In Florence, and not only, many still remember the Tosca which was staged at the old Teatro Comunale in June 1986: Zubin Mehta directed, the protagonists were Eva Marton, Giuseppe Giacomini and Silvano Carroli, the direction was entrusted to Jonathan Miller with the scenes by Stefanos Lazaridis. The peculiarity of that show lay in the rather radical change of setting for the time: no longer the papal Rome of 1800 but that of the German Occupation of 1943. Many were left speechless, but the game worked and the show left a mark important in the history of the stage interpretation of such a well-known title, a sign that the social and power relations of the Eternal City have remained almost unchanged over time.
Therefore, no one was too shocked when, in the context of the86th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Massimo Popolizio announced at a press conference that his new Tosca it is set at the turn of 1930; in fact the operation appears almost like a déja vubut Tosca is such a well-known title, approached in so many ways, that even a not so original premise can still give life to a show that is at least interesting, as it is in this case.
The scenes designed by obviously contribute to strongly connoting the atmosphere of this production Margherita Palli who already took care of those of the La Scala production signed by Luca Ronconi in 2000; if there it was all a baroque twist that seemed to infinitely multiply the points of view, making the gaze continually lose itself in a continuous anamorphosis, here everything is clear already when the public enters the room and finds itself in front of the curtain which reproduces a wall of marble with the writing ROMA in large and difficult to misinterpret letters. With these references to rationalist architecture, everything appears square and severe, including the religiosity of the first act, experienced more as a habitual everyday life than as a profound feeling. Scarpia’s studio recalls the fake rooms of Palazzo Venezia, with false Raphaelesque frescoes, while the prison almost seems like a building in the suburbs, despite Verschaffelt’s angel peeping out between the marble slabs, a sign that the environments are suggested rather than actually reproduced . The scene, however, takes the form of a cage pervaded by violence in which the only way out seems to be death which unfolds in the destiny of all the protagonists.
Popolizio claims to have been inspired, in creating this installation, by Bernardo Bertolucci’s film The conformist, and in fact he manages to bring at least part of those atmospheres to the stage. This doesn’t change much the relationships that are established between the various characters; moreover, what happens on stage often remains unchanged compared to other productions of the title already seen, including certain static moments in the solo moments. The most interesting thing is perhaps the portrait of the protagonist which deviates slightly from the usual canons: Floria is here a conscious diva, who seems to take everything more and more like an act as the story progresses, exaggerating the gestures in crescendo, especially after the killing of Scarpia. It is striking how her attraction for Mario and her provocative rants, which are not stopped even in church, do not cause great involvement in the lover: love in this Tosca is frozen, seen from a distance, so that it can give way to violence and to the subsequent resignation.
On the musical front the greatest interest lies in the return of Daniele Gatti to this title. Everything has now been said about the director’s technical mastery. The Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with him plays in a compact and extremely precise way, and Gatti manages to obtain a carpet of sound with infinite transparencies, in which the individual instrumental interventions are clearly heard as never before, including those that usually go unnoticed. There is also no lack of an overall vision and every single passage amplifies the feelings of the characters on stage or configures the atmosphere of the stage even better, such as the sexual tension of the first duet between Mario and Tosca which seems to explode more in the full-bodied sound of the strings of the orchestra than on the stage. However, not everything is completely convincing: if the first act shows an almost perfect narrative arc, in the subsequent acts, in the face of extremely well-chosen and tense moments, there is a little too much complacency to dampen the tension. However, one cannot remain indifferent to a direction so expertly constructed, and which, despite having all the right references to Central European culture, is configured as very Italian both in sound and in breathing with the singers, whose voices always try to fit as perfectly as possible into the musical flow ( although they don’t always succeed).
The cast proves to be functional without any particular points of excellence. Vanessa Goikoetxea she is a flirtatious protagonist but with sophisticated attitudes. Her voice is not particularly full-bodied and in the first act she struggles to impose herself on the orchestra, especially when she has to insist on lower notes. Despite a slightly slow start and some slightly tight high notes, we nevertheless witness vocal growth during the performance: what is most striking is the extremely careful phrasing, which allows her to give the song the right accents of seduction , but also to be a heartfelt interpreter in a page like “Vissi d’arte” which makes her deserve the only open applause of the evening.
Piero Pretti he announces himself as slightly unwell at the beginning of the performance but brings home a Mario Cavaradossi who is at least convincing from the point of view of the character. In fact, he shines more in expressiveness than in mere vocality: despite portraying an almost bel canto Mario, some shifts in intonation towards the high notes are noticeable. It is hoped that, once the indisposition has passed, he will be able to outline a more focused Cavaradossi.
Alexey Markov he is a Scarpia with a broad voice, but not particularly seductive, due to the high notes that sound a little muffled. However, the character emerges with extreme precision, constructed above all thanks to excellent care in phrasing and expertly dosed accents, which allow him to be mellifluous and elegant, never truculent. Gabriele Sagona it is a Cesare Angelotti who stands out for his beautiful timbre and a firm and homogeneous line. Matteo Torcaso he stands out for a flexible voice and controlled expressiveness, so as to draw a Sacristan who is never a caricature but extremely vivid. Same thing he manages to achieve Oronzo D’Urso, convincing as Spoletta. The Sciarrone di is then well outlined Dario Giorgiorgele and the Jailer of Cesare Filiberto Tenuta. Finally, the Choir and the Children’s Choir are precise and well prepared, carving out their beautiful moments in the first act.
The theater was practically sold out for the first performance which was sealed by a great success, with enthusiastic welcomes for the three protagonists and the director. 
86th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival
TOSCA
Melodrama in three acts
Booklet by Luigi Illica And Giuseppe Giacosa
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Floria Tosca Vanessa Goikoetxea
Mario Cavaradossi Piero Pretti
Baron Scarpia Alexey Markov
Cesare Angelotti Gabriele Sagona
The sacristan Matteo Torcaso
Spoletta Oronzo D’Urso
Sciarrone Dario Giorgelè
A jailer Cesare Filiberto Tenuta
A shepherd Marta Sacco
Orchestra, choir and children’s choir
of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Director Daniele Gatti
Choir master Lorenzo Fratini
Master of the children’s choir Sara Matteucci
Direction Massimo Popolizio
Scenes Margherita Palli
Costumes Silvia Aymonimo
Lights Pasquale Mari
New staging of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Florence, 24 May 2024
Photo: Michele Monasta
Photo: Michele Monasta
Photo: Michele Monasta
Photo: Michele Monasta
Photo: Michele Monasta
