THERE was a time, not so very long ago, when German
tenor Jonas Kaufmann was decreed by some to be too Italian for
Wagner and too German for Puccini. It's complete bollocks, of
course. Kaufmann may not have the classic Italianate ring of a
Pavarotti, but he is an absolutely remarkable artist who has the
lot, as this DVD of Tosca amply illustrates. The opera is less
than 10 minutes old before Cavaradossi's first aria, Recondita
armonia, lets you get his measure. Kaufmann positively glows:
his phrasing is flowing and luscious; there is not a hint of
strain at the top and he is thoughtful in expression, letting
you know this is just the beginning of his journey. At the other
end of the evening, E lucevan le stelle is given with
restrained, aching tenderness. It doesn't hurt, of course, that
Kaufmann is super-handsome and slender. Phew! Now for
the less good news. The conceit of Robert Carsen's production is
that the action takes place on a stage within a stage (Tosca
being an opera singer and all that). It doesn't have anything
more to say and has the effect of putting a bit of cool air
around the drama. And Tosca's last grand gesture is a washout in
this conception. But there are benefits, too. The production
pretty much keeps out of the performers' way -- apart from a bit
of making them stand artily under big stage lamps -- and lets
their personalities take centre stage. Thomas Hampson is a
tremendous foil as Scarpia and is shown to great advantage here.
He's one of those elegantly cruel gentlemen whose intentions are
telegraphed with the minimum of fuss and gesture. He would
possibly sound a little underweight in a big house but works
wonderfully on screen. American soprano Emily Magee sings the
title role admirably, but the production is problematic for her.
She looks marvellous in the 1950s film star-style clothes but
acts a little too much like a young Norma Desmond ready for her
close-up. The upshot is an undermining of some of Tosca's most
defining moments: her insistence on changes to her lover's
painting of the Madonna; the hisses to Scarpia that he should
die; the exhortation that Cavaradossi should act magnificently
in the face of the firing squad . . . The shortfall would be
less noticeable if the Magee-Kaufmann chemistry were better, and
in a different production it may well be. Paolo Carignani
conducts the Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zurich in a solid rather
than thrilling performance that tends towards superficial
brightness at the expense of emotional depth, but opera fans
will rightly want this for Kaufmann in his full powers.
