Tosca / Eleonora Buratto, (Tosca), Jonas Kaufmann, (Cavaradossi), Ludovic Tézier,. (Scarpia), Roman Chabaranok, (Angelotti), Martin Snell, (Sacristan). Kornél Mundruczó, director, Andrea Battistoni, conductor, Bavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, National-theater, July 24, 2024.
My 2024 Munich Opera sojourn concluded with two Puccini crowd pleasers, Tosca and La fanciulla del West — “shabby little shocker” meets “spaghetti western” — what’s not to like? All kidding aside, the two Puccini plus Wagner’s Parsifal and Tannhauser represent four of the greatest operatic works ever written. It’s only at venerable houses the likes of the Bayerische Staatsoper where one can enjoy such a lineup on four consecutive evenings.
While it was sad that the originally scheduled Anja Harteros, a beloved German soprano and a Munich audience favourite, cancelled all her engagements in 2024 to care for her family, we had a worthy replacement in Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto, who was assaying her first Tosca. Buratto sang opposite superstar tenor and Munich native Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi. Rounding out the stellar trio was French baritone Ludovic Tezier as Scarpia. Young and fast-rising Italian conductor Andrea Battistoni was at the helm.
The July 24 performance was long sold out, typical of any show starring Herr Kaufmann. The full house was treated to a Tosca production unlike any they have seen. A bold statement I know, but one I totally stand by. Having been attending live operas for six decades, I have seen my share of good and bad productions. This one left me literally speechless at the end.
We live in an age of “Regieoper,” or director-driven opera productions. When the director’s vision is executed with care and sensitivity, honouring and respecting the original intentions of the composer and librettist, it can be an illuminating and thought-provoking experience for the audience. But, if the director’s vision is too radical, it can be a positively bewildering evening at the opera.
The staging of this Tosca is sadly an example of the latter. In my years of seeing many Tosca productions, I don’t recall one where Cavaradossi is not a painter but a photographer, snapping away with a Polaroid camera no less, incidentally a piece of equipment totally anathema to professional photographers! Act One takes place not at the Sant’Andrea della Valle church, but at a film studio, with plenty of pointless frontal nudity thrown in for good measure.
In Act Two, Cavaradossi is tortured right onstage, with plenty of blood and gore. Talk about a “shabby little shocker!”
After Tosca kills Scarpia, nine young women come onstage facing the audience, each with a huge bloodstain in the crotch area of the nightgown. The implication is clear — they are victims of sexual violence perpetrated by Scarpia, having been locked up in his basement. Cavaradossi’s Act Three aria, the showstopping “E lucevan le stelle” was upstaged by projections of pointless Pasolini film clips that have nothing to do with the opera.
Further research into Hungarian stage director Kornél Mundruczó’s thoughts on this Tosca reveals that he has superimposed onto Cavaradossi the personage of Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. The production has time-shifted to the late 1970s, around the time of his filming of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. When the opera is so radically altered, it creates many gaping holes in the storytelling, with plenty of unexplainable inconsistencies.
The character of the fugitive Angelotti (Roman Chabaranok) is no longer a freedom fighter but a member of the terrorist group Red Brigades. The character of Sacristan and all his actions in the church make zero sense in this setting. It’s a completely different character than what the composer had intended. Frankly, this is Mundruczó’s Tosca, not Puccini’s.
I could go on, but I won’t, except to say that Mundruczó’s vision does not ring true to me. It does not illuminate the story nor the music. Instead, it changes the story, or at least it serves to confuse. For one thing, it makes mincemeat out of the libretto. The projections of Pasolini film clips during “E lucevan le Stelle” offer needless distraction. No wonder when the Act One curtain came down, there were substantial booing in the theatre. I understand that in a subsequent, “Oper für alle” performance streamed on the internet worldwide, there was also booing.
Thankfully, Puccini’s music came to the rescue, and the three principals delivered. Buratto was a fresh voiced, youthful Tosca, with a generous top register, although one would wish for a more substantial chest voice. As expected, Kaufmann had all the money notes, if a bit stentorian in his delivery. Ludovic Tézier gave a well sung if not particularly evil Scarpia. Italian Maestro Andrea Battistoni drew exciting, if sometimes excessively loud, sounds from the excellent Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. Prima la musica, as they say!
La fanciulla del West / Malin Byström (Minnie), Yonghoon Lee (Dick Johnson), Michael Volle (Jack Rance); Andreas Dresen, director; Juraj Valčuha, conductor, Bavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, National-theater July 26, 2024.
After such a radically re-imagined Tosca, it was a real change of pace with La fanciulla del West two days later. Compared to the Tosca production, Andreas Dresen’s Fanciulla could not have been more different. Having seen it in 2019 with a different cast of principals, I found this Fanciulla enjoyable, entertaining, and beautifully sung, although not particularly distinctive visually. Seeing it again five years later, my original impression holds true.
If the Tosca production is the epitome of in-your-face radicalism, this Fanciulla is essentially straightforward and non-controversial, almost to a fault. Visually, the set by Matthias Fischer-Dieskau is quite nondescript, without any hint that the action takes place in the American Wild West or California Gold Rush Country. Very darkly lit by Michael Bauer — you would think the whole opera takes place at night — it was atmospheric and dramatically effective, if aesthetically a bit grim and rather short on authenticity. The costuming by Sabine Gruenig was equally middle-of-the-road, with plenty of leather, jeans and the like, with hardly a cowboy hat in sight.
Given that the last act is only 30 minutes long, sometimes Act 2 and 3 are performed without an intermission, as is the case here. Like Tosca, the chief pleasure of this Fanciulla was musical. It was my first time hearing Norwegian soprano Malin Byström in person, and her Minnie was beautifully sung and youthfully acted. Compared to Anja Hampe whom I saw five years ago, Bystrom’s full lyric soprano was lighter, with an excellent top and every note in place. On the other hand, Kampe’s Minnie has more temperament, especially in the Act 2 Card Scene.
Opposite Byström was Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee as Dick Johnson. This was also the first time I heard him in person, and I was astonished at the size and power of his voice, coming out of such a thin person. He’s the perfect example that you don’t need to be Pavarotti sized to flood a hall with sound. No wonder that he’s in demand everywhere. His “Ch’ella mi creda libero e lontano” was a highlight of the evening.
Veteran German baritone Michael Volle was Jack Rance. Incidentally, an announcement was made before the start that Mr. Volle had sprained his ankle earlier in the day, and his stage action would be modified to accommodate his indisposition. Well, he sounded great, even if he limped a bit getting on and off the stage! This show has many supporting roles, the California gold miners, all impeccably acted and sung by the Munich Opera Fest Artists, particularly Kevin Connors (Nick), Balint Szabo (Ashby), and Tim Kuypers (Sonora).
The Munich Opera Male Chorus got a huge workout in this opera, just 24 hours after they gave their all in Tannhauser. Here they sounded warm and sentimental in the Act 3 ending chorus “Le tue parole sono di Dio.” Slovak maestro Juraj Valčuha led the Munich forces in a resplendent reading of the inspired score, with plenty of power when needed, but never neglecting the importance of chiaroscuro.
Another enjoyable Munich sojourn in the memory bank. Can’t wait until next year!
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