Die Frau ohne Schatten

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Woman Without a Shadow
Composer
Richard Strauss
Librettist
Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Company
San Francisco Opera Association
Location
San Francisco, CA
Venue
War Memorial Opera House
Season
1980-1981
Language
German

Creative/Crew

Conductor
Berislav Klobucar
Production
Nikolaus Lehnhoff
Assistant Stage Director(s)
Grischa Asagaroff
Designer
Jörg Zimmermann
Chorus Director
Richard Bradshaw
Lighting Designer
Thomas J. Munn
Choreographer
Margo Sappington
Musical Preparation
Susanna Lemberskaya
James Johnson
Philip Eisenberg
Prompter
Philip Eisenberg
Sound Design
Roger Gans

Cast

Empress's Nurse
Ruth Hesse
Spirit Messenger
Raimund Herincx
Emperor
James King
Empress
Leonie Rysanek
Eva Marton(9/30)
Voice of the Falcon
Rebecca Cook
One-armed Man
Arnold Voketaitis
One-eyed Man
John Del Carlo
Hunchback
Michael Ballam
Barak's Wife
Birgit Nilsson
Barak
Gerd Feldhoff
First Servant
Rebecca Cook
Second Servant
Pamela South
Third Servant
Gwendolyn Jones
Apparition of a youth
James Hoback
Second Watchman
Thomas Woodman
Third Watchman
Kevin Langan
First Watchman
Frederick Burchinal
Children's Voice(s)
Leslie Richards
Evelyn de la Rosa
Pamela South
Rebecca Cook
Susan Quittmeyer
Alto Voice
Gwendolyn Jones
Guardian of the Temple Gates
Pamela South
Solo Voice
Leslie Richards
Evelyn de la Rosa
Pamela South
Rebecca Cook
Gwendolyn Jones
Susan Quittmeyer

Show Dates

Broadcast

9/10/1980, live broadcast, KQED and NPR. 

Time and Place

Legendary

Scenes

Act I, Scene 1 -- In the garden of the Imperial Palace
Scene 2 -- Barak's hovel, under a city wall
Act II, Scene 1 -- Barak's hovel, the next day
Scene 2 -- Outside the Emperor's falcon house
Scene 3 -- Barak's hovel
Scene 4 -- Inside the falcon house
Scene 5 -- Barak's hovel
Act III, Scene 1 -- Mystic caverns near Keikobad's realm
Scene 2 -- At the entrance to Keikobad's temple
Scene 3 -- In the temple
Scene 4 -- Near a sun-flooded landscape

Media

Acknowledgements

Production made possible by a generous gift from Cynthia Wood

Notes

9/10/1980, live broadcast, KQED and NPR. Intermission interviews: #1 Musical Themes in Frau (Ohne Schatten), James Schwabacher (guest),  #2 Roundtable, Ruth Hesse, Brigit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, James King (guests).

Scenery constructed in San Francisco Opera Scenic Shop

Costumes and properties from Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Miss Nilsson's costumes courtesy Vienna Staatsoper

Special loudspeakers provided by Meyer Sound Laboratories

San Francisco Boys Chorus
William Ballard, Director
James Datri
John Datri
Geoffrey Dunn
Christopher Frey
Frank Maynard
John Nyhan
Sean Nyhan
Daniel Potasz
Christopher Robinson
William Weber
Amos Yang

CORPS DE BALLET
Peggy Davis
Carolyn Houser
Cecilia Marta
Elvia Marta
Kathy Pruzan
Kathryn Roszak
Marika Sakellariou

Don Gardner
Jay Lehman
Darryk Lloyd
William Sanner Ramsdell
James Shipley
Jeffrey Smith
John Sullivan