{"id":45085,"date":"2023-05-26T22:49:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T22:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/tosca-at-the-bergen-festival-reviews-and-recommendations\/"},"modified":"2023-05-26T22:49:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T22:49:11","slug":"tosca-at-the-bergen-festival-reviews-and-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/tosca-at-the-bergen-festival-reviews-and-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"“Tosca” at the Bergen Festival – Reviews and recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical when I wandered over to the Grieghallen on the opening night of the Festival. There is something about such gala performances of well-worn operatic classics. Stars flew in from the world’s opera stages. Stiffly decorated and white wine-drinking audience. Kings and ministers, queens and luminaries. Solid, seasoned and dead boring. But you world, as my prejudices were put to shame. When I tumbled out into Bergen’s pungent spring air a few hours later, it was with a feeling of having experienced something historic. Facts about “Tosca” Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. Text by Guiseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. First performed at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. Ranked sixth on the list of most frequently performed operas in the 2022\/2023 season The action takes place in Rome in June 1800. The singer Floria Tosca has a passionate relationship with the painter Mario Cavaradossi. The evil police chief Scarpia lusts after Tosca himself, and tries to split the couple up by arousing the singer’s immense jealousy. At the same time, Scarpia is looking for the political fugitive Angelotti, who is being kept hidden by Cavaradossi. The story then offers torture, betrayal, murder and suicide. WORLD STAR ON HOME TRACK: Lise Davidsen tops a star team in Puccini’s classic “Tosca”. Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB Rare solo team To have established it once and for all: What the audience got to experience in the Grieghallen on Wednesday night must have been the most star-studded opera performance on Norwegian soil in living memory. The role of Floria Tosca was sung by soprano Lise Davidsen, this year’s festival musician and the great sensation within the opera world in recent years. Cavaradossi was sung by Freddie De Tommaso, a young tenor who is in huge demand these days. In December he did the same role at Covent Garden in London. Last, but not least: Bryn Terfel in the role of opera literature’s greatest bastard: Baron Scarpia. LADY IN TROUBLE: Floria Tosca (Lise Davidsen) and Baron Scarpia (Bryn Terfel). Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB Terfel is a megastar with a reach far beyond the boundaries of opera. Last seen in Westminster Abbey, where his warm and generous baritone lifted the sleepy coronation of King Charles III of Great Britain at least a couple of notches. Authority and radiance The festivals have marketed “Tosca” as a “concertante” performance. This means a performance without costumes and scenery, and where the soloists are placed in front of the orchestra. At the same time, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has made it something of a specialty to lift such performances to unimagined theatrical heights. The recipe for success is to play the opera with a minimum of props on the relatively limited stage space in front of the orchestra. CONCERT: The soloists were placed in front of the orchestra during the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of “Tosca”. Here Freddie De Tommaso (Cavaradossi) and Floria Tosca (Lise Davidsen) Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB Admittedly, the scenery this time appears a bit random and influenced by the practical circumstances. But what I like about this performance is precisely the slightly loose, uncoordinated and make-it-like kind of thing. It is obvious, however, that the show’s big stage personality is Bryn Terfel, who plays Baron Scarpia with so much authority and radiance that he almost ends up sweeping the floor with the others on stage. Therefore, the performance also falls somewhat in intensity in the third act, when Scarpia is out of the picture. Touching and fascinating It is undoubtedly the vocal performances that are exceptional in the Grieg Hall this evening. Tenor Freddie De Tommaso stands out with a great sound, great vocal power and solid sense of style. GIVING THE IRON: Freddie De Tommaso as Cavaradossi. Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB Cavaradossi’s victory cry “Vittoria, vittoria!” in the second act must have been raging between Bergen’s seven mountains long after the caretaker had turned off the lights in Grieghallen. Bryn Terfel leaves little doubt that he is the great Scarpia of our time. The range of expressions is formidable, but it is particularly the use of small nuances in facial expressions and tone of voice that make his interpretation a study in human evil. GIANT: Bryn Terfel makes a formidable performance in “Tosca”. Left: Conductor Edward Gardner. Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift Experiencing this up close is both frightening and fascinating at the same time. It is also great to witness Lise Davidsen’s very first “Tosca” on an opera stage. Lise Davidsen is not a typical Puccini soprano, and it is obvious that she is not quite at home in this repertoire. At the same time, Davidsen is such a distinctive singer that to some extent she becomes her own voice subject, no matter what she sings. SPECIAL FEATURE: Lise Davidsen made the aria “Vissi d’arte” the most moving musical moment of the evening. In the middle: Conductor Edward Gardner. Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB What the audience is witnessing this evening is most of all a singer who dares to challenge herself, and who precisely therefore creates an interpretation of the theatrical Floria Tosca that works on its own terms. The enormous range of expression is recognisable, with a top register that is almost excessive in such a small hall as the Grieghallen. At the same time, the interpretation also contains something else, something skinless, simple and expressive. In this direction, Lise Davidsen manages the masterpiece of turning the sentimental and well-worn aria “Vissi d’arte” into the evening’s most moving musical moment. It is also part of the story that the show’s smaller roles maintain a solid level throughout the entire season. Not least the young bass Christian Valle impresses in the role of the good-natured church servant. Responsive orchestra In such a star-studded opera performance, it is easy to be dazzled by the people standing at the front of the stage. But this would not have been a memorable performance if there was not high quality in all parts. There is every reason to highlight the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which plays exceptionally responsively and nuanced under conductor Edward Gardner. FINE TYPE: The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra played outstandingly under the direction of Edward Gardner. Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB The drama flows naturally and effortlessly, while Gardner avoids the temptation to cultivate the bombastic and sentimental. Finally, it should be mentioned that the choir and the boys’ choir sing so powerfully and precisely that Bryn Terfel himself forgets that he is Scarpia and turns around to give the singers an appreciative nod. It is in moments like these that I realize that I am witnessing something big. news reviewer Photo: Thor Br\u00f8dreskift \/ FIB Title: “Tosca” Location: Grieghallen, Bergen Music: Giacomo Puccini Libretto: Guiseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica Musical direction: Edward Gardner Concert director: Nicolai Riise Lighting design: Jesper Kongshaug Cast: Lise Davidsen (Floria Tosca) , Freddie De Tommaso (Cavaradossi), Bryn Terfel (Baron Scarpia), Ashley Riches (Cesare Angelotti), Christian Valle (A Church Servant), Kjetil St\u00f8a (Spoletta), Ludvig Lindstr\u00f6m (Sciarrone), Olav Fr\u00f8yen Sandvik (A Shepherd Boy), David Hansford (A Prisoner), Edvard Grieg Choir, Edvard Grieg Boys Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Collegium Musicums Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Date: 24 and 26 May
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I must admit that I was a bit skeptical when I wandered over to the Grieghallen on the opening night of the Festival. There is something about such gala performances of well-worn operatic classics. Stars flew in from the world’s opera stages. Stiffly decorated and white wine-drinking audience. Kings and ministers, queens and luminaries. Solid, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[383,876,225,224,14210],"class_list":["post-45085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bergen","tag-festival","tag-recommendations","tag-reviews","tag-tosca"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}