All I knew about Tosca before this Friday was that she throws herself off some battlements at the end - my French horn-playing dad used to tell us that in one production a trampoline was involved which led to several unintentional reappearances of the singer above the parapet. The Internet seems unsure as to whether this is an urban myth. Sadly, this production failed to deliver the emotional intensity which this most dramatic moment really ought to produce. This may have been down to my increasing dependence on my smartphone reducing my ability to concentrate and empathise (I had raging nomophobia as I'd left my phone at home), but I also had some quibbles with the production itself.
The singers were extremely good, and we enjoyed the confidence of tenor Ruslan Zinevych as Cavaradossi and soprano Alyona Kistenyova as Tosca. Baritone Vladimir Drago has a rich dark quality to his voice, which is perfect for the utterly horrible villain that is Baron Scarpia; it was chilling when he declared his name and his intentions in Act I. However, the setting of Act II undermined his stage presence and turned him into a grotesque rather than terrifying man. I was to be honest gobsmacked by what basically amounted to the pornification of the opening scene. I'm trying to work out where the idea came from - most synopses of Act II say that Scarpia is dining alone in his apartment, brooding on his preference for the violent conquests of women. The Wikipedia synopsis of the original play by Sardou does permit the presence of ladies of the court at a gathering at the Palazzo Farnese. However, I do not think these ladies would have been performing lesbian foreplay front of stage. It was actually ridiculous - at one point, one of these unnamed women whipped a second bunch of large fake grapes out from beneath the other one's skirt, whilst they continued to stroke each other and eat from the same bunch of grapes. Perhaps more Roman Empire than Roman Republic? By the time Scarpio was trying to force himself on Tosca causing her to flash her stocking top, I was too busy wondering what your average Oxford opera-goer would make of this that I forgot to feel scared for Tosca. Tosca's bright red frilly lace nighty-style dress and Scarpio's pantomime villain eyebrows did not help matters.
My opera-expert friend has now sent me about five versions of Tosca to watch on YouTube to ensure that I get the full experience. I am already listening on repeat to the heartbreaking tune at the end, when Tosca thinks that she is going to escape with Cavaradossi. I hadn't quite realised that Puccini composed in both the 19th and 20th centuries. Tosca was first played in 1900, and there were moments at which I thought one could hear a foreshadowing of romantic film music.
I would certainly see another Ellen Kent production for the singers and the spectacle, but I would not necessarily expect emotional depth.