Puccini's 'Tosca' With Melody Moore, Stefan Pop & Lester Lynch

The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and conductor Carlo Montanaro present a powerful interpretation of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, together with a cast of soloists including Melody Moore (Tosca), Ștefan Pop (Cavaradossi) and Lester Lynch (Scarpia).

Tosca has been an audience favourite from the onset. Premiered in 1900, it marks the beginning of twentieth-century opera, in which sex, violence and the uncanny abysses of the human psyche would be explored, inspiring composers to expand the musical means of expression in all thinkable ways.

Until today, Tosca has lost none of its expressive power, and Puccini's intricate score deserves to be taken seriously. Its symphonic qualities are fully brought out by the inspired playing of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, led by the seasoned maestro Carlo Montanaro. Melody Moore, Ștefan Pop and Lester Lynch bring the passionate, electrifying score to life with performances of dazzling power.

The splendid cast is completed by Kevin Short (Angelotti), Alexander Köpeczi (Un Sagrestano), Colin Judson (Spoletta), Georg Streuber (Sciarrone), Axel Scheidig (Un Carceriere), and Lean Miray Yüksel (Un Pastore). The members of Rundfunkchor Berlin and Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin add their marvelous choral sound to the recording, culminating in the famous Te Deum.

Melody Moore and Lester Lynch both have a vast Pentatone discography, including complete opera recordings as well as solo recitals. The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin also has a long history with the label, having recorded multiple orchestral works, as well as Wagner's ten mature operas, often in collaboration with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Ștefan Pop and Carlo Montanaro make their Pentatone debut.

“In the end, there is no place for true love in a world governed by power, violence, and terror. By displaying this world of power, violence and terror, Puccini expanded his music-dramatic style and means of musical expression, showing a new side of his musical persona. At the same time, he managed to keep the lyrical love music on board that had secured his fame, realizing a work that is both highly original and genuinely Puccinian, and, moreover, much more sophisticated than some of its critics tend to admit. This powerful mix may well explain why audiences are still swept away by the opera.”