SopranoJulia Bullockhas withdrawn from the commissioned world premiere of Berkeley composer John Adams’ opera “Antony and Cleopatra,” which is scheduled to open the San Francisco Opera’scentennial 2022-23 seasonin September.
The reason: Bullock and her husband, conductor Christian Reif, who live in Munich, are expecting the birth of their first child in the fall.
Instead, the company announced on Friday, May 20, that the role of Cleopatra will be sung byAmina Edris, the Egyptian-born New Zealand soprano who was an Adler fellow in 2016-17.
“I am deeply grateful to (General Director) Matthew (Shilvock) and San Francisco Opera for being so respectful and supportive as I came to the decision to withdraw from the premiere to prepare for the birth of our first child,” Bullock said in a statement. “Amina will be thrilling in the role of Cleopatra, and I wish the entire cast and crew my very best as they bring this new work to life.”
Bullock, who made her company debut in the 2017 world premiere of Adams’“Girls of the Golden West,”is one of the eightCollaborative Partnersworking with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen at the San Francisco Symphony.
On Tuesday, May 17, she premiered herrecital program“History’s Persistent Voice” in Davies Symphony Hall, together with Reif and members of the Symphony. In the course of the evening, she mentioned in passing that “motherhood is very much on my mind these days.”
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Edris, who made an acclaimed debut in April in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” has performed small roles in San Francisco as an Adler fellow. In 2019, she sang the female lead in Gounod’s“Roméo et Juliette”opposite her husband, tenorPene Pati.
“Antony and Cleopatra ” is scheduled for performances Sept. 10-Oct. 5 at the War Memorial Opera House. The libretto, with its combination of romantic and political intrigue against the backdrop of ancient Rome and Egypt, is based on Shakespeare’s play.
The libretto was adapted by Adams together with director Elkhanah Pulitzer and dramaturge Lucia Scheckner.
Bass-baritone Gerald Finley, who created the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the2005 premiereof Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” is slated to sing the role of Marc Antony, in a cast that also includes tenor Paul Appleby, bass-baritone Alfred Walker and mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong.
Eun Sun Kim, the Opera’s music director, will conduct.