SF Opera fave Lianna Haroutounian returns as ‘Manon Lescaut’

In each of her previous San Francisco Opera appearances, soprano Lianna Haroutounian has dazzled audiences with her dramatic intensity and rich-toned, beautifully colored vocalism.

Haroutounian returns this week to sing the title role in “Manon Lescaut.” Puccini’s 1893 opera was the composer’s breakout hit, one that set the stage for enduring works such as “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly,” both of which Haroutounian has sung here in previous seasons; it traces the title character’s sad decline in beautifully Italianate music.

Tenor Brian Jagde is Haroutounian’s Chevalier des Grieux, with Rafael Davila assuming the role for one performance on Nov. 26. This revival brings the return of former music director Nicola Luisotti, who conducts; Olivier Tambosi directs. Details: Nov. 8-26, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $26-$398; 415-864-3330; sfopera.com.

For love of Lou: Pianist Sarah Cahill often collaborated with the late composer Lou Harrison, and throughout her career has championed his works in the Bay Area and beyond. This weekend, she gives a rare performance of Harrison’s “Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan,” a work that requires a radical retuning of the piano to match the gamelan’s sonorities.

Joined by Gamelan Sari Raras and vocalist Heni Savitri, Cahill’s performance pays tribute to Harrison, whose music was one of a kind. Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 8, Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley; $16 general, $12 students/seniors, $5 UC Berkeley students; 510-642-9988; events.berkeley.edu.

Harmony from Strife: The King’s Singers come to Stanford with a program titled “Finding Harmony,” featuring vocal works from the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s to the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa. Details: 2:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Bing Concert Hall, Stanford; $35-$75; 650-724-2464; live.stanford.edu.