At the opera

[riontel]

Went to the Met's Tosca production yesterday. It's my favorite opera but this was the first time I heard it live and enjoyed it tremendously. Roberto Alagna (Cavaradossi) was great, I wish there could have been a lot more of him, and a lot less of George Gagnidze (Scarpia) because he left me completely unimpressed, maybe the orchestra could hear him properly for the balcony couldn't. Patricia Racette (Tosca) was not bad though it took her a bit to get into the swing of things. I always thought they were supposed to warm up before the performance, not during the first act. Stage decorations were very spare, and worked well for me in acts 1 and 3, act 2 was a bit weird, I think it was supposed to approximate Gestapo offices with Scarpio and his cronies being SS officers. Trite and inappropriate. My favorite was the third act, it's always my favorite, it's got the best music and, of course, "E lucevan le stelle" is magical and I can listen to it on a loop and do. There is an incredible production of Tosca recorded in Rome at the actual locations and times of days as in the libretto, starring Placido Domingo, which I recommend, if a visit to the Met is not in your plans. Just imagine "E lucevan le stelle" sung by Domingo at dawn on the battlements of Castel Sant'Angelo, with St. Peter's Basilica in the backdrop.