Review: Tosca at the Met (Live HD)
A solid production of Puccini's Tragedy
One of my favourite innovations of recent years is seeing opera in the local Cineworld. The arrival of digital projection has allowed for both one-off showings, as films don’t have to be carted around, but also, for it to be screened live. The large screen, the excellent sound system make it almost as good as going to see it live, in a way that watching on a small TV at home diminishes the experience.
Tosca is one of my favourite operas. It’s romantic, violent, a bit sordid, but the story, characters, and especially the music all work out. I generally enjoyed this performance. The Metropolitan puts on some of the best staging anywhere in the world, the orchestra and chorus are excellent. In terms of the lead, I thought that Lise Davidsen sang brilliantly, although I’m not sure about dramatically. She’s better known for Germanic work like Wagner, but I thought her voice worked great. Freddie De Tommaso has a warm, rich voice as Cavaradossi, but I did feel like he was stretching his voice at some moments, I don’t know why. The outstanding performance was Quinn Kelsey as Scarpia, not only in terms of voice but also dramatically, giving him a particularly seedy spin. The part is often seen as not a lead, as it’s the villain, the baritone part, but it’s really about 3 roles.