Despite the unreliance, the 2020/2021 season arrived, and it did with a big scandal which prevented the second performance of Un Ballo in Maschera, due to lack of observance of safety measures. The protest spread worldwide. The second wave reached Madrid, the lockdown of health areas, preventing many people to attend, the restrictions on private home visits, and finally the Covid variants, but much to the audience in and outside Madrid, the season went on: a successful Rusalka in November, A Don Giovanni for Christmas, Siegfried performed complete by placing the instruments in the balconies now empty due to the capacity restrictions, and a Peter Grimes affected by a Covid outbreak in the chorus and some soloists which forced to move dates and to cancel a George Benjamin opera which concurred in time. By overcoming these obstacles, Teatro Real won the admiration of the international operatic scene, and even foreigner spectators envied our season while no performances or audienceless streamed ones were held in major opera houses across Western Europe and U.S.
Now, it's the turn of this Tosca, with four casts featuring big stars, and the first one being streamed nationwide and by two big screens in the surrounding squares of the opera house, another classical, and longed, event of the summer in Madrid. Puccini's masterpiece returns to the Teatro Real after ten years, when it was seen with the classic staging by Nuria Espert, which was seen thrice. First, in January 2004 also with four casts, the first one featuring Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato and Ruggero Raimondi, inmortalized on DVD by Opus Art, and second cast had a performance with Raina Kabaivanska, who bid farewell to her signature role. It returned in Summer 2004 with two casts, including Carol Vaness, and Renato Bruson and James Morris as Scarpia. The last time we saw Tosca in Madrid was in July 2011, with Violeta Urmana and Sondra Radvanovsky alternating the title role, the latter one is back to sing again Tosca, in the first cast. However, this review will speak about the second one, on July 11.
This "comeback" is done in a new staging (already seen in Barcelona in 2014 and 2019) by Paco Azorín. If we try to reduce this production just to a word, it could be "revolution". It is present during the work. The ideals from French Revolution brought to Italy by Napoleon which are defended by Cavaradossi, who shelters Angelotti, even risking his own life, from the conservative police in Rome. In this production, the Revolution is another character, embodied by a naked woman who appears during the most important moments in the opera. According to Azorín, the inspiration comes from the famous picture by Eugène Delacroix, "Liberty Leading the people". He develops the film potential of the story, whose Act Two leaves in suspense the spectator, exposing the deep passions of the characters and the terrible background around them. This staging flees from the rich ambientations of the 1800s Rome, minimizing the sets, making it atemporal. The costumes by Isidre Prunés and Ulises Mérida (designer of Tosca's gowns) echo this vision: they make the action understandable but they are not very rich in details. Revolutionary mottos are seen before the beginning of acts, and also they indicate the exact hour and place of the action, an intense tragic journey.
During the first act, a dark version of the Sant'Andrea church is shown, with a a baroque altarpiece. At the Te Deum, the paintings on it appear at the bottom, while the chorus sings, the Pope's procession enters. At some point, Scarpia leaps on a bishop, which reveals to be Tosca, while singing "Tosca, mi fai dimenticare iddio"... a symbol of his wildest instincts covered by his fake religiousness. In this frenetic moment, he loses his control and terrifies the chorus while the procession enters in the church. Second act shows two big red curtains, surrounding a terrific, wide hall. In the interrogation scene, they fall down to show two big cells, in which the repressed prisoners lay, presumably tortured previously, and to show Cavaradossi being tortured. At the thrilling end, the Revolution appears to encourage Tosca before stabbing Scarpia. After his murder, Tosca greets the prisoners, announcing them the tyrant has fallen. In Act 3, during the charming little shepherd song, Scarpia's body is discovered, and then the curtain raises again, to show a lot of eye images, remembering Dali's curtains in Hitchcock's Spellbound. In this act Teatro Real's amazing machinery is shown: the set disappears in the ground, to make the new set appearing from the bottom, while Pedro Yagüe's beautiful lighting illuminates the complete hall in a beautiful white light. The new structure, spacecraft-shaped, is actually Cavaradossi's cell. At the bottom, the big full moon dominating the night, dark sky. At the end, Revolution sees the death of Cavaradossi and also Tosca's, who gazes at her before jumping into the abyss, and wind shakes Revolution's curls, who gives a final gaze to the audience. The main couple is dead, but revolution continues its triumphal course.
Nicola Luisotti conducts the Teatro Real Orchestra, one year later of his magical post-covid Traviata. Again, the orchestra has a Wagnerian volume. Last year could be explained because of the magic of returning to work after four hard months of lockdown, but now, even when necessary for Puccini, in some moments of First act, it sounded too loud. The instruments sound really inspired, with a beautiful rendition of strings in Act 2, when they conveyed the suspense athmosphere. The violas had a great moment in the Spoletta's entry after Vissi d'arte. However, in Act 3, the orchestra played the beautiful prelude before Mario's last aria in a very calm, smooth way. Clarinets had a beautiful sound in that aria. The Chorus were at their usual good level, but in the previous scene to Scarpia's entrance they were surpassed by the orchestra. The child chorus also were good. The Te Deum scene saw all their vocal powers, as usual.
Maria Agresta sings the title role. At a first hear, the voice seems unfit for the diva, sounding a bit lighter. However, with her delightful tone and a devoted performance, she can solve any limitation, specially in the most fragile scenes of her role. In the final line of first act "egli vede ch'io piango" she holds during a moment, the note to finally liberate it, an interesting legato. The Vissi d'arte was beautifully sung, and she give a convincing Act 3.
Michael Fabiano definitely led the night with his heroical Cavaradossi. His voice can easily move from lyrical to heroical register, and it has a generous volume, which surpasses of his fellow singers and can be heard among the powerful orchestra. In the Recondita Armonia he started a bit reserved, but he gave an amazing high note in the La vita mi costasse line, one of the best moments of the night. In Act 2 he got along well with the role, both in acting and singing and in the Vittoria, Vittoria, the second one was longer and better projected than the first one. In third act he gave a wonderful rendition of E Lucevan le stelle, in which he sang the note in "O dolci mani..." in a beautiful falsetto, sounding in pianissimo, and once again later, in an intimate portrait of Cavaradossi's sorrow. Surprisingly, the audience reacted late, but the applause was long, and Fabiano seemed moved for that. In the final duet his voice sounded even more majestic and heroical.
Gevorg Hakobyan sang Scarpia. His is a big-volumed voice, but not a refined singing, but at least that fits with the rudeness and toughness of the character. In Act 2 his rendition of Gia mi dicon venal was well sung and conveyed with nobility the Scarpia's twisted sexual desire towards Tosca.
The rest of the cast, the comprimary roles, were led by the always magnificent Mikeldi Atxalandabaso, whose Spoletta is sung with his beautiful spieltenor voice, and with a touch of Mime's style, but here portrayed as a repulsive, servile henchman. Gerardo Bullón is a correct Angelotti, better in his last appearance than in the opening. Valeriano Lanchas is a good deep bass, and his Sacristan had a nice low register but sometimes hid by the orchestra. The young basses David Lagares and Luis López Navarro were correct respectively as Sciarrone and the Jailer. Inés Ballesteros as the Little Shepherd's voice gave a charming rendition of his song, in a childlike style.
To see Tosca is always a pleasure, such an electrifying drama, transcurring in a sigh. The audience showed that in their final applauses, and ovationing largely Agresta and Fabiano. I won't give the usual conclusion in this review, because I will see next week the first cast, with Sondra Radvanovsky, Carlos Álvarez and Jonas Kaufmann. See you in the next and final review of Teatro Real's 2020-2021 season!
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