Tosca – review

One of the Royal Opera's hardy perennials, Puccini's thriller takes a while to hit home in this latest revival of Jonathan Kent's production. Partly this is a result of the awkwardness of Paul Brown's first act set, where movement in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle is impeded by the cumbersome staircase and railings, and space seems at a premium. Later on, in the more evocative Castel Sant'Angelo scene, over which looms a vast, sinister black wing, the action comes into focus and so, too, does the singing of two of the principals.

Now enjoying a fully international career, Amanda Echalaz offers considerable command and dramatic presence as Tosca, but her engagement with her lover, Cavaradossi, sung by Massimo Giordano, feels less than full-on, and in places she could do with either more sweep or greater finesse. Giordano, meanwhile, provides a steady but unremarkable account of his role until Act three, when he delivers the goods in E Lucevan Le Stelle and together with Echalaz lifts the evening to a memorable vocal and dramatic conclusion.

Inevitably missing from proceedings at this point is Michael Volle's Scarpia, the most consistent of the three leads, his huge and intimidating baritone giving his police chief a dark but undeniably epic grandeur. He plays the character not as a suave, sophisticated sadist but as a brutish bully, utterly unprepared for Tosca's sudden decision to stab him. The smaller roles are well cast, and treble Michael Clayton-Jolly makes the off-stage shepherd boy's song a highlight. But the main factor that dilutes the visceral excitement of this Tosca is Maurizio Benini's conducting, which is all present and correct, but lacks the sheer melodramatic momentum that should make Puccini's score a consistently edge-of-the-seat experience.