Puccini - Tosca / Morandi, Patane, Cura

The role of Tosca seemed to be made for Francesca Patan. In the role of a jealous diva in love, Patan has a rich and versatile temperament. She vibrantly expresses her personality as an actress with fine incisiveness, yet she is also capab le of moments of poetic passion, as in her Vissi d'arte which inflames the audience's enthusiasm with its sincerity. Jos Cura is a Cavaradossi of glowing vocal splendor, with crystal diction, indisputable mastery of the vocal line, with power and a cons istent expressive quality. His thundering performance of Vittoria is a vivid and moving experience, and his Elucean le stelle i s rich in flute-like passionate notes. The great baritone Renato Bruson brings to the role of Scarpia his usual extraordinary v ocal performance. His interpretation of Scarpia, crushed between relentless passion for Tosca and the demands of political duty , is expressed with nobility. Bruson and Patan together attain unforgettable moments of emotional tension. Enrico Castiglione has directed the work with tremendous originality and dramatic power, heighten ing with a modern and cinematic style a traditional setting of extraordinary effectiveness, and his sets avoided unorthodox sol utions and exalt the intrinsic musical and theatrical values of Puccini's masterpiece. Conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi provides a sustained energy with sensitive elation in the moments of high tension. This performance was acclaimed as an operatic event, and the superstar cast makes it a Tosca for the ages.