Wellington Opera’s Tosca: brilliant casting and gripping pace
Soprano Madeleine Pierard as Tosca
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
The large audience at Wellington’s St James Theatre for the opening night of Wellington Opera’s Tosca held its breath, as soprano Madeleine Pierard sang the famous aria Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore (‘I lived for art, I lived for love’), creating a beautiful, still centre in one of the most fast-moving and popular operas in the world.
Puccini’s Tosca is a brilliant example of the operatic art form and of its composer’s art. The music is glorious and emotionally masterly, with some of the most famous arias ever written. It has big themes of love, lust, political and emotional power and evil desire. And it has pace! The tragic story, originally set in Rome in 1800 during the Napoleonic wars, takes place within a breathless 24-hour period.
Wellington Opera’s current production marvellously captures the opera’s momentum, enthralling the audience with edge-of-the-seat tension. Tosca herself is almost always on the move, rushing, entering, exiting, on-stage, off-stage, calling urgently to her lover, "Mario!". When her pace slows, as for Vissi d’arte, the impact is doubly gripping.
A crack team of New Zealand soloists has been assembled for Tosca’s eight principal roles. The casting is inspired, matching not only voices but stage presence, physical appearance and energy to each role.
Floria Tosca (Pierard) is a celebrated Roman singer, a prima donna, and her lover Mario Cavaradossi (tenor Jared Holt) a painter and republican. At the centre of the opera is their love story, threatened by the corrupt Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia (baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes).
Tosca (Madeleine Pierard) and Cavaradossi (Jared Holt) in Act 3
“…their love story is at the centre of the opera.”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
Pierard is making her role debut in the title role. One wonders why it took so long - her voice and presence are perfect for Tosca. The diva is a mercurial and complicated character, powerful in her singing, but also vulnerable, loving, jealous, impulsive and anguished. Pierard’s lovely soprano voice is full of tonal complexity, matching her character, and the distress she expresses throughout the story is authentic and moving.
Holt’s Cavaradossi brings lightness and relaxed happiness to the stage, singing lovingly to the sometimes coquettish Tosca with a strong, open and ringing tenor sound. The defiant artist laughs at power, and even as its evil authority destroys him, he finds beauty around him. Holt’s famous Act 3 aria, the heart-wrenching E lucevan le stelle (‘The stars were shining brightly’), beautifully sung as the battered, bloodied yet strangely calm Cavaradossi faces execution, was genuinely and deeply touching.
Tenor Jared Holt as Cavaradossi
“…deeply touching in the famous Act 3 aria, E lucevan le stelle (‘The stars were shining brightly’).”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
The evil Scarpia is a compelling role, and Rhodes an imposing presence. His fine deep baritone voice and physical size exude menace, power and malice. He is the dark contrast to Cavaradossi’s lightness, and when Scarpia takes over the action at the end of Act 1, Puccini underlines his arrival, the music darkening with the ‘Scarpia’ motif of three, strident chords, containing the ‘devil’s interval’, the tritone.
The opera and its themes are full of such stark and symbolic contrasts and Michael Zaragoza’s versatile and stylish set design, with Rowan McShane’s lighting, hugely enhances this aspect of the story and its themes. Act 1 is church-based, classical white marble pillars and curves embracing the singers, with a prominent cross, a statue of the Virgin, and priests, incense, holy water, worshippers young and old. Bells ring in the orchestral score. Then, a canon menaces from a distance, Rhodes as Scarpia taking over with his powerful voice as the chorus sings the Te Deum and the curtain falls to end the Act.
The powerful voice and presence of Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the evil Scarpia takes over as the chorus sings the Te Deum at the end of Act 1.
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
Actions and emotions are always multi-layered in this opera, as are both Puccini’s music and this clever inside-outside production. The first Act has a religious context, while the 2nd has cruel institutional power at its heart. This central act contains the dark emotional climax of the opera, and the powerful scene in which Scarpia offers Tosca a terrible bargain.
The Act opens begins with Scarpia centre stage, standing tall behind a huge desk, gloating over reports of victory. The power of state and police is on full display. Again, there is menace in the music, and the black, white and red colours of the set reinforce themes of violence and danger.
In Act 2 the black, white and red colours of the set reinforce themes of violence and danger.
Photo credit: Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
Through a doorway in the wall behind him, citizens queue to hear Tosca sing at a celebratory concert, and her voice floats in from a distance, continuing as Cavaradossi is brought in for a cruel inquisition. Puccini’s music cleverly expresses the different strands of the story simultaneously, and the well-managed on-stage/off-stage action makes for great theatre.
Act 2 ends with perhaps the slowest moment in a work of almost constant motion. Tosca, having deceived her tormentor, has committed murder and then, as the performer she is, arranges the scene - “Cosí!” (“Like this!”) - slowly lighting a taper, then two candles on either side of the corpse. Symbolically, having discarded her scarlet diva jacket earlier in the scene, before leaving the stage as the curtain falls she dons Scarpia’s big coat - and with it some of his agency and power.
Madeleine Pierard as Tosca in Act 3
“…wearing Scarpia’s big coat she gains some of his agency and power.”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
As well as the three main protagonists, all other principals are impressive vocally and aptly cast. Bass-baritone Samson Setu is in fine voice as Angelotti, the escaped political prisoner whose plight precipitates the tragedy that unfolds. Experienced operatic bass Wade Kernot in the amiable role of Sacristan brings a warm tone and moments of gentle humour in his scenes in Act 1. The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation have supported Setu, bass Morgan-Andrew King as Sciarrone, Scarpia’s henchman, and Manase Latu as Scarpia’s police agent Spoletta. Dame Kiri was in the house for opening night, adding lustre to the occasion, and would no doubt have been well-pleased by their performances. Boy soprano Ivan Reid and bass Brent Allcock perform well in minor roles.
Bass Wade Kernot as the amiable Sacristan with chorus members
“…warm tone and gentle humour.”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
The adult chorus and a lively children’s chorus are important parts of the action and are confident, expressive and well-prepared. In the pit, Orchestra Wellington, under the experienced and musicianly baton of Brian Castles-Onion, play Puccini’s music with great timing and sensitivity, always flexible in accompaniment and strong in illustrative effects.
In Act 3 the setting becomes more dystopian. It is night-time, the uniformed police are clearing away the homeless, the body of the hapless Angelotti lies crumpled at the foot of the gallows and large red and black posters remind us of Scarpia’s lurking power.
Both production and design are intentionally ambiguous throughout about the historical period. The costumes are vaguely 20th century in style, but there is an occasional cellphone in evidence. Director Jacqueline Coats asks in her programme note how the story of Tosca can speak to modern audiences. The themes of political power and violence, corruption, and exploitation of women seem sadly universal.
Scarpia (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) and Tosca (Madeleine Pierard) in Act 2
“…the themes of political power and violence, corruption and exploitation of women seem sadly universal.”
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court
As the end approaches, the strings and winds of the orchestra sob with emotion, recalling earlier love scenes. All seems briefly hopeful, with a lovely duet between Tosca and Cavaradossi, but death awaits them both. When Scarpia’s body is found, Tosca’s final rush to avoid capture by leaping to oblivion is perhaps a less spine-chilling shock than in some versions, but this is romantic opera, and we know the woman must die in the end.
This successful production of Tosca marks the 100th anniversary this year of Puccini’s death. It is also the fourth annual production from Wellington Opera and the finest yet. What was a fledgling new company with its Don Giovanni in 2021 has grown, year by year, into its vision to become an established feature of Wellington’s operatic and theatrical scene, a confident and high-quality presenter of mainstream opera for local audiences, and a splendid platform for Aotearoa’s finest opera singers and creative professionals. The enthusiastic and appreciative audience ovation was well-deserved.
Wellington Opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, Madeleine Pierard (Tosca), Jared Holt (Cavaradossi), Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Scarpia) Brian Castles-Onion (Conductor), Jacqueline Coats (Director), Michael Zaragoza (Set design), Rebecca Bethan Jones (Costume design), Rowan McShane (Lighting design), Wellington Opera Chorus and Orchestra Wellington.
Opening night September 11, 2024. Season continues on Friday 13 September 7.30pm and Sunday 15 September 2.30pm. More information and tickets here.