Seattle Opera’s ‘Tosca’ opens to enraptured applause

Opera review

A great classic opera, a cast of strong and impassioned singers and players, beautifully designed sets.

It would be hard to find a more compelling trifecta of talent than Seattle Opera displays in the current production of Puccini’s beloved “Tosca,” which opened Saturday evening to enraptured applause. The production runs through May 17.

There are no gimmicks, no “high concept” staging: Instead, there is compelling drama that unfolds against a beautiful background of realistic painted backdrops depicting 19^th-century Rome. The sets have a history of their own: Designed in Milan by Ercole Sormani in the 1950s and brought here in the 1960s by Seattle Opera Founding Director Glynn Ross, they’ve been used in four previous Seattle productions (1969, 1977, 1986 and 2015) and rented by dozens of other companies. Here they shine again, subtly and beautifully lighted by lighting designer Connie Yun.

Best of all, of course, there’s the music itself: one great tune after another. Italian conductor Leonardo Sini, a winner of the Solti International Conductors’ Competition, makes his U.S. debut with this “Tosca,” and his dramatically convincing interpretation with an expertly responsive orchestra lends a white-hot intensity to this beloved score. The singers follow Sini’s strong lead, with arias and ensembles that are packed with emotional energy. Saturday night’s opening performance was the kind of show that leaves the audience leaning forward in their seats, unwilling to miss the next glorious aria, the next exciting conflict — or the next declaration of love.

In the title role, soprano Lianna Haroutounian created a mercurial and passionate Tosca, her expressive voice rising easily to the high notes of some of the loveliest arias ever composed. Her “Vissi d’arte,” one of the most beloved arias in the soprano repertoire, was exquisite; it was both artful and emotionally moving. She was well matched by tenor Yonghoon Lee as her lover, Cavaradossi, whose big, vibrant tenor set the tone for the performance with a passionate first-act “Recondita armonia.”

What a powerful duo! Both Haroutounian and Lee are compelling actors, too, conveying the passion and the desperation of the lovers’ doomed opposition to their political oppressors. Stage director Brenna Corner kept the action fluid and natural, even in one of the most challenging scenes — the conclusion of Act I, the big village celebration that brings together a crowd of villagers and children, briefly all crammed together on the stage. Chorus masters Michaella Calzaretta and Julia Meyering prepared the adult and youth choral singers well. It’s a quick and crowded scene, but essential to the act’s atmosphere of pageantry and celebration.

Željko Lučić was a masterly Scarpia, the villain audiences love to hate — the one who sets the whole tragedy into motion by exploiting Tosca’s jealousy. He exuded a suave, gloating menace that belied the warmth of his voice.

The supporting cast was well chosen: John Marzano (Spoletta), Adam Lau (Angelotti), Barry Johnson (Sacristan), Ilya Silchukou (Sciarrone) and Micah Parker (the Jailer). Grace Elaine Franck-Smith made a brief but lovely contribution as the Shepherd Boy. (An alternate cast, heard on May 4, 10, 14 and 17, features Vanessa Goikoetxea in the title role, with Rame Lahaj as Cavaradossi, Craig Colclough as Scarpia and Anthony E. Kim in the role of the Shepherd Boy.)

Throughout Saturday’s performance, the audience response was fully engaged, so much so that when Tosca stabs the evil Scarpia, a startling round of applause arose in the house — applause that was repeated when the tyrant breathes his last. Now that’s successful villainy … and grand opera.