One hundred percent Tosca
The principal attraction of this 2010 production of Tosca from the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova is that it the staging is based on Adolf Hohenstein's original production designs from 1900. The gritty realism of the sets, particularly the Sant' Andrea chapel of Act I and in the Castel Sant' Angelo of Act III, look superb, fitting perfectly with the melodramatic verismo nature of a work that is not so much concerned with grand themes or concepts as much as in relating a human drama of love, jealousy and passion set against the backdrop of revolutionary activity, writ large in the sweep and tug of Puccini's grand score. This is how Tosca was originally meant to be seen, and this is as close as you can get to its original intentions. There's merit in this alone, but it's even better when the opera is played and sung as well as it's done here.
It would be all too easy to just go through the motions in such a well-known opera, in a very traditional production and it's easy for...
A very special Tosca...
In the second act I had the strange feeling that I was watching Callas. Except that in this performance, not only does Dessi look like Callas, but her voice has a similar rich, intensity and her acting is even more moving. I know this sounds like blasphemy, but I don't make the statement lightly. In all fairness, I should point out some lacks in this version. First, because this is a live performance, some of the make-up while appropriate for the stage, is overdone for the close-ups of video. Same goes for coming in for a close-up of the dead Claudio Squra visibly still breathing after being knifed by Dessi. But these are quibbles. Overall a very special, high resolution blu ray production in a traditional staging and setting.
By the way, because this is a live performance in front of a very knowledgeable and appreciative audience, something extra happens in the second act, then again in the third. I don't want to spoil your delight or surprise by telling you what,...
Leads fine and good; the rest lacking
The husband and wife team of Fabio Armiliato and Daniela Dessi have made some fine opera recordings, especially a notable La Fanciulla del West DVD from 2005. This Tosca, while having its strengths, chiefly from the two principals, is let down otherwise.
Armiliato is an ardent Cavaradossi, in fine voice, cutting a dashing figure. He has charisma, sings with passion and is the chief attraction here. Dessi gives a valiant, ardent effort as Tosca, even giving an encore for "vissi d'arte" from an adoring Genoa audience, honoring their home-town diva. But there are some problems with her vocal production. She is strained in her upper range, bringing some shrillness and unsteadiness to an otherwise good, but not top-class portrayal. I'll take Gheorghiu here, in either her 2001 film with then-husband Roberta Alagna or the live 2011 Covent Garden performance with Jonas Kaufmann. She is just smoother voiced and more compelling in both her acting and upper range than Dessi, even...
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