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3/4 stars
"[Carlo Ventre] delivers his poignant recollection of the night he first met his beloved Tosca (“E lucevan le stelle”) with a true delicacy of tone that still manages to have a world of emotion packed underneath it."
"As the simple words and haunting melody [of “Vissi d'arte”] float upward, [Adrianne] Pieczonka's airy yet rich tones sound as though she was filling them with her soul, instead of mere breath. It's a moment of transcendent beauty that carries the artist through her murder of Scarpia, her revulsion afterwards, and the grand sweeping arc of the final act that leaves her with no other choice than to leap from the battlements to join her lover in death. In Pieczonka's hands, this becomes the stuff of tragedy, not melodrama."
"[Mark] Delevan sings with a smooth, dark, Kahlua-like tone that's pleasing to the ear..."
"...a resplendent turn from Pieczonka."
Read the complete review.
4.5/5 stars
"The Canadian Opera Company’s latest production [of Tosca] – a revival of their 2008 co-production with the Norwegian Opera and Ballet – could one day serve to enhance her golden reputation."
"The music of Puccini [is] served up here with the kind of crystal clarity that marks fine champagne by conductor Paolo Carignani and the COC Orchestra."
"[Adrianne] Pieczonka leaps from note to note in a stunning display of mature artistry, tracing the path of her heroine’s descent into hell with surefooted skill."
"The COC Orchestra, the extensive cast, bolstered by members of the COC Chorus, turn it all into a musical banquet."
"Ventre proves to be one of those tenors audiences simply adore, serving up each honeyed note fairly dripping with emotion."
"A memorable production, one that is all but certain to delight fans of Puccini’s enduring tragedy and ensure that here in Toronto, Tosca will continue to reign as one of the toasts of the opera world."
"With vivid acting, a dignified bearing, and gleaming high notes [Adrianne Pieczonka] made a formidable impression."
"Paolo Carignani, the former Frankfurt music director who gave Johannes Debus of the COC his big break, drew a bright, forward sound from the orchestra."
"This 2008 co-production by the COC and the Norwegian Opera is handsome to look at."
"From the first explosive chords, [the COC Orchestra and conductor Paolo Carignani] made this familiar score sound like a thing reborn. They performed it with exceptional clarity and narrative focus, registering at every moment the flickering emotional densities of the drama."
"[Adrianne] Pieczonka’s singing offered many beautiful moments, in which the ebb and flow of her phrases felt directly connected to movements of the heart."
"[Carlo Ventre's] tense, bright tenor made the hall ring during Recondita armonia in Act One."
"[Paul] Curran’s deployment of the chorus was superb, and the handsome sets (by Kevin Knight) and suggestive lighting (by David Martin Jacques) projected a sense of meaningful space even into corners where nothing was happening."
"The Canadian Opera Company’s Saturday-afternoon premiere of [Tosca] directed by Paul Curran is extraordinary."
"Seeing Kevin Knight’s handsome, conventional Regency-period costumes and sets and Curran’s unfussy staging puts the focus firmly on the music and the singing — and it’s here where this production lays down all four aces in one hand."
"The ace of hearts is Toronto-based soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, who captures the full power and pathos of Floria Tosca, a temperamental opera diva who is forced into murder in order to protect her loved one. Pieczonka is in her vocal and dramatic prime, providing the right emotional weight, phrasing and pacing to every note she has to sing."
"We are so lucky to have [Pieczonka] with us in Toronto."
"The ace of diamonds is visiting conductor, Italian Paolo Carignani, also new to Toronto. The only time you really notice an opera conductor is when things don’t go so well. But, in this case, Carignani called attention to himself for the brilliance of his interpretation."
"Carignani caressed gorgeous contours, sharp contrasts, delicate balance and nearly perfect synchronicity with the singers."
"This is the most evocative interpretation of the score I have ever heard. Period. And it made the singers sound all the better, while enhancing our emotional responses to the music and unfolding drama."
"It’s a guaranteed treat."
Mark Delavan as Scarpia (left, ground) and Adrianne Pieczonka as Tosca in the COC production of Tosca, 2012. Photo © Michael Cooper