BY ALISON PARIS, LEAD WRITER (CHILDREN AND EARLY LEARNING)
Tosca
Opera Queensland
QPAC, 13 June
Tosca follows three central characters tied together in a time of political instability. The first to be introduced in the painter Cavaradossi (Angus Wood), whose lover, Tosca (Rachelle Durkin) is a famous singer. The two find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation when Scarpia (José Carbò) discovers their involvement in the escape of a prisoner.
Carbò’s performance as Scarpia was the standout of the night. His chillingly charismatic take on the Chief of Police was helped by his incredibly beautiful voice, which almost seemed to contrast with the character’s corruption and malice. His lust for Tosca was deeply unsettling, and their chemistry was perfectly disturbing.
Durkin’s Tosca was energetic, youthful, and flamboyant in the first act, making her subsequent despair even more tragic. Her aria Vissi d’arte in the second act was one of the musical highlights for me; it was so full of emotion and quiet intensity that I felt as though I shouldn’t breathe until the orchestra picked up once again.
While the acting was generally good, Durkin and Wood seemed to lack the chemistry needed for an established couple, and while their duets were beautiful musically, visually they needed a push of emotion and connectedness. This improved come Act Two, but was particularly evident in the first act.
Setting the opera in the 1970s, rather than the immediate modern day, was a well-calculated decision that paid off in every way. With ideas of feminism, political unrest, and corruption in organised religion at its core, Tosca is exceedingly relevant, even today. Placing it in the politically tumultuous Italian 1970s allowed the audience to grasp the themes on a personal level, and apply them to contemporary issues.
Dale Ferguson’s set design was a clever use of space with two levels, allowing the story to flow between scenes with ease. Costumes were also beautiful, and secured the picture of the ‘70s. Particularly lovely was the contrast between Tosca’s stunning gowns and coats, and Cavaradossi’s understated sweaters and jeans.
While the orchestra was quite consistent, there was some degree of separation between the musicians in the pit and on stage. While the singers seemed to try to shape and develop musical ideas (coming to mind is Tosca’s aforementioned aria), conductor Oliver von Dohnanyi pushed the orchestra ahead, barely taking a moment to let the audience appreciate the core emotion of the work. This separation also resulted in the orchestra often being too loud, which was particularly jarring in the first act.
The chorus however, was excellent; and I was surprised to find that, despite their relatively smaller role compared to other operas, they were my favourite part of the entire performance.
The final moments of the opera were the most stunning of the night. While many operas dwell on the deaths of their central characters, Cavaradossi’s death and Tosca’s suicide are both shockingly abrupt, which strengthened both the tragedy and, in Tosca’s case, her character’s sense of resolve.
Opera Queensland’s Tosca was a cleverly conceptualised production that really mastered the art of modernising opera.
Images supplied.
