Tosca is my favourite Puccini opera for its amazing music, dark and moving story and one of the most complex and extraordinary villains in all of opera. This San Francisco production is very good. It is not as good as the 1976 and 1992 films or the 1984, 1978, 1985, 1961, 2004, 2010 and 2011 performances. It is still a million times better than the 2009 Met, 2000 Guleghina and 2000/1 Cura productions.
It is not quite perfect. There is a little too much audience noise, which detracts from the opera's atmosphere for me. And I was mixed on Dale Travis' Sacristan. He does sing well if with a slightly dry tone and has some great comic expressions and plays crotchety more than adequately. On the other hand, there are times when he does mug too much.
Visually though this Tosca while somewhat old-fashioned is traditional and sumptuous yet atmospheric. Tosca's Act 2 dress is beautiful, almost recalling Maria Callas in the legendary Covent Garden performance opposite Tito Gobbi's Scarpia, in a colour that is almost symbolic of Tosca's driven murderous actions at the end of Act 2. The settings right from the foreboding church of Act 1, Scarpia's opulent and not too gaudy Act 2 rooms and Act 3 matches the poignant and also intense music beautifully. Nothing feels sparse or plastic and don't look like obstacles for the singers. The staging is vengeful, moving and very tense, Act 2 especially is full of suspense, so much so I was biting my nails.
From a musical point of view, the production really astounds. Marco Armiliato conducts with both subtlety and command as well as with appropriately moderate tempos, while the chorus are good in their few appearances(this is a very principal-driven opera) and the orchestral playing is rich in sound and always together, Act 2 is powerful and the cello ensemble and the love theme of Mario Mario Mario recurring throughout is very poignant-sounding. The Spoletta and Angelotti are good but don't overshadow the principal singing, which is very high in standard. Zachary Weisberg sings very well as the Shepherd Boy.
Carolo Ventre's Cavaradossi has no major problems, apart from my preferences that Act 2 does need a bigger voice, though I do worry that he is apparently taking on roles like Rhadames that is too big for his beautiful yet very delicately-sounding instrument. He is appropriately ardent and as well as an endearing vulnerability he has Cavaradossi's arrogance and poignancy. He is good, his two arias and two big duets with Pieczonka are very well-done, but the weakest of the three leads and for me not an outstanding Cavaradossi like Di Stefano, Domingo and Kaufmann. Adrienne Pieczonka's role debut as Tosca is an outstanding one. There is some slight, but not frequent thankfully, harshness but on the whole it is a thrillingly-sized and rich voice that has passion, vocal control and instinctive histrionics. Vissi D'Arte is very moving. Her interpretation is enthralling in its theatricality and one of the most emotionally complex readings I've seen recently, impassioned, jealous, moving, sincere in her faith and true to her art. Lado Ataneli is underpowered at times, though his vocal production is healthy and melodious if lacking Gobbi's menacing snarling quality and Milnes' steel and virility. His Scarpia as well as elegant, perversely charming and somewhat dignified is the personification of evil in his murderous, corrupt and possessive intents and his switch from subtle to menacing and charming to almost-rapist.
Overall, a very good Tosca. 8/10 Bethany Cox
It is not quite perfect. There is a little too much audience noise, which detracts from the opera's atmosphere for me. And I was mixed on Dale Travis' Sacristan. He does sing well if with a slightly dry tone and has some great comic expressions and plays crotchety more than adequately. On the other hand, there are times when he does mug too much.
Visually though this Tosca while somewhat old-fashioned is traditional and sumptuous yet atmospheric. Tosca's Act 2 dress is beautiful, almost recalling Maria Callas in the legendary Covent Garden performance opposite Tito Gobbi's Scarpia, in a colour that is almost symbolic of Tosca's driven murderous actions at the end of Act 2. The settings right from the foreboding church of Act 1, Scarpia's opulent and not too gaudy Act 2 rooms and Act 3 matches the poignant and also intense music beautifully. Nothing feels sparse or plastic and don't look like obstacles for the singers. The staging is vengeful, moving and very tense, Act 2 especially is full of suspense, so much so I was biting my nails.
From a musical point of view, the production really astounds. Marco Armiliato conducts with both subtlety and command as well as with appropriately moderate tempos, while the chorus are good in their few appearances(this is a very principal-driven opera) and the orchestral playing is rich in sound and always together, Act 2 is powerful and the cello ensemble and the love theme of Mario Mario Mario recurring throughout is very poignant-sounding. The Spoletta and Angelotti are good but don't overshadow the principal singing, which is very high in standard. Zachary Weisberg sings very well as the Shepherd Boy.
Carolo Ventre's Cavaradossi has no major problems, apart from my preferences that Act 2 does need a bigger voice, though I do worry that he is apparently taking on roles like Rhadames that is too big for his beautiful yet very delicately-sounding instrument. He is appropriately ardent and as well as an endearing vulnerability he has Cavaradossi's arrogance and poignancy. He is good, his two arias and two big duets with Pieczonka are very well-done, but the weakest of the three leads and for me not an outstanding Cavaradossi like Di Stefano, Domingo and Kaufmann. Adrienne Pieczonka's role debut as Tosca is an outstanding one. There is some slight, but not frequent thankfully, harshness but on the whole it is a thrillingly-sized and rich voice that has passion, vocal control and instinctive histrionics. Vissi D'Arte is very moving. Her interpretation is enthralling in its theatricality and one of the most emotionally complex readings I've seen recently, impassioned, jealous, moving, sincere in her faith and true to her art. Lado Ataneli is underpowered at times, though his vocal production is healthy and melodious if lacking Gobbi's menacing snarling quality and Milnes' steel and virility. His Scarpia as well as elegant, perversely charming and somewhat dignified is the personification of evil in his murderous, corrupt and possessive intents and his switch from subtle to menacing and charming to almost-rapist.
Overall, a very good Tosca. 8/10 Bethany Cox
