SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Opera will present the world premiere of Tobias Picker's "Dolores Claiborne" on Sept. 18 next year.
The company said Monday that the opera, with a libretto by J.D. McClatchy, will be based on Stephen King's 1992 novel about a character who denies killing her employer but admits murdering her husband almost three decades earlier after learning he sexually molested their 14-year-old daughter.
Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick will sing the title character, soprano Elizabeth Futral will perform the elderly employer Vera Donovan, Susannah Biller the daughter Selena St. George, Wayne Tigges the husband Joe St. George, and Greg Fedderly will be Detective Thibodeau.
George Manahan conducts and James Robinson directs. There will be six performances through Oct. 4 of the staging, a co-production with the Opera Company of St. Louis.
This will be the fifth opera for Picker following "Emmeline" (1996), "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (1998), "Therese Raquin" (2001) and "An American Tragedy" (2005).
The San Francisco Opera also announced it had commissioned Italian composer Marco Tutino to write "La Ciociara (Two Women)," based on Alberto Moravia's 1958 novel, which was adapted into a film starring Sophia Loren. The work is to premiere in June 2015 and by conducted by music director Nicola Luisotti.
San Francisco said its 2013-14 season also will include Boito's "Mefistofele" with Ildar Abdrazakov (opening Sept. 6), Verdi's "Falstaff" starring Bryn Terfel (Oct. 8), a new production of Wagner's "Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)" with Greer Grimsley (Oct. 22), and a new staging of Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)" with Isabel Leonard (Nov. 13).
The summer 2014 season includes Jerome Kern's "Showboat" (June 1), Verdi's "La Traviata" (June 11) and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" (June 15).
