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| The great Argentinian born tenor Marcelo Álvarez is outstanding as Cavaradossi |
Blu-ray is definitively a blessing for all friends of grand opera. Another proof of that is the oustanding Tosca disc, recorded on a balmy July evening 2006 in the historic Arena di Verona.
The huge outdoor arena is of course not the easiest venue for a Tosca performance, but in this case the people behind the production succeeded marvellously. Watching this Tosca actually makes you want to attend a live performance in Verona!
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| The Arena de Verona, seating over 15.000 people, is a great setting for the opera |
I have to agree with the review in the Opera Journal:
This budget release of Tosca by Arthaus (available for around £6 from online retailers) is an accessible and affordable introduction for anyone interested in discovering just how amazing opera can look and sound on Blu-ray.
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If the scenes work and are scarcely less effective than usual, it’s down to Puccini’s score to a large extent, but it also needs strong casting to put it across, and this production certainly has that. Best of all is Marcelo Álvarez – better known for his Verdi tenor roles than for Puccini, but Cavaradossi suits him well in this particular opera. Fiorenza Cedolins is fine and occasionally brilliant as Flora Tosca, and Scarpia is in the capable hands of the great Ruggero Raimondi.
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| Fiorenza Cedolins is convincing as Tosca |
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| The famous Italian bass-baritone Ruggiero Raimondi here as Scarpia, just before he is stabbed by Tosca |
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| Cedolins and Álvarez |
Here is Marcelo Álvarez in the perhaps most famous Tosca aria:
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