Guest stars radiant in Mercury Opera Rochester's 'Tosca'

Stuart Low, Staff writer

(January 18, 2009) - Two guest stars brought thrilling singing and dramatic power to Mercury Opera Rochester's performance of Puccini's Tosca.

As the doomed heroine Floria Tosca, Jill Gardner lit up the somber plot with a lustrous soprano and riveting stage presence. This role demands a tremendous emotional range, from love-struck singer to avenging angel who defies the dreaded police chief, Scarpia.

Gardner was utterly convincing Friday as the clingy, jealous lover of artist Mario Cavaradossi. The variety of embraces they tried throughout the show should be a model for younger viewers. And when it came time for Tosca to confront Scarpia, Gardner turned in a mad scene worthy of Maria Callas.

She pleaded, collapsed to the floor and finally wielded a dagger with the slice 'em, dice 'em gusto of a ninja. Her only miscalculation was beginning the aria Vissi d'arte ("I lived for art") stretched out on a divan. It compromised her vocal projection, though she rallied quickly enough to win a mid-act ovation.
Syracuse native Dinyar Vania played Cavaradossi - formerly a beefcake role, until the paunchy Luciano Pavarotti brought too much beef to the part. Vania displayed a ringing tenor and flawless breath control. At the top of his range in E lucevan le stelle ("And the stars were shining"), he was able to soar, crack with emotion and then glowingly sustain a note like molten glass.

And he was believable as Tosca's lover: No small task, because Tosca is not always easy to love. (She's one of those divas who, as the late comedian Anna Russell put it, "have resonance where their brains ought to be.")

Less persuasive was Jake Gardner (Jill's husband) as Scarpia — a central character. At first glance, Tosca is a classic Italian mix of sex, violence and gloriously overtaxed vocal cords. It's also a surprisingly modern portrait of a police state with endless snooping and political persecution (torture included).

Scarpia runs the inquisition, and Gardner portrayed him as a coldly calculating spy master who gathers clues and plays on fears. In fact, Puccini's music paints him as a far more sinister presence. Gardner's singing was assured, but his stolid acting lacked the necessary edge of menace. Shadowing Tosca in his black cape, he looked like Darth Vader on Xanax.

The stylish sets sharpened the opera's mood of claustrophobia. The chapel and prison battlements confined the singers with sharply angled walls and metal grills. Even the door to Scarpia's elegant quarters had bars that hinted of prison. Lurid red lighting flooded its walls after Scarpia's death — perhaps a foretaste of the hell awaiting this would-be Don Juan.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra sounded first-rate under Benton Hess' baton. He gave precision to Puccini's quick-shifting harmonies, which (like the hunted characters) are never able to take root. Even in complex passages where church music mingled with tense dialogue, the RPO stayed in sync.

The Eastman Theatre production won a prolonged ovation.

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