The success of any production of “Tosca” hinges more than anything else on the singers in the three intertwining central roles — Floria Tosca, her artist lover and a villainous police chief, who will resort to anything to have her for himself.
If any one of them is weak, the whole production falters. But if all three are compelling and mutually supportive, this 1900 thriller can be among the most gripping works in opera.
Opera Colorado’s latest production, which opened Saturday at Ellie Caulkins Opera House, falls solidly in the latter category, with one of the company’s strongest casts in recent memory.
The center of attention is soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, making her first appearance in the title role — a closely watched run-up for her performance next year at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
She did not disappoint. Although she has so far devoted her career almost exclusively to the works of Giuseppe Verdi, she was right at home in Giacomo Puccini’s broader, extroverted style and reveled in his melodramatic flourishes. Radvanovsky showed palpable vehemence in the Act 2 stabbing of Baron Scarpia, who tries to get Tosca to trade away her virtue to save her beloved.
Much of Puccini’s writing for Tosca falls vocally in the mid-range, not an easy place for sopranos to be most expressive, but Radvanovsky was unfazed, singing with consistent force and lovely, rounded tones. Her rueful, dark-timbred version of the Act 2 aria, “Vissi d’arte,” is every bit the highlight it should be.
Radvanovsky is paired with Italian tenor Antonello Palombi as Mario Cavaradossi. The two are convincing as young lovers, aptly conveying the characters’ giddy joy in Act 1 and shared tumult later on.
General director Greg Carpenter announced before the performance that Palombi was suffering from allergies, and he could be seen discreetly coughing. But the ailment seemed a mild distraction. He was first-rate, displaying the instinctive feel for Puccini’s lyrical writing one expects of a fellow countryman and offered a rousing take on Cavardossi’s celebrated ode to Tosca, “Recondita armonia.”
With his resonant, expressive voice and honed acting, bass-baritone Greer Grimsley masterfully conveyed the supercilious sophistry and raw menace of Baron Scarpia, a role repeated from his 2002 appearance with the company.
Great singers require keen support from the pit. They got that from guest conductor Stephen Lord, an Opera Colorado regular in especially strong form here. He drew a rich, full sound from the orchestra — which can sound puny in Caulkins’ less-than- stellar acoustics — and conveyed the dramatic fluidity and contours of the score.
There was nothing particularly innovative about Ron Daniels’ staging, and that was the point. Instead of imposing a capricious directorial concept, he zeroed in on the story’s innate power.
In the same way, Thierry Bosquet’s sets and costumes, based on a 1932 design by Armando Agnini and debuted at the San Francisco Opera in 1997, are striking but conventional.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
“Tosca”
Opera. Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. Opera Colorado presents Giacomo Puccini’s 1900 classic, featuring Metropolitan Opera soprano Sondra Radvanov- sky. 7:30 p.m. today and Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday. 2 hours, 30 minutes. $30-$165. 800-982-2787 and .
