Puccini: Tosca

I have 20 dvd's of Puccini's Tosca- most official releases and a few bootlegs (telecasts never released on video). They range from the 1950's to this latest release from 2011. And THIS one is the best of them all. The combination of all-star cast, terrific traditional staging and sets, and superb sound and video make this a must have for any opera fan. This is the one to get and watch again and again.Let me start with the cast:Angela Gheorghiu- I see from comments on this and other websites that she is a controversial soprano. You either love her or you hate her. Put me in the big fan category. I've loved her from her major debut in Covent Garden's "Traviata" (still the one to get). I am a huge fan of her voice. It has a hooded tone that to me is very appealing. (Although I can't exactly describe it, I'd call it the exact opposite of shrill.) She soars and emotes, an all with perfect pitch. She's still very beautiful (important in this role). And, as she says in brief interview comments, she IS Tosca. True, true. She is a real diva (with all its positive and negative ramifications), and this role is the essential Gheorghiu. She inhabits it totally. So, her performance is totally committed and extremely effective.Bryn Terfel- He is my favorite opera performer, and Scarpia is just perfect for him as well. He has perfected the blend of evil, lust, power, terror and fatalism into a terrifying performance. He is totally convincing- both as a singer and an actor. He perfectly enacts each line of text with the right physical gesture. (Kudos, of course, to stage director Jonathan Kent here as well.) I've seen comments on this performance which point out that he is unshaven and a little slovenly in dress/hair. True- and it works very well as his Rome, like him, is in disarray (and falls by the end of the opera). Masterful.Jonas Kaufmann- he is the more recent sensation, being busy conquering the opera world in the last few years. His spirito tenor voice is perfect here- and he always looks like the romantic hero. (He has the most perfect hair in all opera.) I thought him particularly effective in his Act one duets with Tosca.Antonio Pappano- Despite owning hundreds of opera dvd's and CD's, and attending more than 20 opera performances a year, I still find myself unable to appropriately assess/analyze a conductor's work. It's just too subtle for me to pick out (other them tempo- which is only a small part of his work). All I can say, which I do here, is that the opera flows perfectly, and he puts the musical emphasis to the physical action in just the right way. I think he's terrific- but, again, I don't really feel qualified to evaluate it.The traditional sets are huge and terrific. Costumes, too. This is the best looking Tosca, I've seen. Also, the filming and sound are superb- get the Blu Ray if you can!! There is an 8 minute look at the opera by Pappano that is good, but WAY too short. I would have liked quite a bit more, including more rehearsal footage.Tosca is, of course, one of the most frequently performed opera in the repertoire- a real war horse in every sense of the word. It is over played and over melo-dramatic. But when done right, it is a terrific piece of musical theater. This performance, perfectly captured on the blu ray disc, is excellent and should be in every fan's collection,. And, it is just the latest in a series of recent releases from Covent Garden that, to my mind, have them on top of the opera world. (See-  Bizet: Carmen ; Massenet: Cendrillon , Tchaikovsky: Cherevichki - The Tsarina's Slippers [Blu-ray ] Yes, better than the Met, Paris, la Scala, Zurich, Madrid and Barcelona (in terms of dvd releases). Keep it up!!!

I have seen many Tosca productions and performed in a couple myself. This production, generally, is very good. The set design and consumes are classic and the lighting evokes the dark tones of the story even in the lighter moments. The atmosphere is heavy and oppressive as would be expected for Rome in thatbera. Tosca's constumes resemble those often seen in productions of " War and Peace" on film and the costumes of the men could apply to multiple eras.Vocally, this is a mixed bag. Angela Gheorghiu has never been my favorite soprano. She is often harsh in her register transitions and her color is sometime smokey. But here, she seems well suited for the role in this size theater. Her register passagioes work for the anxiety of the jealous woman, and her sometime stiff presentation complements the narsicistic nature of the street singer. She handles "Vissi d'arte" very well and her posing of Scarpia's body in act two is done with real grace adding to the chilling effect of the scene. All in all, she is a pleasant surprise in this performance.Jonas Kaufmann is a lyric spinto tenor with a baritonal tone in the mid range. Though his voice sounds like a baritone, the center of his tessitura is definately tenor. Where he lacks the Italianate ping or squillo, he generates enough power that he easily matches Tosca in the duets. Often, Tosca overpowers her Mario particularly in the first act duet. With Kaufmann, this is not a problem. His characterization is good, and he is able to match the phrasing with the necessary color for each of the scenes. However, this is not an Italian Cavaradossi. The sound of the voice does not have the basic passion of a Coreli or the vulnerability of a Bergonzi. Yet in the context of this size of the hall his performance works.Bryn Terfel is a bass-baritone with an exquisite voice. But for Scarpia, his voice is not quite up to the job. The role of Scarpia is written for a true baritone with a large and brilliant top range. Terfel has a smoothe voice with very little ring on top, and his ability to sing above an F-sharp is limited. His medium weight sound is almost lost in his second act cavatina and his high G's have very little spin. The voice is just not heavy enough for the role. Dramatically his performance is a different story. He is marvelous in demonstrating the controlled malelevence of the man. Watching him closely, one sees the little things that illistrate the selfish passion he has for Tosca in act one and the self-satisfied gloat of victory in act two just before his death. This makes the surprise of Tosca's murdering all the more effective. He is almost Gobbi-like in his final moments.Conductor Antonio Pappano gives a standard reading of the score, but he works well with the singers, even covering a faux pas by Terfel in act two. He gives his singers room to breath and seems to feel when they need support. The ensemble works well here.This is a good performance. Not the best. But it catches the flavor and tone of the of the libretto and the very dark nature of the story. This is a keeper.

This production of Tosca is the finest I have ever seen, and I have seen a great many. Perfectly sung by all the characters all of whom acted superbly. The orchestra with Pappano in charge, was truly exciting. A fine traditional production, thank God with good costumes. Watching this performance I was completely 'carried away' Angela Gheorghui is the perfect Tosca, beautiful and seems to live the role. Jonas Kaufmann is a truly great singer, a voice to die for. Bryan Terfel is a splendid Scarpia, completely convincing in his evil character. Lovely voice. PERFECT

This compares favourably with the BBC filmed version with some pros and cons. Always preferred is live performance, whilst the filmed version gets dispensation to a degree, with filmed live sessions and scenes which cannot easily be staged. Although Terfel, as Scarpia, comes over as creepy, he doesn't carry the menace of Raimondi in the film. Gheorghiu, in her own words, likes camera and it shows in her much greater expression for the filmed version. In some respects she doesn't act this part because she firmly believes that she is Tosca and who could doubt her. I think that she appears, rightly, more at ease with romanticism when playing opposite to her husband.Her husband Alagna, I feel is a much under rated tenner, but carries the role as a weaker victim in the filmed version. Kaufmann in contrast comes over as a wilful insurgent and the depth of his tenor, almost baritone, voice carries this message with conviction.Other than that, I have enjoyed both versions.

I admit to not being a great authority on opera I am familiar with The Magic Flute, Fidelio and The Turn of the screw(all of which I studied with the Open University)and have a great regard for The Dutchman, Aida and Carmen.These are of course the"easy operas".So I thought it time I gave Tosca a go!! I chose the Terfel, Kaufmann,Gheorghiu,Royal OperaHouse production under Antonio Pappano(a hero of mine) a go and was not disappointed.Wow!! I have never been a great fan of Terfel but his Scarpia is iconic(so I was wrong).The climax is heart wrenching and I am emotionally drained.Well done all of you

This production is all that an opera should be. Firstly, well sung and acted - Bryn Terfel is a superbly nasty piece of work as the cruel chief of police, Scarpia. Others may play the part with more subtlety, equally valid, but Terfel's portrayal as a bullying "heavy" is valid too.Kaufmann must be the most exciting tenor around today - he sings superbly, and looks great too. Gheorghiu looks good, and, though not my favourite voice, sings and acts well.The sets are realistic and convincing, and the whole production is very satisfying

Glorious sets and costumes BUT Bryn's Scarpia is way, way, OTT and unfortunately neither of the Principals convince in the roles despite their glorious singing.Pity, missed opportunity.