Grand voices highlight HGO’s latest 'Tosca'

No matter how many times one has experienced “Tosca,” it’s not long into any encounter before you’re reminded why this is one of the staples of the repertoire.

It boasts one of the tautest librettos, with no superfluous tangents to distract from its gripping narrative, almost exclusively devoted to the three colorful leads and the volatile interplay between them.

Of course, that alone would not ensure its immortality, were it not for Puccini’s score. Beyond the beauty and emotional expressiveness of the music, it’s also unerringly tailored to the dramatic purpose of each scene, whether in the ominous chords and cymbal clashes heralding the arrival of the villain, or the hushed reverie of the hero’s musings on the dawn of his execution day.

Houston Grand Opera has brought back “Tosca” in director John Caird’s production, which it premiered in 2010. Again it impresses as a sturdy treatment that respects the strengths of the work and stresses them accordingly. Three superlative stars deliver the lead roles with aplomb. Two are different from the 2010 star trio; one is returning.

Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska sings tempestuous diva Floria Tosca with compelling power and soulful depth. Russian tenor Alexey Dolgov, returning to his 2010 role, brings his vibrant tenor to the romantic painter Mario Cavaradossi, Tosca’s beloved. Polish baritone Andrzej Dobber makes a formidable villain as cruel Baron Scarpia, who’ll stop at nothing to destroy his political enemy Cavaradossi and satisfy his lust for the fiery Tosca.

Opera content doesn’t get much juicier, yet “Tosca” never veers into melodrama. The work tempers its grand passions with tragic dignity and that seems the keynote of Caird’s thoughtful, at times broodily emotive production. The crucial factor is keeping intense focus on the leads, in a straightforward staging with characters’ movement supported by their motives. In a largely traditional treatment, Caird has added a few fillips, as in expanding Tosca’s final defiant act of violence.

Bunny Christie’s production design is austere but not minimalist. It features a unit set, a vast shell of a building, used for all three acts, but with extensive changes within that frame to create the three locales. Christie’s costumes are all in dark hues and earth tones, save for the heroine’s white gown.

Monastyrska’s voice boasts impressive range and power, her sound fully supported throughout her register. She plays Tosca with womanly passion, but also thoughtfulness, an emotional maturity. She sings her key aria “Vissi, d’Arte” with simplicity and eloquent feeling. In another particularly impressive moment, she recounts her fatal confrontation with Scarpia with awesome, steely strength, then in the next line, turns to Cavaradossi, her voice all melting tenderness.

Dolgov conveys Cavaradossi’s bravery and passion in both his singing and characterization. His warm, supple tenor soars in arias like his Act 1 hymn to Tosca’s beauty, then later finds the deepest poignancy in his Act 3 farewell to the world. His voice melds beautifully with Monastyrska’s in their duets, all exemplary — especially their a capella moment of glory in Act 3.

Baron Scarpia is one of opera’s baddest baddies. Dobber’s authoritative presence and the dark, rich timbre of his voice make him perfect the role. He’s ruthless yet still subtle about it, especially when turning on the charm (he thinks) with a softer tone to woo Tosca. He’s menacing in his cool confidence, the awareness that he holds all the cards. The one thing he cannot control is his passion for Tosca — and that also comes across tellingly in this portrayal.

Patrick Summers again conducts with flair and sensitivity. The orchestra’s playing is impeccable, matching Summers’ feeling for the score’s shifting moods and appreciation of its lyric beauty.

Overall, it’s the effectiveness of “Tosca” as music-drama that makes it so affecting.