Search - Puccini, Scotto, Domingo :: Tosca Hlts

Except for the lightweight Scarpia, a great Tosca

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Buying this highlights disc, which contains all the famous moments from the opera, will tell you if you want to acquie the complete set. This is a riveting performance, superbly conducted by the young James Levine in 1980. Domingo is in thrilling voice as Cavaradossi, as is Scotto in the title role, though you will have to accept her pronounced wobble when she holds a high note at forte or above. That mattered little to me, given hre gripping portrayal, arugably the most exciting since Callas, although neither can remotely boast the vocal beauty of Leontyne Price.



This would be a top-choice Tosca if it weren't for Renato Bruson, a lightweight baritone Scarpia. Why he was cast instead of a bass-baritone is mystifying; personally I dislike his dry tone, which has neither meance, power, nor lyric seductiveness. But he is an admired artist, and other listeners may disagree with me. In any eent, this is an imaginative and highly musical reading of a warhorse that badly needs both qualities."