Killing Me Softly (with a knife): Bondy's Tosca for the Metropolitan Opera

OC is back from the bloodsport opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's 2009/10 season, which unveiled Luc Bondy's new, heated production of Puccini's Tosca. A smattering of boos came from the Family Circle after the second act, which only multiplied by the final curtain call, raining down on the production team -- who knew better than to take the jeers to heart.

The evening wasn't about the Tosca lead, Finnish soprano Karita Mattila (although no one really thought the Fearless Finn would triumph, and after a lukewarm applause for Vissi d'Arte, it was clear she wouldn't be slam-dunking the role), nor was the evening about Argentinian tenor Marcelo Alvarez (as Cavaradossi, he didn't disappoint but he didn't totally sparkle, although E lucevan le stelle was thoughtful, savored, and heartfelt). The evening was all about Luc Bondy's out-with-the-old/in-with-the-new production, pushing Franco Zefferelli's classic and patriotically adored sets into storage, the nostalgia for better times clinging viscerally to an insecure audience.

Frankly, Tosca isn't the fairytale postcard illusion that Franco Zeffirelli conceived for the Metropolitan Opera's adoring audiences years ago -- rather it's a nightmare of despair, rage, and trauma. Wrapped in Zeffirelli's Norman Rockwellian patina, that bitter pill is complacently swallowed by fans who bittersweetly remember Pavarotti limping painfully through the maze of Act III's upturned stones. We have unrelenting respect for Frengo -- we enjoyed his Aida extravaganza at Scala from a couple years ago (much more than poor Alagna, at least) -- but opera, like cinema, is banal when it goes too long unchallenged.

Zeffirelli's equilibrium-heavy direction spoon feeds every single nuance of the libretto -- no knife goes (un)brandished, no elephant goes (un)strutted, and no lace hat goes (un)tipped -- which is comforting, and makes the most aloof spectator duly enlightened. Bondy's direction asserted too much, and assumed that everyone had brushed-up on their European history (and Stendhal's Italian Chronicles).

Unfortunately, James Levine's conducting was the disappointment of the evening. We've heard his Metropolitan Opera Tosca many times live before, and it never ceased to chill us with swaths of intricate color and peppery foreshadowing, leitmotifs nailed. Tonight, however, Levine slowed-down the tempi to a tenuous, schmaltzy sentiment that lacked chiaroscuro, delicious shades, pathos, or punch. Karita Mattila's Tosca was detached, somewhat preoccupied, and lacked a certain vulnerability that makes the character's strength more powerful. Vocally, we prefer a more encompassing color, although Mattila's lower register had us reeling with its bone-chilling assertiveness. George Gagnidze's Scarpia was provocative and solid ('tho his Italian diction left some to be desired).

Richard Peduzzi's sets were deliciously well-constructed (none of that cheap material & shoddy craftsmanship that we had with Zimmerman's Lucia) and architecturally sumptuous. Act I's Chuch of Sant'Andrea della Valle was the archetype of Italy's most gorgeous, rustic and elegant churches -- you know, the ones that aren't in the guidebooks that tourists don't bother visiting because there's no stained glass or pink marble or powdery frescoes -- just soaring, harmonious brick. Instead of a flowing procession for the Te Deum masterpiece, Bondy swarmed & coagulated the priests into a suffocating and oppressive swell. Act II's Palazzo Farnese was a cruel, Fascist ode to tyrannical abusive power instead of Zeffirelli's hyper-realistic, almost comical library. Act III's ramparts of Castel Sant'Angelo brought us allusions to Manet's Execution of Maximilian. Scattered moments of Bondy's direction came across as awkward and affected, but good chemistry between the singers helped spurn the action when it hiccuped. Stripped of sentimentality, this was a thinking man's Tosca. And we were illuminated. Full review coming later...

Comments

[Lou Ann D]

Thank you for your "abbreviated" review which is quite thoughtful and intelligent.

"But opera, like cinema, is banal when it goes too long unchallenged." I agree completely. I subscribed to the Met Player so I could see opera but "banality" is the "rule" and so I rarely make it through any of the full productions, unless there is some really good acting; even the singing can't push me through.

I haven't brushed up on my Italian history lately either, but just the "hey, it's different" factor always pulls me in and I am able to put all the elements together in a way that brings in freshness and invigoration into a new personal interpretation of the work. I truly believe this approach will keep opera alive, and me going to the opera house at every opportunity.

It's too bad about James Levine; slowing down an opera is usually the best way for my mind to wander, or to press the fast forward button when applicable.

Looking forward to more of your thoughts.

[walter]

You say "A smattering of boos..." The New York Times begs to differ. I know who I am going to believe and frankly the whole thing sound like a pile of junk including the singers! Welcome opera world to the new Met season and Gelb!

[O Soave]

Walter, you must not be a native English speaker, because Operachic writes: "A smattering of boos came from the Family Circle after the second act, which only multiplied by the final curtain call, raining down on the production team" indicates very clearly what happened.

Bondy was booed and Operachic wrote so. No need to "believe".

I was there and I just didn't like it, but it's unfair to single out Bondy, I didn't like Mattila either. Levine was painful. A bad night for all involved, not just Bondy.

[Furst]

It looks like we made the correct decision not to attend the early run. Hopefully Mattila will get a better grip on the role by the spring, and with Kaufmann and Terfel the show should be well worth attending at that time.

[Pier Luigi Itsybitsy]

I'd love to see it. And a wonderful woman is involved: the great costume designer Milena Canonero (Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon"). Please read this interview: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patricia-zohn/culture-zohn-off-the-chuf_b_291306.html

[Thomas]

Cannot wait to read the full review. Thank you for posting these comments so quickly. I will see this production (and Mattila and Alvarez) on October 10. Let's hope that the singers will be in a better shape!

[walter]

Right you are "O Soave". I was reading fast and furious and the whole thing just really upset me, that's all. I stand corrected.

[bobman]

It always puszzles me when conductors and/or directors choose to convince leading singers to take roles out of their "fach."

This was especially true in the past with Karajan taking Carreras (Calaf), Fischer-Dieskau (Wotan), Ricciarelli and others into roles they should not have sung.

Mattila is a fabulous singer who should stay away from Puccini. Her Manon Lescaut and her Tosca were both disappointments, but those familiar with her voice should know that it does not translate to verismo. Her Leonore was amazing, but that is Beethoven. She should stay in the German repertoire with some possible excursions into the French rep.

I am reminded of a similar miscasting years ago when the Zeffirelli Tosca debuted in the early eighties at the MET. Hildegard Behrens was woefully miscast as Tosca and seemed doubly so opposite a luminous Domingo. Could the MET have been trying to duplicate the casting of Birgit Nillson as Tosca? That actually worked because the steel in Nilsson's voice could compensate for the lack of Italiante line that is so necssary to Puccini.

Normally I do not care for Levine in verismo operas, however, his Tosca over the past 38 (!) years has been an exception, so it is puzzling as to what happened last night. Perhaps this supreme conductor of Mozart and Wagner was trying to find equal weight in Puccini.

[C'estMoi]

Damn, I have tickets to 3 Met productions next year, first time I've ever been, and I don't know WHAT to expect, except your standard bloodbath. Good thing I don't have tickets to La Scala.

[tempestrata]

Wonderful preview of a review I'm sure will thrill me. Thanks for such quick reactions. You're the only critic in the fray that I listen to. Tommasini's old friends with everyone and flatters them all gratuitously. I can't wait for your full review! Bring it on, OC! And are there any pictures?

[Rock Me, Amadeus]

The American critics slammed it. But I don't care. I highly regard the opinion of an American critic who has your European perspective.

I was there last night, and I'm amazed at how much praise is being given to James Levine's shoddy conducting. It's distressing that noone dares to speak a bad word against St. Jimmy. I feel like the critics were all grasping for comfort like a baby blanket, so they grabbed onto Levine's conducting, giving it more praise than it warrants. Shameful. I can't wait for your long review.

[Elvis fan]

Oh dear I'll be there on 6th first time at Met and I do like both Mattila and Alvarez so hope things improve -a lot-judging by these comments. Still will enjoy the Chagals,chandeliers etc if not the opera.

[Kathryn]

I was out on the plaza last night. I had a wonderful time. Sometimes I'm glad I don't know too much about opera. It seems like the more you know, the more disappointed the experience of attending the opera is.

[Furst]

@ bobman

Not sure we would necessarily want to type cast. The best Tosca we've heard live is principally known (to the extent that she is) for Mozart, Wagner and Srauss. Moreover, we saw her in her debut in the role. Your general point is certainly correct and this might be a mistake for Mattila. We look forward to OC's full review but based on what we've heard from a couple of other attendees she somewhat understates her criticism above.

[Sheri]

Whenever I hear of Levine making odd, gratuitous or idiosyncratic tempo changes (except in Wagner, which he conducts very slowly), I always suspect he's trying to help a singer who's having a hard time. Maybe he was trying to help give Mattila more space to get her voice to bloom, but it wasn't to be. Either that, or he's trying to make a point about a production he hates. I have no problem with "updating" or resetting an opera for a fresh perspective--but making changes for the sake of making changes, or just doing things to make explicit things that are already in the music just to hit the audience over the head (the presence of Scarpia induces this behavior in every damn director) are elements I just HATE. I wish directors would stop turning to the audience to say, "Hey, I'm a director! I found something in this work. See? Get it?" Yeah, we get it. I also see no reason to spend vast sums of money creating a production that looks like it could have been thrown together from materials at Home Depot for under five thousand bucks, especially when it's lit by a 20-watt refrigerator bulb.

[Chester]

bobman, in her interviews, Mattila makes it clear that these Italian roles are the ones she wants to do. Even the MET has to give into their star singers once and a while.

[John Galey]

I saw Mattila in Manon Lescaut and her acting was wonderful but she is not a Puccini soprano. There is no thrust in the
upper reaches of the voice. I,m sure taht Alvarez is excellent as he is a Puccini Tenor. The uproar about the production is not just at the Met but all over the country. Directors trying to make the audience "think". I have seen many productions that have updated themes and none of them have worked and they fade away. It would be justified if the patrons that booed the production withdrew their financial support for this kind of junk and you would see how quick Mr. Gelb would bring back the Zefferelli production.

[El Cajon]

With all due respect to both artists (and as I type this, I'm looking at a framed Christmas card from Miss Nilsson, with the soprano dressed in one of her Tosca costumes), neither Nilsson nor Corelli in Tosca was not one of the Met's more memorable pairings. There were a lot of unsold seats. Put the two of them in Turandot and you couldn't touch a ticket.

So many sopranos (and pushed-up mezzos, such as La Grace) have essayed Tosca who should not have done so, including the aforementioned Hildegard Behrens. Mattila is just one of many who have taken a role that vocally was not meant for them. Basta!!!

[Les Mitchell]

I'm in Chicago and our season opens on Saturday evening. We've got Tosca also - with Deborah Voight, whom I do not consider to be a Tosca either. At least we have a decent production, but considering how Voight sounded at an open-air concert appearance a week and a half ago, I'm not expecting much. I thought she sounded constricted, wobbly, downright shrill at the top. Face it everyone - this is NOT the age of the great divas a la Milanov, Callas, Tebaldi, Price, Nilsson, Rysanek, Caballe, etc.. We really have no "grand" divas to do operas like Tosca, Aida, Forza, Ballo, Gioconda, etc. Forget Norma entirely! And where are the divos like del Monaco, Corelli, di Stefano, Domingo, etc? Lots of good singers around --- but zero "real" dramatic tenors and dramatic sopranos. We're in an operatic drought. I'm not trying to disrespect the prime singers of today, but I think we are a LONG way from the grandeur that opera had decades ago, and unfortunately, the current repertoire around the world reflects this.

[bobman]

I remember in the early 80's when the baritone Bernd Weikl was such a perfect Wolfram in Tannhauser. It was apparent that Levine loved him. Weikl pushed Levine for some time about singing roles like Rodrigo in Don Carlo and Levine kept resisiting. Finally the MET did cast him in the role and it did not fit his voice well at all. If Mattila pushed for this Tosca then the fault is with her.

Let's wait for Daniela Dessi's Tosca later in the MET season and put it side by side with Mattila. Unless Dessi has a series of "off" nights, hers should be a revelatory Tosca that the "Pooch" would have loved. Both Kaufmann and Terfel should be most interesting as Cavaradossi and Scarpia.

[Marie]

I attended the HD broadcast of Tosca yesterday and found it gripping. It's definitely a new take on an old classic dramatically and musically, but on-screen it worked for me and our group. Mattila sang well and brought a fresh, agressive quality to the role. Alverez seemed like a "light" Cavaradossi, but sounded good in the theater, especially in Acts 2 & 3. Scarpia was a wonderful bad-guy. Several of us are going again for the ENCORE.