterfly on April 21. All four operas will be shown at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm.

The Don Giovanni production? is one of the most stellar DG's I've ever witnessed... if you are a fan of opera you should plan on attending AT LEAST that show.

Tickets for the shows are priced at $20, $10 for students with I.D. Available beginning March 10 at the Castro Theatre Box Office or castrotheatre.com.

SCHEDULE OF SPRING 2008 CINEMACASTS

Saturday, March 8 Sunday, March 9 Monday, March 10 Tuesday, March 11 La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini Acclaimed soprano Angela Gheorghiu stars as Magda de Civry in Puccini’s rarely-performed gem. Tenor Misha Didyk is the naïve young man (Ruggero) who falls in love with the worldly Magda in this Italian take on Viennese operetta. With Anna Christy, Gerard Powers and Philip Skinner, conducted by Ion Marin For synopsis, complete cast and program notes, Learn more Saturday, March 29 Sunday, March 30 Monday, March 31 Tuesday, April 1 Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns Saint-Saëns’s sweeping biblical epic stars mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Delilah and tenor Clifton Forbis as the Old Testament hero who loses his heart, his hair, and finally his strength. With Juha Uusitalo, Oren Gradus and Eric Jordan, conducted by Patrick Summers. For synopsis, complete cast and program notes, Learn more Saturday, April 12 Sunday, April 13 Monday, April 14 Tuesday, April 15 Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mariusz Kwiecien sings the title role in Mozart’s Don Juan. With Elza van den Heever, Twyla Robinson, Claudia Mahnke, Charles Castronovo, Oren Gradus, Kristinn Sigmundsson and Luca Pisaroni, conducted by San Francisco Opera Music Director Donald Runnicles. For synopsis, complete cast and program notes, Learn more Saturday, April 19 Sunday, April 20 Monday, April 21 Tuesday, April 22 Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini Patricia Racette stars in her signature role as the tragic heroine Cio-Cio-San, opposite rising young tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton. With Zheng Cao and Steven Powell, conducted by San Francisco Opera Music Director Donald Runnicles. For synopsis, complete cast and program notes, Learn more

San Francisco Opera’s cinemacasts are made possible by the Koret-Taube Media Suite, the first permanent high-definition, broadcast-standard video production facility installed in any American opera house. All performances were recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco.

Comments

[snapperboy.livejournal.com]

I really like the SFOpera, much more than the Met. I'll have to check to see if they're set to show in Philly.

[bukephalus.livejournal.com]

Very cool. But why not broadcast via an HDTV network so even more peeps can enjoy?

Not a huge opera fan here, but I have enjoyead a few operas staged in Seattle, including Don Giovanni.

[geometrician.livejournal.com]

Those prices for opera are AMAZING. I wish I was there...