It’s a place where an innocent man’s curse against the authorities - it happens in Act I - feels ominous. Here, the streets of Mantua are stark, shadowed, menacing they convey a sense of psychological isolation and impending doom. Michael Yeargan’s sets are based on paintings by Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. (Go to for details the impressive alternate cast includes Marco Vratogna as Rigoletto and Albina Shagimuratova as Gilda.) Apparently, the company hopes to demonstrate an abundance of riches Friday’s offerings felt like enough. With this much talent - they aren’t the only standouts - it’s hard to understand why the company is double-casting this production. Ditto for her Act I duets with Lucic: the braided voices of Gilda and her devoted, widowed father were exquisite - and exquisitely shadowed by the orchestra, conducted by Nicola Luisotti, who brought idiomatic authority to Verdi’s score. On Friday, as she sang the signature aria “Caro nome,” it felt like an event.

Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak, as the jester’s loving daughter Gilda, has a voice of unusual beauty: pure-toned, silvery as flutes, shimmery and precise in its coloratura flights. You feel his life force - even when he is driven to his knees. Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic, as the jester Rigoletto, has a voice that barbs and caresses his audience, but ultimately fastens it in a treacherous bear hug his Rigoletto is majestic even when repellent, a lethal combination that goes to the crux of this complex character’s humanity. This handsome and moving production - first presented in 1997 and directed here by Harry Silverstein - rests on the commanding singing and stage presence of two of its leads at War Memorial Opera House, where it opened Friday. It’s devastating - and quite a way for the company to begin its 90th season. San Francisco Opera’s latest staging of this tale of a scornful and scorned court jester is one that cuts sharply and repeatedly. Italian operas will tear your heart out, generally, but Verdi’s “Rigoletto” cuts deeper than most.

Rigoletto san francisco opera