(Photo credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera)

This season’s premiere of Met Opera’s “Tosca” features Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak, in the titular role, marking her 100th Met performance. Her Met debut was in 2004 as Olympia in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” and her performances leading up to this season have all been unforgettable, especially Kurzak as Tosca.

Her voice alongside tenor SeokJong Baek as Mario Cavaradossi and George Gagnidze as Baron Scarpia, this season at the Met, is a spectacular combination of a lifetime.

Conductor Xian Zhang led the night’s performance with this magical trio for David McVicar‘s beloved production and John Macfarlane‘s set and costume design, giving the audience moment after moment of pure Puccini bliss.

Puccini’s Darkest Opera Realized

Puccini’s “Tosca,” with libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, is based on the play “La Tosca” by Victorien Sardou. It is said to be Puccini’s darkest opera and considered one of the all-time greatest examples of verismo (realism), featuring moments of violence, rape, torture, sadism and suicide. The main characters Floria Tosca and Mario Cavaradossi go head-to-head with the villainous Baron Scarpia and there is no resolve – justice does not exist.

David McVicar’s production embodies the human experience throughout this dark opera, reflecting on the grandeur through John Macfarlane’s set designs of the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese and eventually the platform of Castel Sant’Angelo. This production captures the essence of Rome (June 1800) perfectly and Macfarlane’s costume designs give life to traditional attire and religious dress.

OperaWire did an extensive review on this same production for Met Opera’s 2022-23 “Tosca,” starring Aleksandra Kurzak, detailing the plot and production highlights. For this season’s review, OperaWire spotlights the exciting vocal highlights of Aledsandra Kursak, SeokJong Baek, and George Gagnidze, under the baton of conductor Xian Zhang, making “Tosca” an unforgettable production of a lifetime.

Aleksandra Kurzak as Tosca is Verismo Personified

Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak as Tosca is legendary. Her voice is made for this role, and her acting is undeniably one of the best performances in this lifetime. From the moment she steps on stage, Kurzak is Tosca in every mannerism and nuanced vocal inflection. She glides across the stage, easily unravels in her own jealousy, falls at the whims of her beloved Mario Cavaradossi, swoons in her own fawning, and transforms into one of opera’s greatest killers – “Tosca’s kiss.”

Kurzak embodies all that Tosca is, and more. She makes this role her own expression of what feeling the swells of passion and blind rage does to one’s body and voice. In her Act two aria, “Vissi d’arte,” Kurzak’s soprano is an exemplary force of Puccini’s mastery. The aria’s placement is up for controversy as it interrupts Scarpia’s malicious attack on Tosca, however what Kurzak does in her performance makes it work, as best as possible.

Kurzak’s interpretation stems from her superb acting and intent to keep her energy flowing forward, making ways for the audience to focus more on her internalized expression through her voice and soul’s lament. In doing so, Kurzak makes Tosca a role of her own. Her voice births the impending doom upon herself in the form of the aria and, consequently, when Scarpia proceeds with his attack post-aria, the audience is more likely to bear witness to her becoming a killer with just cause.

However, this opera (and David McVicar’s production) is all about there being no justice for anyone involved, and so the remainder of Tosca’s performance, as Kurzak wills-to-be-done, develops into her own demise. Kursak makes the “fall” of Tosca a meaningful expression of realism itself. This is the highest form of verismo there is, embodying the reality of it all.

Kurzak’s vocal highlights in this aria deserve to be noted, as well. Her opening E-flat on “Vissi” makes the hairs stand up on the back of one’s neck, calling to attention the listener’s heart in alignment with Kurzak’s soul. There is a thread of energy she transmits forward into the hall that pulls the listener into her most intimate realm of existence. Kurzak is a magician in this moment, breathing life into Puccini’s work and making it her own soul’s reflection at the same time. Genius!

Her vocal interpretation of the score’s “dolcissimo con grande sentimento” is never overpowered by her ego. Instead, Kurzak exposes her voice’s vulnerability and raw emotional expression, driving the tempo forward and taking this very challenging aria come from a grounded place. One might feel like they ascend with Kurzak as she sings, floating on the gut-wrenching cries of her higher register, only to surrender to her grounding when her voice releases hope and faces reality through knowing what she must do next (manifest Scarpia’s demise, which leads to her own).

Kurzak holds the reigns of this opera’s drama the entire time, refusing to let “Vissi d’arte” (the most transparent moment of her role) get lost in emotions. She is razor sharp with her intent, and her vocal technique allows her to detach from the heaviness that typically snares sopranos in this role. Kurzak’s Tosca is not a victim or a hero, she is a victor, and she vocally realizes this when she sings “perché, perché, me ne rimuneri così?” – she knows she must fight.

Her following aria, “Or gli perdono!”, continues in this same vein of verismo personified. Kurzak places the two candlesticks at the head of Scarpia as she realizes her actions (after stabbing him multiple times with a desk knife) and moves forward as the victor she is in defending herself and making her own escape possible (and potentially Cavaradossi’s escape, too?) This moment in the opera is shamelessly realistic and one might never be able to unsee her finishing off Scarpia’s blood-choking corpse with a crucifix from the wall, laying it across his chest and mirroring the reality that saviors do not exist, nor does justice.

Aleksandra Kurzak will continue to thrill audiences in this role throughout her career, and the Met Opera’s choice in having her join the production again this year is much appreciated.

SeokJong Baek’s Voice as Mario Cavaradossi Soars

South Korean tenor SeokJong Baek is a star rapidly rising. His Met Opera debut was in 2023 as Ismaele in Verdi’s “Nabucco“, and he was back at the Met in 2024 as Calàf in Puccini’s “Turandot.”

In this season’s “Tosca,” Baek’s voice reveals itself to be in a completely new ballpark of colors and dynamics. Baek’s Act one aria, “Recondita armonia,” is full of life and high energy. His voice dances among the notes with grace and ease that catapults the audience’s attention towards him as a beautifully portrayed Cavaradossi in his youth. Baek’s personality shines through his eyes and his smile as he lights up in full gratitude for what he gets to do as an opera singer, and that is exactly what he loves doing – to sing!

His Act two aria, “Floria…amore Vittoria!”, was outstanding as he held out “Vittoria!” for what felt like a whole 30 seconds. Baek was on fire in his determination to make the most out of every single note for the entire opera. One might have felt like he was “coming into his own” with this role entirely. He carried a different presence in this role, exuding confidence, joy, excitement, and elation as he sang.

“E lucevan le stelle” in Act three was another moment when Baek took the role of Cavaradossi to new heights. His voice’s clarity and youth tenderly delivered his message as he began writing and then turned inwardly to his beautiful memories. For me, I was most moved as he sang “ed olezzava la terra…stridea l’uscio dell’orto…e un passo sfiorava la rena…Entrava ella, fragrante…mi cadea fra le braccia… ” (The gate to the garden creaked…and a footstep rustled the sand to the path…fragrant, she entered and fell into my arms…). This buildup, leading towards the climax of this aria when Cavaradossi sings “Oh! dolci baci, o languide carezze…,” (Oh soft kisses, oh sweet abandon…) is the most transparent moment of this role. It is how the tenor sings this that determines everything about how he interprets Cavaradossi’s love towards Tosca.

Baek’s interpretation was that of a lover enamored with his truest love. This was not a pony-show to please the audience, this was Baek digging deeply within himself and excavating the painful longing of a soul for its mate. Again, for me, this was the make-or-break-it part of the night for Baek and his voice soared beyond my expectations. It is Baek’s innocence that shines through his singing, his efforts are all he has to give, but his voice is that of someone who is a “giver” and not a “taker.”

George Gagnidze as Baron Scarpia is Haunting

OperaWire reported back in January 2023 about George Gagnidze singing his 100th performance of Scarpia in “Tosca” on Jan. 21, 2023. In a statement, Gagnidze said, “The role of Scarpia has been having a great impact on my entire career. Almost 20 years ago, I made my debut in this thrilling part when I was a member of the company of the Osnabrück Opera in Germany. I feel very privileged to have since then had the honor to perform this character on so many great stages and with some of the best conductors. Even though ‘Tosca’ is one of Puccini’s most popular and most performed operas, I think it is also one of these eternal masterpieces one can see on stage countless times and every single time it is gripping. For us singers it is the same on stage, and my 100th performance on Saturday at the Gran Teatre del Liceu will certainly be as thrilling for me as the previous 99 shows.”

The Met Opera’s choice, for this season, to pair Gagnidze with Aleksandra Kurzak was an excellent decision. Gagnidze’s baritone is bone-chilling good. His voice rattles the soul and definitely caused a stir in Kurzak’s soprano during the “Tosca’s kiss” scene. Realizing Gagnidze’s greatness in this role is easy, however, recognizing the how deeply his castmates resonate with his performance is an infinite process. This is something I am still thinking about today.

Gagnidze’s voice and presence as Scarpia is timeless, leaving zero doubt about how much he has processed this role beforehand. But, there is also a newness in his portrayal, especially as he is attacking Tosca and not expecting her “kiss.” Gagnidze has a gift for staying in the present moment and not getting ahead of himself. He is also (as I wrote above about Kurzak as Tosca) verismo personified.

His aria, “Va, Tosca! Nel tuo cor s’annida Scarpia”, at the end of Act one with the Met Opera Chorus (celebrating a religious mass procession at stage right) and the orchestra including bell tolls, the newly restored Æolian-Skinner pipe-organ, and two canons, is absolutely my favorite moment in this production and with this particular cast. Gagnidze’s voice is breathtaking and terrifyingly honest as his Scarpia promises to “dig a nest in Tosca’s heart.” I could listen to this single moment again and again, the chorus was fantastic and the pipe-organ roared.

Scarpia’s aria in Act two, “Tosca è un buon falco!”, resonated in Gagnidze’s voice as he contemplated exactly how to trap Tosca, busying himself about his Palazzo Farnese. The light fell gently in through the window behind him, illuminating his evil plot and realizing the graveness of his existence. Gagnidze voices Scarpia’s plan with fortitude and frivolousness. His plan’s exactness lacks love and therefore opens the gates of hell to devour him whole. Gagnidze dives headfirst into Scarpia’s insanity. This is more than just evil or satanic, Gagnidze was made for this role. This is verismo at its finest!

More Cast Highlights

Kevin Short as Cesare Angelotti did an outstanding performance (though brief in this role). His bass-baritone carried throughout the Met’s hall and sounded spectacular. OperaWire did a Q & A with him on systemic racism, “Aida” & the future of opera that is a must read. Short’s presence on stage is electric and deserves more space to expand.

Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi as The Sacristan did an excellent interpretation of his role. Tenor Spencer Hamlin as Spoletta sang with a warm, bright timbre. Christian Pursell as Sciarrone had a strong stage presence and look of shock as Tosca jumped to her death from the platform of Castel Sant’Angelo. Luka Zylik as Shepherd Boy and William Meinert as Jailer included memorable performances in this production.

Conductor Xian Zhang Leads the Night

Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang is an intuitive visionary. Her gift for conducting is both graceful and sensitive to the singers and musicians. There were many moments when the audience cheered for her and her ability to deliver such a memorable “Tosca.” Zhang’s mastery is in her appreciation for the music and doing exactly what the composer intends to be done.

Puccini’s “Tosca” revival for this season’s Met Opera production revived interests in verismo, creating a ripple effect that continues to haunt one at the thought of their own “reality” in today’s world.