Jam-packed Merola Opera season features new take on Britten classic

The Merola Opera Program returns this summer with four events in store: an opening recital, a Schwabacher Summer Concert , the Merola Grand Finale, and — as the season’s centerpiece — a new production of Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia.”

Britten’s 1946 opera is one of the English composer’s enduring works – one that, according to San Francisco Opera Center artistic director Carrie-Ann Matheson, still speaks to contemporary issues.

“When we choose the repertoire that we present at Merola, we’re guided by the overarching question: ‘What can our artists learn from this?” Matheson noted, adding that Britten’s unique compositional style “offers the program’s artists considerable opportunities for growth and discovery. Performed July 13 and 15 at Herbst Theatre, the new production will be conducted by Judith Yan; Jan Ebinger is the director.

Set in Rome in 509 B.C., “The Rape of Lucretia” introduces Tarquinius, son of the Roman king, who is heading Rome’s war against the Greeks. After hearing of the happy marriage of his general Collatinus to the title character, Tarquinius decides to test their bond. Appearing unannounced at their home, he demands that Lucretia give him shelter; later that night, he rapes her. In the manner of Greek tragedy, the consequences are dire.

Britten’s opera is both brilliant and intensely dramatic, says tenor Nicholas Phan, who is working with Merola this season and co-curating, with Matheson, the season’s opening night recital on June 29, titled “Metamorphosis: Recovery, Renewal, and Rebirth.”

Phan recently sang the role of Yonas, a child of rape, in the San Francisco Symphony’s moving production of Kaija Saariaho’s “Adriana Mater,” and he said the two operas, composed more than 50 years apart, have much in common.

“The subject matter is challenging, but it could not be more topical in the current moment,” he said. “We’re still dealing with the issues these operas portray. It’s a topic that needs to be discussed and engaged with.

“It’s interesting,” he continued. “When Merola approached me about the season, they mentioned the focus on the centerpiece, ‘The Rape of Lucretia.’ At that point, I was still early in the progress of learning ‘Adriana.’ It didn’t register at first, quite how much these operas about violence against women would say in a four-week period. Leaving ‘Adriana Mater’ and coming to this, I had the feeling that I myself had changed.”

From works such as “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” to “Don Giovanni,” “Tosca,” and “Adriana Mater,” Phan said, “opera composers have never shied away from these themes.” Nor will the Merola company, which will hold post-performance talks with the production’s creative team.

When we spoke, Phan was deep in rehearsals for the June 29 recital.

“When Carrie-Ann and I settled on the theme of “Metamorphosis,” we were trying to balance the intensity of ‘The Rape of Lucretia,’ to acknowledge that we’ve been in this really transformative time, and to recognize how lucky we’ve been to survive the pandemic lockdown,” he said.

“Now we’ve emerged on the other side, and everybody’s trying to grapple with what is the new normal. I think we were looking for something that acknowledged that – and also gave us a ray of hope.”

Recital singing is essential for singers, he added. “It’s the place where they can be most vulnerable and at the same time, have the most autonomy. There’s no conductor in front of them; they’re dealing with poetry on their own terms.

“This program has so much beautiful music on it. It’s from composers we all know and love — Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, to people who don’t get usually get enough air time — composers like Alma Mahler, Amy Beach, and Florence Price. There’s something for everybody on this program, and these young singers and pianists are doing so much great work. It’s a unique opportunity to get to know these artists at the beginning of what will be great careers.”

Contact Georgia Rowe at [email protected].

MEROLA OPERA PROGRAM

Summer season schedule: “Metamorphosis: Recovery, Renewal, and Rebirth,” 7:30 p.m. June 29 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music; “The Rape of Lucretia,” 7:30 July 13, 2 p.m. July 15 at Herbst Theatre, San Franciscso; Schwabacher Summer Concert, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3, 3 p.m. Aug. 5 at San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Grand Finale, 7:30 Aug. 19, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $10-$80; merola.org.