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By Richard StraussJune 4, 10, 20, 23, 28, 2023
Magic created her.Humanity will save her.
Half-spirit and half-mortal, the Empress lives in fear of a curse: If she doesn’t acquire a human shadow in three days’ time, the spirit world will reclaim her—and turn her husband to stone.Strauss’ rarely performed masterpiece returns for the first time in over 30 years in a vibrant production designed by acclaimed artist David Hockney. Former San Francisco Opera Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles conducts.
Meet the Cast
Libretto by Hugo von HofmannsthalSung in German with English supertitles
Approximately 4 hours including two intermissions
It’s a fairy tale spun from the same kind of dark magic and myth-making you can find in Pan’s Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings, and Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast.
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Read what the press has said about the stars of the production.
"[Nina] Stemme's voice harkens back to a golden age of opera while simultaneously proclaiming her as a dramatic soprano built for the twenty-first century."-Opera News
"[Johan] Reuter’s ardently phrased Barak was the musical heart of the Met’s 2013 revival of Die Frau ohne Schatten, a performance of genuine star quality."-Opera News
"Camilla Nylund... outdid herself as the shadowless Empress, harnessing her liquid silver soprano for a powerful role debut."-Opera News
Three days. That’s all that remains before a magical, shapeshifting empress is dragged back into the spirit realm—and her husband turned to stone. But there’s one way she can save them both: by gambling with a mortal woman’s future.
Read Complete Synopsis ›
PERFORMANCES
June 4, 10, 20, 23, 28, 2023
* San Francisco Opera Debut
Previous performances of Die Frau ohne Schatten can be found in our Archive.
LA Opera production
This production is made possible, in part, by Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; and Bernard and Barbro Osher.
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