I had a music teacher who was fond of saying everyone goes to the opera for a few famous numbers ... on which they
then pass judgment. Well, Puccini's Tosca contains about a half-dozen of them and they all sounded great
last night at Washington Nationals Ballpark.
The several thousand people
who turned out for the 4th annual Opera in the Ballpark, simulcast from the Kennedy Center on 9/22, found that
the Washington National Opera fielded a championship team for a stirring rendition of Tosca. While the numbers in attendance were lower
than previous years, owing to a weekday, evening curtain time - the Nats' September schedule wouldn't accommodate
a Sunday afternoon performance - the crowd was appreciative of the music, singing, and, most especially, the acting for this
crackling 3-act melodrama.
Tosca (running at the Kennedy
Center to 9/24) is impressive for its well defined arc - both in scene and characterization. Everything builds, slowly
but determinately - the plot, the character, and the musical motifs - toward some foregone end. David Kneuss's
direction, combined with Plácido Domingo's conducting (how often do you see a renowned singer in the pit?), gave
the rise and fall of each element an emphatic focus. Seldom will you see a curtain or performer come down with such
finality, one by one, and despite the earthly outcome, such satisfaction.
In the title role, Soprano Patricia Racette's distinctively rich voice, with plenty of vibrato, scaled the upper
registers and planted a flag, supreme in the emotional scenes, both with her lover Cavaradossi (Frank Porretta) and the arch-villain
Scarpia (Alan Held). She and Mr. Porretta were joined at the hip in their duets, but her rendition of "Vissi d'arte"
was indeed something to live for. Mr. Porretta, who has a magisterial tenor voice, on the order of Pavarotti (or Domingo),
really belted out one impressive aria or operatic assist after another.
Mr.
Held, as the mesmerizing-heavy Scarpia, grabbed us by the throat with his countenance and vocalization, a deep bass-baritone.
The musical tag that Puccini cooked up to accompany the evil Baron worked wonders and we all cheered when he got stuck by
Tosca at the end of Act II. While it feels like a finale of sorts - many bailed at the intermission due to the seeming
closure or the lateness of the hour - there was a wrapping up (and a few surprises) in a final act.
The production comes by way of Dallas Opera, courtesy of Giulio Chazalettes, with the set
and costumes by Ulisse Santicchi. The latter design, though, is what catches your attention in this big, widescreen
HD presentation, particularly those of Ms. Racette and Mr. Held. The sound quality under the concourse was garbled,
but in the lower stands and outfield the amplification was truer than I've heard it in concert halls. The synopsis
for each act was clear and detailed and surtitles were easy to follow. Along with the close-ups allowed for by the broadcast,
I found the crowd was held in rapt attention many times in the performance.
"Opera in the Outfield" with all its sponsorship (the Lerner family, WNO, et al) is one of the great gifts
to the people of the DC-area. Maybe it will lead to a wider audience in the future - one can hope - but whether it's
a middling crowd or a full house, this is giving back at its finest, and something to look forward to every season.
Here's hoping they'll get `em again next year!
Runtime:
2:40/w 2 intermissions
Photo credit: Scott Suchman
Applause meter: 4+ hands, Highly recommended
© John F. Glass, September 23, 2011
