Madonna col Figlio

Michael Fabiano and Renée Fleming (pictured, left to right) make up the somewhat dysfunctional family whose drama is recounted in the San Francisco Opera premiere of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, to be heard September 23 – October 11. More highlights (and a lowlight or two) follow the jump.

The season also includes Turandot, the world premiere of Heart of a Soldier by Christopher Theofanidis and Donna Di Novelli, a new production premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the Company premiere of Handel’s Xerxes, Bizet’s Carmen, the Bay Area stage premiere of John Adams’ Nixon in China, a new co-production of Verdi’s Attila with Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, and a new production premiere of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Notable in the season press release is this detail about Attila, conducted by Nicola Luisotti: “Lucrezia Garcia and Fabio Sartori replace the previously announced Oksana Dyka and Ramón Vargas, who have both had to withdraw from this production.” It goes without saying, La Cieca guesses, that they “had to withdraw” because maestro Luisotti preferred his singers from La Scala…