Past Production Reviews
2On stage, Philippe Jaroussky and Davóne Tinesdecline their antagonistic presences on all levels: the dress and the white voice of one mingle with the dark bass of the other, all dressed in black, over two rather carnal confrontations, with very little Manichean contours. The union of heaven and earth does not happen without generating a certain stir and above all a nice range of interferences: the voice of the bass-baritone knows how to become aerial and purify itself of any frying, while the sparkling highs of the countertenor emerges a more dissonant metal, a touch more disturbing than elsewhere. These incursions, rather than multiplied by the electronic device, explore some unexpected areas without distorting the voices - they will just leave a doubt on the intrinsic beauty of their timbres to anyone who doubts their dazzling purity, however acclaimed elsewhere. The conclusion of these two dream-shaped pieces, which came about without delay, can only surprise the spectator in full immersion. Who will console himself by telling himself that he has just witnessed two small miracles: that, first of all, of having attended two hours of post-spectral music, staged without any affectation, and of not having never saw the time pass; and that of seeing this music so far from the usual canons, and its composer, so rare representative of this genre and his, so warmly applauded at the Palais Garnier . The times are changing.
The second act is the real challenge for Scarpia, and Tézier was truly despicable here as his performance was fueled by believable emotions that provided psychological layers to the character rather than just playing up a clichéd monster as many other interpreters do. His Scarpia was also impressive and vocally impeccable. Of the rest of the characters in the opera, I want to single out Carlo Bosi’s Spoleta; Bosi possesses a rich tenor with a fair vibrato and a frightening personification of the role. Pierre Audi’s production is evocative and meaningful, exploring the power and control of the church and political order with a giant crucifix present in every Act. The first two acts are abstractions of the church of Sant’Andrea delle Valle and of Scarpia’s study, with a dramatic but effective use of lighting (by Jean Calman) that contrasts light and dark by playing with a black curtain and a cyclorama at the back of the scene. Most impressive was the clever dramatic setting of Tosca’s aria “Vissi d’arte” as Scarpia leaves Tosca alone after having given her a crucifix that she sings to.Carlo Montanaro conducted the orchestra of Paris Opera, giving a passionate reading of the score, but measuring the drama to avoid excessive mannerisms usually done in Verismo repertoire. In this particular approach, there was a perfect communion between the conductor and the singers, as if Montanaro were breathing with them during the lyrical legato moments. The orchestra and the chorus were undoubtedly at their best throughout. Ultimately, this was an amazing revival of the Paris Opera’s production of “Tosca,” with fine debuts by Agresta and Fabiano providing the main highlights.
