Photos
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsVersion of Tosca (1909)
Featured review
This 1984 production is one of my favourite Toscas along with the 1976 and 1992 ones. I agree completely with the previous reviewer, this production is most excellent and I can't tell you how many times I have seen it along with the other film versions/productions I've cited. I just love the opera itself. It is one of my absolute favourite operas, and most likely my favourite Puccini opera especially for Scarpia, a complex and extraordinary character who lives long into the memory.
And the music is magnificent, there is Recondita Armonia, E Lucevan le Stelle and Vissi D'Arte, every single one of those arias are powerful in their own right, and beautifully performed and sung, and the whole of act 2 is a real tour-de-force musically and dramatically. My favourite though will always be the te deum, a wonderful piece of music that is beautiful in melody but also contains one of the most chilling and blasphemous utterances in opera, "Tosca you made me forget God". In fact for me only Iago's "I believe in a cruel god" from Otello is even more so.
Visually, this Tosca is stunning. The costumes and sets are to die for, I rarely find myself disappointed in Tosca's act 2 dress in any production and this was no exception. The set for Scarpia's rooms is beautiful and does create a somewhat foreboding setting, while in terms of staging the te deum is inspired and is never devoid of the music's intensity. The story is complex, tragic and dark, with never a dull moment, and I have to give credit to Brian Large's bravura direction and the exemplary orchestra playing and conducting for making that possible.
The three leads are nothing short of exceptional. Jaume Aragall is a good Caveradossi, he has the perfect voice for the role epitomising heroism, arrogance and poignancy, and while his acting is not quite in the same league he is never flaccid or stolid. Eva Marton is exceptional in the title role, with both her singing and acting very powerful and her performance is everything Tosca should be, jealous and impassioned above all things. And finally, best until last. Tito Gobbi, Ruggero Raimomdi and Sherrill Milnes, all three especially have nailed this difficult and powerful baritone role, allow me to say the same with Ingvar Wixell. I can understand why some may find his singing dry but I also like this tone. Regardless, his acting more than makes up for it for it is extraordinary, making Scarpia both sinister and human, even in the same scene.
All the crucial scenes are done very well, the te deum and the whole of act 2 are brilliantly done, and Marton's acting in the final moments of the second act gave me goosebumps. Also the build up to the ending is nail-biting, while the Scarpia meet me before god bit is magic. All in all, extraordinary opera, superb production. 10/10 Bethany Cox
And the music is magnificent, there is Recondita Armonia, E Lucevan le Stelle and Vissi D'Arte, every single one of those arias are powerful in their own right, and beautifully performed and sung, and the whole of act 2 is a real tour-de-force musically and dramatically. My favourite though will always be the te deum, a wonderful piece of music that is beautiful in melody but also contains one of the most chilling and blasphemous utterances in opera, "Tosca you made me forget God". In fact for me only Iago's "I believe in a cruel god" from Otello is even more so.
Visually, this Tosca is stunning. The costumes and sets are to die for, I rarely find myself disappointed in Tosca's act 2 dress in any production and this was no exception. The set for Scarpia's rooms is beautiful and does create a somewhat foreboding setting, while in terms of staging the te deum is inspired and is never devoid of the music's intensity. The story is complex, tragic and dark, with never a dull moment, and I have to give credit to Brian Large's bravura direction and the exemplary orchestra playing and conducting for making that possible.
The three leads are nothing short of exceptional. Jaume Aragall is a good Caveradossi, he has the perfect voice for the role epitomising heroism, arrogance and poignancy, and while his acting is not quite in the same league he is never flaccid or stolid. Eva Marton is exceptional in the title role, with both her singing and acting very powerful and her performance is everything Tosca should be, jealous and impassioned above all things. And finally, best until last. Tito Gobbi, Ruggero Raimomdi and Sherrill Milnes, all three especially have nailed this difficult and powerful baritone role, allow me to say the same with Ingvar Wixell. I can understand why some may find his singing dry but I also like this tone. Regardless, his acting more than makes up for it for it is extraordinary, making Scarpia both sinister and human, even in the same scene.
All the crucial scenes are done very well, the te deum and the whole of act 2 are brilliantly done, and Marton's acting in the final moments of the second act gave me goosebumps. Also the build up to the ending is nail-biting, while the Scarpia meet me before god bit is magic. All in all, extraordinary opera, superb production. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 22, 2011
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content