MOSCOW — The Russian military on Sunday reported a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.

The report comes as tensions are soaring between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine. Adding to those tensions, President Vladimir Putin last week signed a bill revoking Russia’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban in a move that Moscow said was needed to establish parity with the United States.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Imperator Alexander III strategic missile cruiser fired the Bulava missile from an underwater position in Russia’s northern White Sea, and hit a target in the far-eastern region of Kamchatka. It wasn’t immediately clear from the statement when the test launch occurred.

The Imperator Alexander III is one of the new Borei-class nuclear submarines that carry 16 Bulava missiles each and are intended to serve as the core naval component of the nation’s nuclear forces in the coming decades. According to the Defense Ministry, launching a ballistic missile is the final test for the vessel, after which a decision should be made on its induction into the fleet.

The Russian navy currently has three Borei-class submarines in service, one more is finishing tests and three others are under construction, the Defense Ministry said.

The Gophers volleyball team got 25 kills and nine digs from Taylor Landfair to rally to a four-set victory over Northwestern on Sunday, winning 25-27, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

Melani Shaffmaster added 43 assists and 12 digs, and Mckenna Wucherer had a double double with 11 kills and 11 digs for Minnesota.

As a team, Minnesota hit .240 with 56 kills, 11 blocks, 56 digs and seven aces, while Northwestern hit .190 with 56 kills, nine blocks, 66 digs and nine aces.

Julia Sangiacomo had 16 kills with four digs to lead the Wildcats.

The Gophers improved to 12-10 overall and 8-6 in the Big Ten with their sixth victory in eight matches. That moves Minnesota into a tie for fifth in the Big Ten, just one game out of third place.

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The Ordway Music Theater gets a dose of mariachi music for Minnesota Opera’s production of “Cruzar La Cara De La Luna” (To Cross the Face of the Moon). Infusing the folk-derived Mexican musical genre into an opera format, the work speaks to the Mexican immigration experience as well as the enduring legacies of families who have made the United States their home over multiple generations.

Relaying the journey of a family split apart by two countries and tragic fate, the piece is colored — metaphorically and in its scenic and costume design by Arnulfo Maldonado — with the hues of a monarch butterfly. The monarch serves as a key image in the opening song, “En Frágiles Alas,” (On Fragile Wings) first sung softly by Mark performed by Efraín Solís at the bed of his ailing father, as he plays the guitar. The song is repeated throughout the story, evoking the migratory cycles of the monarch butterfly and their tremendous journeys between Mexico and the United States across generations.

The Houston Grand Opera commissioned acclaimed mariachi composer José “Pepe” Martinez and librettist Leonard Foglia to create the first of its kind opera back in 2010. Minnesota Opera’s production — a co-production with the Austin Opera — boasts several of the original cast members, including Octavio Moreno, who plays Laurentino, the patriarch of the family saga, and Cecilia Duarte, who portrays Laurentino’s first love, Renata. Both are trained opera singers born in Mexico, while another original cast member, Vanessa Alonzo, is a well-known mariachi singer. Alonzo sings the role of Renata’s friend Lupita with her powerful belting voice.

In the original Houston Grand Opera production, composer Martínez’s mariachi ensemble, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, performed with the singers in an on-stage accompaniment. For Minnesota Opera’s production, conductor David Hanlon created a new orchestral arrangement for the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, employing instruments not typically used in mariachi like woodwinds and percussion. The full sound adds to the emotional feeling of the piece, bringing weight to the dramatic moments and a lively flourish to celebratory scenes.

Three on-stage musicians play the guitarrón (a fat bass guitar), guitarra, and the high-pitched vihuela. Dressed in traditional mariachi outfits, the on-stage mariachi players often hover above the main action of the story, playing their instruments on the balcony as they act as witnesses to what transpires between the characters, backlit by an enormous moon.

Unlike typical mariachi bands, the on-stage mariachi players don’t sing, leaving that up to the singers in the cast. That differs from previous productions of the opera that featured the Mariachi Vargas ensemble, which had singers as part of the group.

In stage director David Radamés Toro’s staging for the Minnesota Opera, the three on-stage musicians remain fairly detached from the chorus and the story’s characters. For much of the opera, they watch from a distance. Their presence feels ominous and under-utilized.

Where Radamés Toro’s direction does excel is in the relationships developed between the characters, both in 2010 and 50 years earlier on Laurentino and Renata’s wedding day. Their story and that of their children encompasses the brutal realities of immigration and how it impacts the children and grandchildren later on. The production successfully illustrates the complexity of the different family dynamics as it offers a message of hope, forgiveness and redemption.

Minnesota Opera’s ‘Cruzar La Cara De La Luna’

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 11; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12
Where: The Ordway, 345 Washington St., St. Paul
Tickets: $25-$228
Capsule: Minnesota Opera gets a mariachi treatment.

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There were times last season, when the St. Thomas men’s basketball team was rolling to a 19-win season and a fourth-place finish in the Summit League, that it was fair to ask, Where would this team be without Andrew Rohde?

Beginning Monday night, when they travel to the Bay Area to play the University of California Golden Bears, this year’s version of the Tommies will start to provide the answer.

Coach Johnny Tauer’s team returns 11 players, but the loss of the do-everything Rohde, who transferred to Virginia after a brilliant freshman season in St. Paul, ensures that the Tommies, while still relying on their share-the-ball, team-basketball approach, will have a new look.

“Part of our job as coaches is to use the offseason to develop guys,” Tauer said. “You figure out their unique skill sets, then you put them in the right spot. One of our biggest challenges is, how do we get this group to grow into their roles?”

In particular, the Tommies will be counting on sophomores Kendall Blue, a 6-foot-6 guard, and Ahjany Lee, 6-9 forward/center,  to take a step forward.

“They got a lot of experience last year,” Tauer said. “Some of it was tough lessons — all of it was valuable. Ahjany, I think, has probably improved in every facet of the game. He’s stronger, he’s shooting it better. Last year he had a lot of ‘freshman’ fouls. This year I think he’s going to be one of the premier defenders around.

“Kendall has improved his shot, which I think is important. Probably more than anything, the mental tenacity, understanding what it takes every single possession on a college court. For most of these guys, you could take a possession off in high school and not necessarily get burned for it. So for him, we’re looking at his defensive mindset and toughness.”

Tauer said he has not yet settled on a starting five, adding that the group that takes the floor on Monday won’t necessarily be the Tommies’ starters moving forward. A pair of 6-6 graduate-student forwards, Parker Bjorklund and Brooks Allen, are locks. Blue and Lee also are good bets, leaving one guard position uncertain.

Technically, the Tommies will be starting a new point guard due to the loss of Riley Miller to graduation, but the guard positions are interchangeable in Tauer’s system. Holdovers Ben Nau, Ryan Dufault, Dom Martinelli and Drake Dobbs, Division III transfer Raheem Anthony and freshman Hayden Tibbits are all in the mix.

“When you look at what Andrew Rohde brought last year, and Riley Miller, we’ve been very transparent that we’re not going to go and replace them,” Tauer said. “But I think there are
things we can do to be really good in the backcourt.

“Raheem Anthony isn’t a classic point guard, but he and Kendall Blue are versatile playmakers. We’ve always felt that having multiple ball-handlers on the court at all times is the key. Passing and catching have been two hallmarks of our program. That’s shown up in our low turnover numbers over the years.”

Tauer said eventually he will settle into a nine- or 10-man rotation. One other player who figures to be part of that is redshirt freshman forward Carter Bjerke, who at 6-9, 250 pounds, is best know for his three-point shooting ability. Tauer said Bjerke used his redshirt season to improve his strength and conditioning.

“Carter is a prolific three-point shooter, but he’s also a really smart, crafty basketball player,” Tauer said. “His passing, I think, is underrated, and he’s developing a low-post game that, I think over the next four years, he is going to be a fun guy to play offense with because of all different things he can do.”

Briefly

The Tommies will play another high-profile nonconference opponent on Dec. 14 when they travel to Milwaukee to face Marquette. Tauer said the goal is to continue to schedule teams from nationally known private Catholic schools moving forward.

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