The season kicks off with Boito’s resplendent retelling of Goethe’s Faust, a monumental work of "choral grandeur and melodic richness" (The New York Times) in one of the most impressive productions ever seen at the War Memorial Opera House. The cast includes Ramón Vargas, a tenor "in ravishing voice" (Financial Times), as the philosopher who sells his soul to the Devil; the "luminous, compelling" Patricia Racette (Washington Post) as the woman he desires; and, in the vividly menacing title role, the "seductively malevolent" bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov, a "fullbodied bass-baritone" renowned for his "wonderfully evil portrayals" (The New York Times). Italian maestro will be on the podium, showing once again why "we are blessed to have Nicola Luisotti in San Francisco" (San Francisco Classical Voice)