Maybe you don't know a lot about opera or are riding the fence in terms of whether you'll check out the 2015 festival season. Allow us to help you by explaining the plots in laymen's terms; friends…go ahead and buy your tickets already.
Daughter of the Regiment
Opening Friday, July 3
Notorious for challenging vocals, this one tells the story of a young girl found and raised by soldiers who later picks a boyfriend, from whom hilarity ensues. Think of it like a romantic comedy with bonkers singing.
Rigoletto
Opening Saturday, July 4
Think opera is boring? Well, then, you don't know Verdi's Rigoletto and how the Victor Hugo play it's based on was banned for five decades after a single performance. At its core, it tells the tale of a lusty duke who likes to mess with a hunchback and vice versa. Plus, there's accidental murder, curses and some brilliant imported vocalists. Anyway, don't act like you don't want to see the hunchback.
Salome
Opening Saturday, July 18
Richard Strauss looked to Oscar Wilde for this one (it's all in German, by the way); if you've ever wanted to see a woman dance to impress a king and then delightedly kiss a severed head, this is how you do it.
La Finta Giardiniera
Opening Saturday, July 25
All kinds of crazy lovers take part in all kinds of crazy mishaps, and the very Shakespearean concept of people who simply put on a different outfit to fool those who know them is, like, center-stage here. It's Mozart, it's comedic, what else do you need to know?
Cold Mountain
Opening Saturday, Aug. 1
Based on the novel of the same name, this is about a Civil War soldier who ditches the Confederacy to get back with his girlfriend. It's kind of like Homer's The Odyssey but, y'know, Civil War-ish.
Special Mention: Tailgating
The tailgate party action in the SFO parking lot is insane. If you're not used to fancily dressed and cultured men and women eating fancy-ass food and utilizing things like silver candelabras, it's a bit of a culture shock. And then it hits you that maybe the tailgate tradition need not be limited to greasy burgers and hot dogs outside a ballgame, and that you've been waiting for a classier version your whole life. Generally speaking, the tailgating goes down before the bigger performances and is a must-do, too.
