The adaption of a late 19th century French play, Tosca is a violent tale of love, betrayal and deception under the specter of Napoleon’s bid to transform Italy into a secular republic.
The plot follows in the vein of many operas before it; a singer named Tosca, falls in love with a painter, Cavaradossi, only to be emotionally extorted by Scarpia, Napoleon’s chief of police, who deceives her through a series of tragedies into eventually causing her lover’s execution. Ultimately, Tosca jumps to her death in a final act of freedom. This is merely a condensed description of what many consider one of the bloodiest operas in history.
The stage of this Opera San Jose production is made up like a Catholic cathedral—ornate and imposing. The impressive rows of false marble archways, which lead to a pulpit, seem to be almost an extension of the theater itself. The supertitles projected over the stage provide some comprehension, but with Tosca, the score is so lush, the performers so first-rate, that the captions actually detract from the enjoyment of the opera.
Actions between the characters come off as more lively and spirited than the usual opera histrionics, which in part can be credited to the tight choreography of intimate and ensemble scenes, as well as the focused direction of San Jose Opera’s general director, Larry Hancock.
Olga Chernisheva makes her company debut, playing the opera’s protagonist and namesake, Tosca. A veteran of the Russian Bolshoi Opera, Chernisheva’s performance is world-class, with a soprano voice, which is at once emotionally powerful and delicate through choruses and recitatives alike.
The priest, played by Carl King, is the animated foil to the passionate Cavaradossi (played by Kirk Dougherty, whose range as a tenor is impressive.)
Matthew Hansom as Scarpia the villain also has a certain malevolent charm. He is characteristically brutal, but also oddly rational, another refreshing twist on typical opera tropes.
Puccini’s restrained composition reflects his style and the time of the opera’s first release, but that quality has allowed what is a relatively mediocre story to flourish under the both sweeping orchestral and powerful vocal accompaniment.
San Jose Opera’s version of Tosca really speaks to the company’s talent pool more than the opera itself. The lackluster dialog and aching melodrama happily play second fiddle to the actual performance of material. At least in the case of San Jose Opera’s Tosca, the abilities of the players far exceed that of the show’s original libretto. The opera rightly survives almost exclusively because of Puccini’s mellifluous score—and San Jose Opera’s rendition truly brings out the music’s best.
Tosca
Thru Sep 27, $75-$150
