Dramatic Force of ‘Tosca’ Hits the Mark

Music Review

In 1948, Leonard Bernstein, frustrated over not finding his genius in opera wrote, ‘If I can write one real moving American opera that any American can understand, I shall be a happy man.’ One can understand why he was perplexed, given the rich repertoire of the Italian opera canon, particularly Puccini’s works that through melody and libretti aim for the heart and strike the center of human emotion’love and passion.   ’Tosca’ for all its theatricality and mixture of the religious and the sensuous, continues to hold its top position in worldwide popularity for having introduced one of the most fiendish villains in the lyrical repertoire’Scarpia.   The Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera opened the 2010-11 season these past two weekends with its third production, continuing its intention of introducing to audiences the favorites in the repertoire.   From its inception two years ago, the fledgling company has progressed in its goal of casting the best in talent, and this year the company accomplished a major step-up in presentation. Now ensconced at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica, the company presented a fully staged production thanks to the extraordinary set design by Josh Shaw. True to the stage directions from the opera’s debut in Rome in 1900, the visual style was enhanced from the opening scene when the spectator is thrust immediately inside the church of St. Andrea delle Valle. There is no overture. The opera begins with the three striking chords, signaling the motif typical of Scarpia’the dreaded chief of the Roman police.   The plot is dramatic enough, offering an opportunity for both lyrical expression and expansive acting. The trick for the major roles, Tosca, Scarpia and Cavaradossi is to establish their character to the extent that we understand their intentions and believe in their emotional world. This was thoroughly accomplished by the trio last Friday evening.   In the end, however, it comes down to the voices, and the Met is loaded with talent. Linda Jackson’s Tosca makes one forget everything else. How can one not weep with pathos after listening to ‘Vissi D’arte’ (Love and music, these I have lived for, nor ever have harmed a living thing) in the powerful second act.   The genius of Scarpia, subtly delivered by Alex Britton, is a portrait in seduction. A master of lascivious designs, Scarpia is frighteningly demonic, and yet deliciously self-satisfied. ‘I strive for what I desire, and when I have won it I throw it away and turn to some new attraction,’ he divulges unabashedly in the second act. His desire for Tosca is enflamed by her passionate loathing. ‘The spasms of hatred are not so very remote from those of love,’ he cynically declares.   Josh Shaw has found a comfortable berth in singing Puccini’s tenor roles. His Cavaradossi delivers a passionate plea, tinged with pride and handsome nobility in the difficult role of handling his Tosca’a woman of quick temper, and a prima donna by profession who is something of a spoiled child.   One cannot say enough about music director Galina Barskaya, who has proved herself to be an invaluable adjunct to all the Met’s productions. In ‘Tosca,’ she outdoes herself not only mastering the complicated score, but also conducting the singers from her console.   One word about the libretto. While the plot line is fairly easy to follow, the translation is particularly lyrical, even poetic at times. So, it was distracting when the superscript lagged behind the action, a technical glitch that is easily remedied.