Giacomo Puccini, Tosca - Deutsche Oper Berlin

Performance 9th June

After seeing Tosca at the Staatsoper last week I went to see the production at Deutsche Oper with a wonderful cast. The production itself is probably the oldest one I have ever seen (premiered in 1969) but was simply wonderful to look at and very well done. Boleslaw Barlog created a very realistic atmosphere and brought some real drama onstage. The conduction of the characters was great and included so many sophisticated details which showed that he was really dealing with the characters and the plot. Stage and costumes were made by Filippo Sanjust and looked marvelous. Especially the elegant costumes were stunning and created a very convincing atmosphere. My favorite part of the staging was the scenery of the final act with the wonderful Castel Sant'Angelo and the view over the roofs of Rome. The continuos increase of light created the sensation of a real daybreak. This whole act worked out simply perfect including a wonderful jump of our Tosca in the end.
Musically it was even more convincing. I do not know how he did it but Stefano Ranzani created some real magic this evening. His interpretation was clear, balanced and showed a huge dynamic range. The Orchester der Deutschen Oper was phenomenal and played so excitingly that the whole performance was ravishing experience. Especially the dramatic outbreaks were marvelous but also the intimate parts sounded really brilliantly. I never heard such a thrilling Tosca before (from the orchestral point of view).
The smaller roles were casted solidly and appropriate with Dong-Hwan Lee (Jailer), Andrew Harris (Sciarrone) and Jörg Schörner (Spoletta). Especially Schörner convinced with his performance as disgusting devious servant of Scarpia.
Jan Martinik once again gave a very convincing performance as Sacristan as in the week before at the Staatsoper. Also really well casted for such a small role was Derek Welton as Angelotti. His heroic youthful baritone voice suited the role perfectly and one wished that he had more to sing.
The antagonist of the opera, Scarpia, was sung by Ambrogio Maestri who has a very powerful heroic voice and a great acting talent. His performance was totally convincing and showed why Maestri is one of the leading baritones for Italian opera currently. His voice covers quite a range and has a very characteristic dramatic timbre. His whole performance was very enjoyable and appropriate.
Roberto Aronica also gave a wonderful performance as Cavaradossi. His tenor voice has a very light timbre but quite some power and his top register works seemingly effortlessly. His performance was captivating and convincing. Especially the third act was very touching and somehow seemed very naturally.
Adrianne Pieczonka sang the title role and gave a very good performance. Her steely voice has very smooth transitions even though the timbre is quite edgy. Besides her vocal power her voice is able to cut through the orchestra without any problems. Her portrayal was very touching and showed that she has very good acting skills. Her despair in act two looked so real and made the audience empathise with her.
My overall impression was very good and I had a lovely evening. This production shows that old production do not have to be uninteresting and most current directors could learn a lot of it. Therefor I would give 9 stars to Tosca at Deutsche Oper Berlin.
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Reviewed by Daniel Url