Ildar Abdrazakov kicks of the San Francisco Opera's 2013-14 season

Ildar Abdrazakov and Ramón Vargas in San Francisco Opera's Mefistofele

Russian bass-barihunk Ildar Abdrazakov kicks of the San Francisco Opera's 2013-14 season in his staged role debut as the title character of Boito’s Mefistofele. Performances will run from September 6-October 2 with an all-star cast that includes Ramón Vargas as Faust and Patricia Racette as Margherita. Tickets are available online.

The company last presented the opera in 1989 and 1994 in historic performances with Samuel Ramey in the title role. Ramey's performance was captured on DVD and has become a collector's item amongst opera aficionados.

Following his run in San Francisco, Abdrazakov will help celebrate Verdi’s 200th birthday on October 10 in a performance of the Requiem under Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The performance will be transmitted around the world at www.cso.org/Verdi. From November 3-17 he will take part in a string of Berlioz concert performances with the London Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in London and Paris, including La damnation de Faust and Roméo et Juliette.