Tosca was an amazing experience with some wonderful highlights. I must say, simply stating that I was going to the opera made me feel like a high class New Yorker, but being able to talk about and make comments on the opera Tosca was even better.
The most memorable aspect was the main character Floria. Her voice was absolutely beautiful and amazing, every time she sang I was left in awe. She clearly outshone every character in the Opera with her voice and range. I couldn’t help but think of her extraordinary lung capacity, during an intermission some tried to sing Opera, and one can tell it’s difficulty by giving it a quick try. The orchestra playing music for Tosca was also extremely memorable. I’ve never had much musical skill, so hearing such professionals play so beautifully was a real treat.
Sondra Radvanovsky (Floria) after killing John Del Carlo (Scarpia)
What made Tosca the most interesting were the connections I could make from my prior experiences. Over the summer I visited Rome and Vatican City: two big areas for churches. They were simply everywhere, just walking in unknown areas would likely garner a visit to one, so after reading the playbill and realizing that the first act was in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle I decided to look it up. Honestly, the Church looks like every church in Rome (they all have a distinct lavish look about them) so I very well could have been there, perhaps I haven’t, but I did enjoy making the connection. The other connection I made was that of a video game: Assassins Creed II. It may sound odd, but a major part is set in Rome during the 15th century – yes the Opera’s setting is during the 19th century, but there were still some connections. In the video game, the main character’s family get caught up in political upheaval and he must avenge his father’s death against the powerfully corrupt religious men in the country. The plot does have it’s connections, but I was instantaneously reminded in the last act with the guard’s circular movements and I later realized that in the second act, the women who dressed provocatively looked extremely similar to the prostitutes in the video game.
Inside of the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle
Despite this ability for the Opera to resonate with me, I did have some problems with it – none of which have anything against the performers and the orchestra, for they were all absolutely fantastic. However, my problems lay with the actual plot. After hearing a synopsis of the play, namely that all the characters die, I expected something that mirrored my favorite Shakespearian play, Hamlet. Hamlet’s ending is grand and exciting with plot twists and action where by the end, everyone dies due to some turn of events likened to emotions of in numeral levels. However with Tosca I did not find this to be true. I felt as though the building climax was simplistic and easy to determine. Even without knowing her lover would die could I easily suspect it. Floria did kill Scarpia after all – did she not think others would find out? I thought her acceptance that a mock execution would occur was extremely naïve and inaccurate. Despite this one problem, I thought the Opera was a whole was wonderful, and going back to the Met Operahouse will certainly be something I do in the near future.
