Tosca was the first ballet I’ve been to and it did not disappoint. It was mostly enjoyable, except for the first act which I found a little bit boring. The singing was not as intense as it was in the second and third act. Speaking of singing, Sonda Radvanovsky’s performance was excellent and astounding. Her ability to portray her feelings in her face and her singing was captivating. My favorite part was when she was trying to convince Scarpia that her lover, Cavaradossi, is not hiding Angelotti. Her facial expressions were on point. Before she even said that she knew where Angelotti was hidden, her face showed it all. I knew right at the moment when her face went from strong to an expression of defeat, that she would reveal his location. Another moment I liked was when she stabbed Scarpia. It showed a subtle change of character within her. She went from a vulnerable women to one that was strong and driven. The difference between her personality in Act II and Act III shed new light into how I interpreted the rest of the opera. Even her clothing color changed from a bright red to a bold black. In the third act, she appeared stronger and was more in control of things. She wasn’t just going around and complaining about her problems anymore, she started to take initiative. She was more daring. This was all captured by Radvanovsky’s outstanding performance.

For the most part, this opera was good and to my surprise, not boring. I definitely want to go to more in the future.