Tosca Tickets

The Phoenix Opera at the Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix was a great production, with fabulous scenery and props. The orchestra had it together, and the opera stars were on point. My only complaints are the "Pre-event Dinner Party" was amateur hour, making me wonder if the Symphony Hall really wanted to be associated with that catering company, and the Ticketmaster ticket process had my go cross-town to get the pre-dinner tickets, yet had the tickets for the performance at the Symphony Hall will-call. How nonsensical is that?

Great performance! The soprano was wonderful, costumes and decor were very well done.

Saw Arizona Opera's production of Tosca at Symphony Hall in Phoenix. First rate voices, great stage set, and of course an amazing opera.

A psychological masterpiece of what is at stake when political violence targets the aspirations of lovers and love of life itself. A fine performance by the Dicapo Opera Theatre that does full justice to Puccini's vision.

When Tosca first played in Rome in 1900, the critics were less than enthusiastic about this opera. Even though it has been a success with the patrons for more than a century, I would tend to agree with the critics. I could not identify any of the arias sung by the protagonists. The story is disjointed, with many threads and off-stage chorus singers that did not add to the clarity. It would be difficult for someone who is not familiar with Napoleon's invasion of the Papal States in 1798 and his abolition of the kingdom, replacing it with a Republic, followed by a premature withdrawal which led to the restoration of the kingdom and the resultant persecution of the republicans by the monarchists. The opera takes place in 1800, when Napoleon re-invades Italy and is engaged by the Austrians near Alessandria on his way to Rome. Tosca may not be Puccini's best, but I would still encourage people to go see it, if only to get a glimpse of justice as practiced early in the 19th century.

The singing and acting were outstanding, and the music was pure Puccini. But the sets and staging left a lot to be desired. No doubt I'm old-fashioned, but the sets were just plain ugly. Nothing in Rome consists of plain, red brick walls, especially the churches. It was all so self-consciously "modern" that it was like modern art and modern music: minimal and ugly. Also the staging was often poor, with awkward pauses in the action. Another negative: the close-ups. I don't enjoy seeing the singer's tonsils. The opera should be more about the music and less about the musicians and their skin blemishes. The interviews between acts were somewhat interesting, but the questions were often insipid. I felt sorry for George Gagnidze (Scarpia) during his interview; it was obvious he had to go to the bathroom.

Beautiful music, great staging, excellent Detroit Opera House production!