Utah Opera is slowly but surely converting me into a fan of modern librettos and more artistic interpretations of traditional operas but I will always be a fan of the classic tragedies where desperate lovers die for love and I will always prefer productions that stay true to the time and place in the source material. For this reason, I have been looking forward to Tosca for what seems like forever! Not only is this one of my very favorite operas but the performance last night was amazing! Floria Tosca (Katie Van Kooten) is a fiery and passionate singer with two men in love with her: her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi (Dimitri Pittas), and the Police Chief, Baron Scarpia (Stephen Powell), who wants to possess her at any cost. Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi for aiding a political prisoner and sentences him to death. He tells Tosca that he will release him if she submits to him, promising her that the firing squad will be a ruse. She agrees but when he embraces her, she stabs him with a knife. She visits Cavaradossi in the Castel Sant'Angelo to tell him that he must pretend to die and then they can run away together when the guards leave. However, Scarpia has betrayed her and Cavaradossi is actually killed by the firing squad. Knowing that she will be accused of Scarpia's murder and unwilling to live without Cavaradossi, Tosca leaps to her death from the parapet of the Castel Sant'Angelo. The music by Giacomo Puccini is incredibly beautiful (Conductor Steven White has a very light touch and I really enjoyed his interpretation of the music) and the three main actors give brilliant performances! There were so many moments that took my breath away, including a scene in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle at the end of Act 1 where Scarpia reveals his plan to execute Cavaradossi and possess Tosca while a procession sings the Te Deum (I loved the Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School in this scene), Tosca's aria "Vissi d'arte" at the end of Act 2 where she asks God to help her, and the scene in Act 3 where Cavaradossi sings the aria "E lucevan le stelle" reminiscing about his love for Tosca while awaiting execution (my favorite moment in the opera). The sets of the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Scarpia's study in the Palazzo Farnese, and the Castel Sant'Angelo are very elaborate and they add to the overall dramatic feeling of the opera. I also loved the sumptuous costumes, especially Tosca's magenta dress (which is unceremoniously removed by Scarpia). I loved everything about this opera and I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the remaining performances (go here).
Note: The young man sitting next to me was attending his very first opera. He definitely picked a good one!
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