Puccini: Tosca
Royal Opera, 27th May 2019
“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” Like Norma Desmond, Tosca is no shrinking violet. Forget small screen acting. It’s an opera that requires big performances, singers able to depict larger-than-life characters and beam them out into the auditorium. Which is what the cast predominantly delivered in this revival of Jonathan Kent’s Zeffirelli-lite staging at The Royal Opera. Subtlety and good taste were thrown out the Palazzo Farnese window in red-blooded performances under conductor Alexander Joel, even if there were vocal and dramatic misfires along the way.
Kristine Opolais (Tosca) and Bryn Terfel (Scarpia)
© ROH | Catherine Ashmore
Click here to read the full review on Bachtrack.