Music Center Opera Announces 1992-93 Season : Music: Premieres and rarities are absent from the schedule. An import from Spain and two new productions highlight the season.

Los Angeles Music Center Opera announced on Thursday relatively conservative plans for its seventh season featuring longer runs of repertory favorites.

It begins Sept. 10 with the first of seven performances of “La Traviata,” in a production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, where it will have its premiere in March.

New productions originating here are “Die Zauberflote” and “Rigoletto.” The former will be directed by Peter Hall and designed by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who also did “Orpheus in the Underworld” for MCO. Making their company debuts are Ann Panagulias as Pamina and Kurt Streit as Tamino.

“Rigoletto” will be staged by Peter Medak, director of such films as “The Ruling Class,” “The Krays” and “Let Him Have It.” Medak’s only other opera was “Salome” with his wife, Julia Migenes, in Minneapolis. Panagulias returns as Gilda, and Justino Diaz will sing the title role for the first time.

Missing are the premieres and rarities that have characterized previous MCO seasons. In addition, artistic consultant Placido Domingo’s only current appearances for the season are as Cavaradossi in a revival of the 1989 MCO “Tosca,” opposite Maria Ewing in the title role, although a conductor has not been named yet for “Rigoletto.” Five of the previous seasons have found Domingo either singing or conducting for the opening, but this year he will be busy all summer with duties in Seville for the Columbus celebrations.

Also revived next season is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” first presented by Music Center Opera at the Wiltern Theatre. General director Peter Hemmings, speaking at a Thursday press conference at the Music Center, said he expects the Gordon Davidson production to fare well on the larger Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage. He also noted that this will be the only offering without supertitles.

The other piece to be sung in English, “The Makropoulos Case,” will have supertitles. Hemmings said he felt the piece was wordy enough to require the assistance, while saying that one of the great advantages to an opera such as “Midsummer Night’s Dream” was that everyone already knew the story. A co-production with Deutsche Oper Berlin, it was staged by Gunter Kramer, with Karan Armstrong as Emilia Marty.

Borrowed productions of “Ariadne auf Naxos” and “Lucia di Lammermoor”--with June Anderson in the title role--complete the season.

Although the company has operated in the black the last three seasons, Hemmings said the much-publicized shortfall in contributions from the Music Center Unified Fund has had an impact on his plans. Postponed to 1993-94 is “The Death of Klinghoffer,” the controversial new opera from John Adams, while abandoned altogether is “Die Meistersinger.”

Hemmings also reported that much of the loss in anticipated money from the Unified Fund has been made up for by direct contributions from subscribers. They will also have to pay more next season for tickets, with top seats rising to $95.

The 1992-93 season:

* “La Traviata” (Verdi). Veronica Villarroel, Keith Olsen, Thomas Allen/Marcel Vanaud; Randall Behr, conductor; Helmut Polixa, production. Sept. 10, 13, 16, 19, 23, 26 and 30.

* “The Makropoulos Case” (Janacek). Karan Armstrong, Jennifer Smith, Paul Frey, John Duykers; Jiri Kout, conductor; Gunter Kramer, production. Sept. 15, 18, 20, 22 and 24.

* “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Britten). Constance Hauman, Paula Rasmussen, Stephanie Vlahos, Jennifer Smith, Jeffrey Gall, Jonathan Mack, Sanford Sylvan, John Atkins; Roderick Brydon, conductor; Gordon Davidson, production. Sept. 25, 27 and 29, Oct. 1 and 3.

* “Tosca” (Puccini). Maria Ewing, Placido Domingo, James Morris; Randall Behr, conductor; Ian Judge, production. Nov. 8, 11, 14, 17 and 20.

* “Ariadne auf Naxos” (R. Strauss). Ealynn Voss, Gwendolyn Bradley, Paula Rasmussen, Gary Bachlund, Richard Stilwell; Christof Perick, conductor; Stephen Lawless, director; Wolfram Skalicki, designer. Dec. 9, 12, 14, 16 and 19.

* “Die Zauberflote” (Mozart). Ann Panagulias, Sumi Jo, Kurt Streit, Rodney Gilfry, Harry Peeters; Randall Behr, conductor; Peter Hall, production; Gerald Scarfe, designer. Jan. 28 and 30, Feb. 1, 3 and 4.

* “Rigoletto” (Verdi). Ann Panagulias, Justino Diaz, Richard Leech; conductor to be announced; Peter Medak, production. Feb. 27, March 2, 6, 10, 14 and 16.

* “Lucia di Lammermoor” (Donizetti). June Anderson, Craig Sirianni, Dmitri Kharitonov; Richard Buckley, conductor; Andrei Serban, production. May 30, June 2, 5, 8, 11 and 13.