(Above: ~Hampson is like the fire to our earth, wind & water~. photo: Simon Fowler)
American baritone Thomas Hampson embraces the dark side of ~The Force~ as he prepares to make his career debut as the villainous Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca at the Opernhaus Zürich on March 29, 2009. The shiny-new Robert Carsen production will be conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi, and stars Emily Magee as Tosca & Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi.
Puccini's ~Go Big or Go Home~ opera interpreted by Carsen should be awesome for all the right reasons: the rape scene extra rapey, the stab scene extra stabby, and somehow, he'll manage to incorporate an orgy (we're thinking for the Te Deum). And if anyone can get Hampson to show off his arsenal for art's sake, it's Carsen.
Use the ~Sith Force~, Hampson!