TOSCA Opens This Weekend at Utah Opera

This week, Utah Opera opens its production of Puccini's Tosca-one of the most dramatic works in the operatic repertoire, telling the tempestuous tale of a love triangle between a famous singer, a painter, and a corrupt police chief. Opening Night is this Saturday, March 12, with five performances running through Sunday, March 20, at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre.

Puccini sets his opera Tosca in Rome in June of 1800, and puts remarkable detail into evoking that exact time and place-even down to specifying the pitch of the church bells in the production to match those that would have been heard in Rome during that period. Several minor characters are based on historical figures.

The three main characters, on the other hand, are wrapped up in a fictionalized story of staggering suspense. The Roman police chief, Scarpia, pulls a double-cross on the fiery young diva Floria Tosca-taking advantage of her and then ordering the murder of her lover, the painter Cavaradossi. Once Tosca realizes that she has been deceived, the opera's conclusion unfolds tragically at a landmark of the Roman skyline.

Katie Van Kooten, praised for her "powerful, gleaming soprano" stars as Tosca, performing the role for the first time. "Tosca is so visceral in her responses. She is very transparent and lets everything out; people really respond to her," says Van Kooten of her character. "You don't have to wonder what she's thinking; you hear everything she is thinking."

While Van Kooten is making her role debut, Dimitri Pittas, described as "one of the most exciting artists on the horizon today," is a veteran in the role of Cavaradossi. Stephen Powell, with his "robust but laudably precise voice," joins the cast as the villain Scarpia.

Tosca is not for the faint of heart, delving into themes of passion, murder, and suicide-and stage director Omer Ben Seadia doesn't shy away from exposing the opera's dark and gritty side. She also leans into the spectacle and grand scale of this opera. "This is one of those shows where there is nothing like being able to experience it live," she says. "We have a huge chorus along with the actors and singers on stage. It is a feast for your eyes and your ears."

Part of that feast for the eyes is Ercole Sormani's painted scenery dating from the mid-20th century. The Italian painter's exquisite muslin backdrops accurately capture Tosca's iconic locations throughout Rome, including the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Farnese Palace, and Castel Sant'Angelo, using perspective techniques and creating a sense of multi-dimensionality through a configuration of "wings" (side panels) and "drops" (back panels). It is a sight not to be missed, especially when beautifully illuminated with lighting by Joe Beumer. The production's costumes are by Susan Memmott-Allred, who was the resident costume designer at Utah Opera for more than three decades.

Tosca's powerful score is known for its use of musical figures associated with different characters and ideas, from the mysterious "fugitive" motif to an imposing motif associated with Scarpia's power in the city. One of the stand-out musical moments in the through-composed opera is Tosca's aria "Vissi d'arte," in which she laments that she has dedicated her life to art and to love but is still facing a terrible fate.

Conducting the cast, the Utah Opera Chorus (including the return of the chorus' sopranos and altos for the first time since 2019), and the Utah Symphony, is Steven White-a conductor who "squeezes every drop of excitement and pathos out of the score." Certainly in Tosca, there is no shortage of thrills and chills to discover.

Tickets: $15-$110 (50% student discount)
Online at utahopera.org / By Phone at (801) 533-6683

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