Seattle Opera’s ‘Tosca’ nears bloody perfection

Published 1:01 pm Thursday, February 28, 2008

SEATTLE — “Are you enjoying the show?” I asked the woman two seats over during intermission at Seattle Opera.

“I love this opera so much I named my dog Tosca,” she replied in earnest.

Such is the popularity of Puccini’s “Tosca,” a blood-soaked melodrama of deception and intrigue in three acts where passions run at fever pitch and death — by murder, firing squad and suicide — is never far away. This is Italian opera, after all.

When the final curtain falls, each of the players in opera’s ultimate love triangle is dispatched: the diva Floria Tosca, her lover the painter Mario Cavaradossi and the menacing Scarpia, the chief of police who wants Cavaradossi out of the way and Tosca in his bed. Even the political prisoner Cesare Angelotti, whose escape from prison starts the ruckus, dies by his own hand.

With a story this dramatic and well plotted, and music to match, “Tosca” is a crowd-pleasing staple of the repertoire and, for the soprano who sings the lead, a coveted role.

Seattle Opera’s “Tosca,” which opened last weekend, scores dramatically and musically. It’s a handsome, traditional production that pulses with edge-of-the-seat drama and realism. McCaw Hall crackled with mounting tension as the opening-night cast poured on the drama and the music, and the audience rose in a sustained ovation at the final curtain.

American soprano Lisa Daltirus, in her Seattle Opera debut, made a big impression as Tosca, overcoming some first-act stiffness to create an impassioned portrait of a woman driven to desperation.

The singer’s dramatic immersion deepened as Tosca made her transition from a jealous lover into a woman devastated by her tormentor, the cruel Scarpia. It’s Scarpia who tortures Tosca’s lover, Cavaradossi, and when Tosca hears his screams of pain she becomes unhinged and agrees to Scarpia’s sexual demands to save her lover’s life.

This is the setup for two of the opera’s greatest moments. The second-act aria “Vissa d’arte” (“I have lived for art”) is one of those iconic moments in opera, and Daltirus made the most of it, beginning the haunting melody while lying prostrate on the floor. Her voice was secure and warm and she had great musicality, shaping her phrases with precision and beauty and tossing off the high notes with ease.

Then, in a shocking move, even though you know it’s coming, she meets Scarpia’s embrace with a concealed knife, delivering three fierce blows to his stomach: This is Tosca’s kiss!

Alas, her fatal blow is not enough to save Cavaradossi, who is killed in Act 3 by firing squad. Tosca, realizing he is dead, emits a piercing scream and jumps to her death. That’s why they call it grand opera. Credit Chris Alexander for the skilled stage direction and Vjekoslav Sutej for bringing out the beauty of the Puccini score.

Although the cast is large, “Tosca” is made by the performance of its three leads.

Tenor Frank Porretta made an auspicious Seattle Opera debut in the role of Cavaradossi. His was not the most nuanced performance of the night, but vocally he nailed the part. His voice is strong and gleaming, with plenty of power at the top and a kind of ping in the highest notes. Porretta is the son of opera singers: His parents, Frank Porretta Jr. and Roberta Palmer, both performed at Seattle Opera in the 1960s and ’70s.

Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley, a Seattle Opera veteran, etched a menacing portrait of Scarpia. With his dark good looks and dashing black cape, he made a very splendid-looking villain, and his dark, rich voice conveyed the essence of Scarpia’s malice.

Tosca, Cavaradossi and Scarpia are sung by Michelle Capalbo, Brandon Jovanovich and Gary Simpson in performances tonight, Sunday and March 9.

Supporting roles were well sung by Peter Strummer, Jason Grant, Steven Cole, Barry Johnson, Byron Ellis and David Korn.

The handsome sets from San Francisco, and the costumes, recreate the visual splendor of 19th-century Rome.