The Shabbiest of Shockers

I have always disagreed with Joseph Kerman's famous assessment of Tosca as being Puccini's "shabby little shocker" (Opera as Drama 1956). When well done it can be the most exciting of operas - the drama of the Te Deum, Scarpia's pursuit of the frightened Tosca ending in his stabbing death and that final leap from the battlements - this is the stuff of great theatre - when well done!

Last evening at the Baths of Caracalla Teatro dell'Opera di Roma seemed bent into proving Kerman right and presented us with the shabbiest of shockers. This will have to go down as one of the worst evenings I've spent at the opera and only the second time in 57 years that I have left before the end of a performance. And though most of the members of our party remained I was not alone on my escape walk to the exit - there was a general exodus towards the Via Appia just after Tosca killed Scarpia with a well placed crucifix to the old Scarpian family jewels.

Yes you did read that right. Poor old Scarpia died not from multiple stab wounds but from a smack in the cullones! And this was just one of director Franco Ripa di Meana's many "innovations". Other fascinating concepts included turning Scarpia into a prelate of the church which meant that the stage was frequently filled with phalanxes of black soutaned priests bearing down relentlessly on the principals. Oh I get it the oppression of the church - very cutting edge but I still question turning the celebratory Te Deum into the auto-de-fe scene from Don Carlo. And the burst of flames and fiery cross that closed ACT I lasted all off 2 seconds and blinded most of the audience not astounded them. And why exactly was Tosca costumed like a 19th century hooch dancer - slit skirt, bustier and all - surely Queen Caroline had a stricter court protocol than that? And wasn't it rather louche of her to walk on Scarpia's dinner table. And since when was Cavaradossi a pavement artist spreading his canvases out on the floor and having them walked on by thoughtless sacristans? And what was with that murder? First she hit him in the stones with the crucifix then she brandished it at him like a vampire killer. And rather than the drama of the placing of candles around the body and retrieving the liaise-passe from the hands of the dead man she picked it up off the table/prie-deux/chair and as a platoon of priests bore down on the corpse, escaped through the audience - to a round of applause that destroyed the climax of Puccini's music. "Sadly" I did not see what "improvements'" had been thought up for Act 3 but I'm sure it was just as original.

Edoardo Sanchi's set was a gigantic map of Rome with the locales of the opera circled in red. And once again it was one of those singers' nightmares - ramps and rakes of various levels always great fun to negotiate in elaborate costumes. It was the first sign that we were in for an evening of "innovations".

Now all of this would have been acceptable if it had been possible to close your eyes and listen to incredible singing - though given the "wrong-headedness" there may not be singers alive who could make it acceptable. I never take pleasure in criticizing singers - theirs is a difficult profession and in many ways an ephemeral one. So believe me I take little or no joy in what follows. Aside from having to fight some of the most hideous costumes ever created poor Michaela Carosi spent a good deal of the evening fighting to stay in tune. At several points I was reminded of a comment made during a performance of Fidelio by my friend John: if that woman screams at us one more time I'm going to stand up and scream back. I would have spent a good time standing and screaming at Madame Carosi which would have made for a duet of out of tune voices, Fabio Armiliato is a singer I admire but he must have been having an off night - the sounds he produced where throaty and at points he sounded strained. He was not helped by having to singing Recondita armonia in a prone position. His Vittoria! Vittoria! was thrilling but does not a Cavaradossi make. Giorigo Surian gave a generalized Scarpia - the voice is more bass than baritone and was swamped by the orchestra on more than one occasion. The remainder of the cast did nothing to make up for the deficiencies displayed by the principals. The normally exceptional Opera chorus was having a bad night - the underpowered Te Deum was a real disappointment. And even the children's chorus were more members of some penitent youth organization than merry, prank playing choir boys. The miking was not particularly successful and on several occasions static and voice placement went awry. Paolo Olmi led a routine performance bringing no special insights into the piece and the orchestra gave yeoman service but again the miking seemed slightly awry.

I had heard some comments while waiting in line at Santa Cecelia the other day about how dreadful this Tosca was so word of mouth is spreading through the city. That and the general decline in tourists trade would account for many blocks of empty seats at the beginning of the performance. And a productin as bad as this would account for the growing numbers that left at each intermission.

Arts money is tight here in Italia - most budgets have been cut 30% - and it is sad to think so many people will go away thinking this is the best that Roma can do. This a company that has a beautiful (and dramatic) Zeffirelli Tosca in its repertory along with some very fine productions of both standard and little known works. This is a company that gives adventuresome seasons, like the one currently in progress - Le Grande Macabre, Pelleas, Iphigenia in Aulide. This is a company where Riccardo Muti has conducted Otello and Iphigenia in the past year and is scheduled to lead Nabucco and Idomeneo in the next. Despite what the Caracalla Tosca could lead you to believe it is not an inconsequential company - but sadly this is the impression many people will carry away with them.

PS: I felt particularly bad for several of our group who were coming to an opera for the first time. This was a sorry introduction and certainly didn't give them much encouragement to give it another try.

PPS: This comment from my friend Flipstinger who has a very good source:
oh my! very unfortunate indeed.... i think it was a good idea to leave after the 2nd act because after i found out more info; the shepherd boy came in on the 3rd act with a llama or a goat which started to make noises and the audience, confused with what's happening on the stage, just burst out in laughter....AND after the show, my informer told me the director, Olmi was frustrated that the audience behaved in such manner and was heard saying "the audience don't get it....how could they have acted that way....they are just clueless."

UHMMMM, i'd say...this director needs to be a part of the audience and watch carefully the product of his so called vision and then look at the libretto again! VERY FAR OFF!

I am so glad I didn't stick around for the 3rd Act - laughter would have been the least of their worries.

17 luglio - Sant'Alessio

Mercoledi Musicale

Yesterday I posted an item about Il Bacio di Tosca, the lovely documentary that I so much enjoy last week. Undoubtedly the star of the film is soprano Sara Scuderi. Though a name largely unknown in North American she had a successful European career, particularly in Holland, as well as some renown in South America. In her time she was known but not considered one of the greats. Listening to her singing Vissi d'arte (I lived for art alone.) makes me think that if this was what a second string soprano sounded like then, how come we can't find a first string soprano that good today?



She was born in Catania December 11, 1906 and made her debut as Verdi's Desdemona in 1925. She was still singing into the 1950s and made a few recordings but had to wait for her real international fame until Tosca's Kiss in 1985. She died at the Casa Verdi on December 24, 1987 at the age of 85.

And because there just aren't singers around like this anymore, here she is singing Mimi's Donde lieta usci in an 1948 recording.



25 marzo - Annunciazione del Signore

E Avanti a lui tremava tutti Roma!*

*And before him all Rome trembled! - Tosca over the dead body of Scarpia

Well all Rome wasn't exactly trembling a week ago Sunday past (January 20th)but the Teatro dell'Opera had to be moving a bit with all the clapping, stomping and carrying on during the curtain calls at the end of Tosca - why even the orchestra stayed behind to join in the ovation. And when a frail looking Franco Zeffirelli came out, leaning heavily on conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti, the foundations had to have given a few shakes.

So was it really all that great an evening? Well yes... and no. Let's just say it was an evening of marvelous inconsistencies. As I mentioned before as a designer Zeffirelli is a traditionalist - if the libretto says Act I - Church of Sant'Andrea delle Valle that's what we get.

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma - Tosca
Set Design by Franco Zeffirelli Act 1 - Church of Sant'Andrea delle Valle

And as a director he is remarkably faithful to the libretto, if Puccini writes music for a Te Deum and Illica and Giacosa want a procession then we get a procession to end all processions - Swiss Guards, Confraturnities, Priests, Cardinals et al.

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma - Tosca
Act 1 - Te Deum finale

There were the Zeffirelli trademarks - extras wandering through the Church, children, a stripped to the waist muscle fuck in the last act,an elevator scenery change, naturalistic action mixed with outright operatic playing to the audience. It may not have all been logical but after some of the Regie nonsense seen here over the past few months - pax the dreadful Neapolitanized Merry Widow and the Smurf-infested Mose in Egitto- it was good to see a director who'd read the libretto and listened to the music.

As for the music making Gelmetti led a taut performance that burned with a sense of drama until "E lucevan le stelle" in Act 3 when all drama left the stage, but more about that later. Though its was a Sunday matinee we had the first cast from opening night: Martina Serafin, Marcelo Alvarez and Renato Bruson. The veteran baritone Bruson, 71 years old according to Wikipedia, was sounding a little thread-bare and now lacks the dark tones to create a really terrifying Scarpia. And if dramatically his Scarpia seemed an imitation of Tito Gobbi's, it should be best remembered that most of Zeffirelli's direction for Act 2 derives from the Callas-Gobbi 1964 production.

Reports of Serafin's Strauss (Johann Jr and Richard) and Wagner had not prepared me for the Latin-intensity of her performance. She was a many-coloured Tosca - almost child-like in her love-play with Cavaradossi in Act 1, very much the grand singer use to theatre in her over-reaction to the painting and truly frightening and frightened in her Act 2 scenes with Bruson. Her Vissi d'arte was a bewildered cry from the heart not just a big soprano aria. Marceo Alvarez, her Cavaradossi, is a big handsome bear of a man with a thrilling voice if no great ability as an actor. He handled the first act by-play with Serafin in a charming way - one could almost believe he would have hustled her into the Angelotti chapel for a quickie if it hadn't been occupied. His Vittoria! Vittoria! was thrilling without being show-stopping because it turns out he was saving the big guns for that Act 3 aria.

And stop the show he did. Now I must admit the aria was beautifully sung but the audience reaction seemed a bit over the top. Cries of bravo, a prolongued ovation and calls of bis (encore) rained down upon the kneeling figure of the about-to-die Cavaradossi - at which point he looked up with a big smile, acknowledged the ovation and turned to conductor Gelmetti with palms outstretched and a little-boy look of pleading on his face. He mimed "not for me maestro but for them," Gelmetti shrugged, Alvarez (forgetting he was playing Mario Cavaradossi) ran off-stage to ... okay it with Zeffirelli or stage management? get a drink of water? blow his nose?... who knows. But he returned all smiles and nodding threw himself into position and did it all over again. After that point Serafin, the excellent Spoletto (Claudio Barbieri) and the crackshot firing squad could do little to revive the dramatic tension - though the chase and leap from the parapet did have a certain excitement.

But at that point the real drama was being reserved for the curtain calls.

Just in case you'd like to see/hear what the carry on was all about Teatro dell'Opera has posted an edited video of the first night encore here. And my friend Parsi has a complete audio here.

(All photos are courtesy of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma)

30 gennaio - Santa Giacinta

Parlo del Piu e del Meno

Just some odds and ends - separated by a few of those leftover pictures from last year.

The Temple of Aecespius at the Villa Borghese in August.

• Next week I head off to London for a few days - 1 cent euro each way on Ryanair plus Euro 48.98 in taxes and services fees for a grand total of Euro 50.00 . I've heard some bad things about them but at that price as long as its got wings and a good safety record I'll try it. Oh did I mention I'm deathly afraid of flying - yes 33 years in the airline business and I'm terrified every minute I'm on a plane.

From our balcony - terraces and the Pines of Rome.

• Why London? To visit my friend Deb and her SO James for a few days and take Deb to lunch at the Fountain Room at Fortnum and Mason's and the Panto at the Old Vic. Its become a tradition - if you can call twice a tradition. Last time it was tea at the Savoy and Sir Ian McKellan playing Aladdin's mother, this year it's Stephen Fry's version of the Cinderella story and some very camp carryings-on. I'll blog about that later.

Towards the Foro from the restored Mercato di Trainao.

• The following week I'm planning to join Laurent in Athens. He's going for work, I'm going to wander around the Plaka, drink ouzo and check out some of Matt Barrett's helpful suggestions on restaurants etc. Matt has never been wrong where Athens is concerned.

A galleria in the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele.

• Since the truckers' strike last month food prices have gone up here anywhere from 10 to 20% depending on the product. And after the December taxi strikes our beloved Mayor Walter "Give 'em bread and circuses" Veltroni has announced that taxi fares will go up 18% with a new Euro 2 surcharge for taxis from the railway station. Wine, however will remain the bargain it has always been. Some things you just don't screw around with!

Almost finished polishing our balls.

• And Wally V. has also announced that Euro 2 billion and a workforce of approximately 5,000 will be thrown at the city parking problem. By 2010 there should be 41,000 new parking spots. Of course by then there should be 100,000 additional cars.

The table set for Christmas Dinner

• I finally got tickets for Tosca - showed up at the Box Office on Tuesday and nabbed 4 seats for the Sunday matinee. Its the first cast so I'm happy with that - explanation: since performances are given on successive nights here they often have two, sometimes three, casts alternating. Sunday will be the same singers as Opening Night - including Marcelo Alvarez and Renato Bruson - so I'm quite content.

10 gennaio - San Aldo

Lines, Lines Everywhere's There's Lines

We have our box at the opera this year but unfortunately it doesn't include the season's opening production - Tosca directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Zio Franco is still a big draw around these parts - even if recent pronouncements he's made in the papers sound like he may be, how shall we say, losing it just a bit. We want to see this "new" Zio Franco production even if it is a rehash of the Callas 1964 one from Covent Garden or the Met's elevator mad one, just to see real solid sets and not steeply sloped floors with sticky out bits. Guaranteed with Zio Franco if the libretto says Act I - Church of Sant'Andrea delle Valle you'll get the Church of Sant'Andrea delle Valle.

So when tickets went on sale for the season this morning I headed down to Piazza Beniamino Gigli to get us some seats.

The Box Office opened at 1000 I arrived at 1130 and joined this crowd:

And received this slip of paper from a kindly gentleman ensconced in the corner:
He wasn't a member of the Opera House staff - just an opera lover who was going to make damned sure everyone got their turn based on when they arrived. And wonder of wonders it was working except they were just calling number 85 and 86 when he handed me mine.

I figured it would be a long wait so left to do a bit of window shopping and book buying. I returned an hour later and they had just called number 106. An hour after that and they were up to number 162. In conversation with the man who had number 446 we decided we'd be lucky to get to the box office window by tomorrow. In the meantime I had been back and forth to Termini hoping to meet our friend Jack when he arrived on the airport train.

He called to say his flight had arrived late, he had waited an hour to get his bag and he was in the line up for train tickets. An hour later he called to say he had just got his ticket and would be on the next train. The final trip to the Opera House indicated that they were "Now Serving Number 187."

In the meantime I thought I'd buy the stamps I need for my Residence Permit at the Station Post Office while I was waiting. And surprise I ran into another line up.

It just seemed to be a day for line ups. I didn't get my tickets for Tosca nor the stamps for my Permit but I did manage to pick Jack up so at least something was accomplished. Mind you we had to line up for 10 minutes for a cab.

03 gennaio - Santa Genoveffa