2018–19 Season

Arabella

Music by Richard Strauss

Give and love until the day we die.

Arabella is expected to marry for money to save her aristocratic parents from ruin, but she yearns for a soulmate. When she finally meets him, a case of mistaken identity leads to a mix-up that could ruin everything. Set amid the society parlors and costume balls of Vienna's golden age, Strauss' romantic comedy of errors is a touching fairy tale about youth, identity and love.

Production New to San Francisco Opera

Meet the Cast

Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Sung in German with English supertitles

See Photos

Hear the Music

Watch Videos

Pre-Opera Talks

Free to Ticketholders

For every performance, join us in the Orchestra section 55 minutes prior to curtain.

The ExpertS: Corey Jamason (10/16, 10/24, 11/3), Kirsten Paige (10/19) and Heidi Waleson (10/28)

Learn about the opera’s music, characters, composer and historical background.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Did you miss the Pre-Opera Talk? You can watch the video here.

Reviews

This was a great evening at the opera; beautiful singing, thoughtful staging, lovely melodies … a perfect escape from daily life.

Parterre

San Francisco Opera’s staging of Strauss’ ‘Arabella,’ only the third time in its history, opened Tuesday evening in a charming, welcome production as new to the War Memorial Opera House as its talented director Tim Albery.

San Francisco Examiner

Albery’s tasteful production keeps focus on the skilled cast and the work’s lovely Straussian lyricism.

San Francisco Examiner

It was smooth, indeed exquisite staging effected by a willing cast.

Opera Today

Synopsis

In spite of family meddling, a young Viennese woman finds true love with a mature count.

Read Complete Synopsis ›

Cast and Creative

CAST

Arabella	Ellie Dehn
Zdenka	Heidi Stober
Mandryka	Brian Mulligan
Matteo	Daniel Johansson ^*
The Fiakermilli	Hye Jung Lee
A Fortune-Teller	Jill Grove
Countess Adelaide Waldner	Michaela Martens
Count Waldner	Richard Paul Fink
Count Elemer	Scott Quinn
Count Dominik	Andrew Manea
Count Lamoral	Christian Pursell

PERFORMANCES

October 16, 19, 24, 28; November 3, 2018

CREATIVE

Conductor	Marc Albrecht ^*
Director	Tim Albery ^*
Production Designer	Tobias Hoheisel
Lighting Designer	David Finn
Chorus Director	Ian Robertson

* San Francisco Opera debut

A co-production of the Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera and Canadian Opera Company.

By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.

Previous performances of Arabella can be found in our Archive.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

Arabella is made possible, in part, by: Bertie Bialek Elliott; Bernard and Barbro Osher; and Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Emerging Stars Fund.