Puccini’s political melodrama was presented at the Met for the 1017th time. This performance was the fourth presentation of the opera on the Met’s HD series. All three leads sang their roles for the first time at the Met in this season’s run.

David McVicar’s traditional staging works very well. Presenting a Puccini opera as he intended may be out of vogue, but he knew more about drama and staging than any stage director since David Belasco.

The opera works or not depending on the three leads and the conductor. Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen is a vocal phenomenon. She has a voice reminiscent of Birgit Nilsson at the top of its range. But she has the wrong personality and style for Tosca who is definitely not a Nordic type. Nevertheless, the sheer power of her singing compensated for the coolness of her acting. Oddly when she sang pianissimo her voice tended to evaporate She is due to sing Fidelio at the Met later in the season. The role of Leonora is ideal for her talent. The Puccini opera she should be singing is Turandot.

The British tenor Freddie De Tommaso made his Met debut as Cavaradoss this season. He started as a baritone and his sturdy tenor still has baritonal overtones. In Act 1 his tone was a little dry, but it loosened as the show progressed. His high notes have ping and he phrases very well. ‘E lucevan le stelle’ was sung with style and pathos – a strong delivery of the uber-famous aria. He sounds ready for the big spinto Verdi roles – which apparently are already in his repertoire. A welcome addition to the Met’s roster. At age 31 the opera world should be his for the next 20 years assuming Fortune stays on his side. His only problem during this show was that standing next to Davidsen, who’s over six feet tall, he looked like Tiny Archibald alongside Wilt Chamberlain. This height disparity required even more suspension of disbelief than is typical of opera which always requires a lot.

Quinn Kelsey has been at the Met since 2008. At first, he sang comprimario roles, but rapidly moved to the big baritone parts. He has a large beefy baritone which had just the right combination of menace and smooth vocal line to depict the villainy of one of opera’s most evil characters. He foreswore mustache-twirling for real acting. A superb performance by a baritone who is now at the top of his class.

The Met’s orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s direction played beautifully except for a tiny mishap in the horns during Te Deum that ends Act 1. The orchestra is so good that an occasional blip is necessary to remind us its players are human. Nézet-Séguin’s tempi were sometimes a bit on the slow side, but in general, he created excitement at the appropriate times.

The supporting players were all outstanding. Kevin Short has been playing small parts at the Met since 1991. As Angelotti, he displayed a booming voice that made me wonder why he hasn’t been given larger roles. Tony Stevenson has sung over 1,000 performances at the Met since 1993. He was smoothly deferential as Scarpia’s chief henchman Spoletta. Patrick Carfizzi, another Met comprimario regular, was both jolly and frightened during his Act 1 appearance as the Sacristan.

In summary a fine performance mostly due to the brilliance of Puccini’s score and stage direction. It had exceptional voices marred only by the casting of a great soprano in a role not well suited for her temperament and vocal type. Worth catching the encore presentation next week if you missed today’s telecast.

Tosca Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa

Tosca……….Lise Davidsen
Cavaradossi……….Freddie De Tommaso
Scarpia……….Quinn Kelsey
Sacristan……….Patrick Carfizzi
Spoletta……….Tony Stevenson
Angelotti……….Kevin Short
Sciarrone……….Christopher Job
Shepherd……….Luka Zylik
JailerWilliam……….Guanbo Su

Conductor……….Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production……….David McVicar
Designer……….John Macfarlane
Lighting Designer……….David Finn
Movement Director……….Leah Hausman
Video Director………..Gary Halvorson