A lot of behind-the-scenes drama accompanied preparations for this new Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, replacing the ill-fated, modernistic Luc Bondy mise-en-scène. For a while, it seemed that the new production was under a curse: all three principals and not one but two conductors have been, for various reasons, substituted! Luckily, singing at the Met is so important for one’s career, that General Manager Peter Gelb was able to find extraordinary replacements in a world where roles are usually cast years in advance.
The constant in this tortuous journey has been a production team that turned the clock back and anchored the new show in the type of realistic details that characterized the beloved 1980s Franco Zeffirelli extravaganza, a Met staple for 16 seasons. One could sense the sigh of relief when the generally conservative New York audience “recognized” the gilded details of Rome's Sant’Andrea della Valle. The only evident concession to the imaginary seemed to be the inclined stage floor, maintained in all three acts, a sign, perhaps, of the Calvary that the characters have to ascend. The second act’s setting is a rendition of the Palazzo Farnese’s Sala di Ercole, designer Robert MacFarlane proposing two “murals”: one faded, and the other one depicting the same Incendio di Borgo subject but treated in a Romantic, Delacroix-inspired manner. Finally, the design for the third act’s Castel Sant’Angelo’s terrace, with the towering statue and Rome’s skyline in the background, was the one closest to reality.
Sir David McVicar, the apparent director of choice for the Gelb era, has not only a gift for lavish visuals but also a keen eye for illuminating details. Not all his attempts were successful. The coming and going of the chorus members in their beautiful 1800 costumes before the Te Deum didn’t make much sense, distracting one’s attention from the action in the chapel. Neither did asking Cavaradossi to hold a lantern next to his head before getting shot. But several fine points – making the volterriano Cavaradossi sprinkle his face with holy water before greeting his lover, having Tosca wash her blood-stained hands with water from Scarpia’s carafe or preceding the execution of the painter with another one at the beginning of the third act – added subtle accents to the plot.
McVicar’s work with the singers was superb. His ability to adapt his artistic message to the interpreters he is working with, and his capacity to bring forward the characters’ traits as different composers imagined them continue to be unsurpassed. Relying on the fact that both Sonya Yoncheva and Vittorio Grigòlo are relatively young singers making their role debuts in Tosca, he conceived their duets as passionate encounters between ardent lovers at the beginning of their affair. The chemistry between the two was outstanding. McVicar asked Yoncheva to emphasize Tosca’s insecurity and vulnerability. He made Grigòlo’s impulsiveness seem part of Cavaradossi’s character.