Joseph Colaneri To Conduct Tonight's Production Of Met's TOSCA

Joseph Colaneri will conduct this evening's performance of Tosca, replacing James Levine who has withdrawn due to a back injury.

As announced earlier today, Carlo Guelfi will sing Scarpia in this evening's performance, replacing George Gagnidze, who is ill. Gagnidze is expected to return for the October 3 performance.

Tosca also features Karita Mattila in the title role and Marcelo Álvarez as Cavaradossi. The new production is by Luc Bondy, with sets by Richard Peduzzi, costumes by Milena Canonero, and lighting by Max Keller.

"Tosca combines Puccini's glorious musical inspiration with the melodramatic vitality of one of the great Hitchcock films," says Music Director James Levine. "From the very first bar of the piece, the opera seizes you and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last note." Karita Mattila, who sings the title role for the first time at the Met, says, "There are so many fascinating qualities to Tosca. At first I thought, ‘How will it feel to kill somebody on stage?' But Tosca is like an action movie, and the drama just happens." Luc Bondy, acclaimed for his imaginative theater and opera productions, directs. Marcelo Álvarez and George Gagnidze open as Cavaradossi and Scarpia, with Jonas Kaufmann, Marcello Giordani, and Bryn Terfel stepping in for later performances.

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