‘Tosca’ back at National Opera
Think World War II, Italy. A few months before the surrender and fall of Mussolini. In the vortex of war and the terror of a fascist regime, a small drama unfolds, or more precisely, a drama of a woman in love, an impassioned woman who finds herself trapped between authoritarian power and the idealism of the opposing side. Does this seem like a contemporary opera? Not at all. Yet what has just been described is a synopsis of «Tosca» by Giacomo Puccini. You could say: Puccini died in 1924, Mussolini was still at the beginning of his political career and no one had even heard of Hitler. Also, a well-known fact, the plot of the acclaimed opera takes place in the 1800s, at the time of Napoleon. Director Nikos Petropoulos however had other ideas, and he has shown this with great success with last year’s production of «Tosca» at the National Opera. The production was back on stage this year – two final performances take place tonight and Saturday. In this highly successful production, the director transferred the plot of the original opera and placed it in the 1940s, creating a film noir atmosphere. White, black and gray colors dominate in the set design and the costumes, both designed by Petropoulos. This year, the role of Tosca is shared between Nicola Beller Carbone and Mata Katsouli, while South Korean Young Chun Li and German Herman Vilar have taken on the role of Mario Cavaradossi. Steven Kersoulious is Baron Scarpia, Constantinos Katsaros is Cesare Angelotti and the role of Spoletta is split between Constantinos Stavridis and Philippos Dellatolas. The music is conducted by Viron Fidetzis. Two final evenings remain for those who missed the stimulating performance last year or anyone wishing to make comparisons with last year’s production. Greek National Opera, Olympia Theater, 59 Academias. Tel. 210.361.2461
