Tosca Triumphs with Electric Duets at Orcas Center

Sunday, January 28, 1 p.m., Orcas Center

— from Susannah Weaver for Orcas Center —

Orcas Center presents the New York Met’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca streaming Live in HD on Sunday, January 28 at 1:00 pm. Join us for the Met. Come and see Puccini’s tragic tale of revenge and murder in what the Huffington Post declares: A smashing new production and a rousing success.

Sir David McVicar’s lavish new production offers a splendid backdrop for extraordinary singing and a detailed telling of a story about sanctimony and sexual blackmail in a nineteenth-century papal state. Sonya Yoncheva stars in title role of the jealous prima donna; Vittorio Grigolo is Tosca’s revolutionary artist lover, Cavaradossi; and Željko Lučić is the depraved police chief Scarpia.

“Compelling performances,” said the New York Times, “Yoncheva and Grigolo looked wonderfully youthful as Puccini’s lovers. Ms. Yoncheva is coquettish and passionate, fragile and fretful.
Her sound is richly textured and shimmering. Grigolo’s Mario is coltish, feral, and passionately in love. Mr. Grigolo’s Mario is a true hothead played with virile excitement complete with thrilling top notes.” New York Observer raves, “Yoncheva’s luxurious dark voice balanced lyric warmth with a hint of dramatic steel. The celebrated prayer ‘Vissi d’arte’ amounted to a splendid surge of sensually beautiful sound. Grigolo took a different and complementary approach, belting out his music with a vehement fervor.”

The New York Times notes that the “stakes could not have been higher. The chaos could not have been wilder. It’s fair to say that no production in the Metropolitan Opera’s history has been more vexed than the new staging of Puccini’s “Tosca” that opened on New Year’s Eve. It speaks to the Met’s resourcefulness that it was able to field such an impressive premiere cast — the rising stars Yoncheva and Grigolo and the stalwart Lucic — on such relatively short notice. Emmanuel Villaume conducts the score and he “does not go for the obvious in his conducting of Puccini’s volatile music. He brings shape, nuance and pliancy to the score.” John Macfarlane’s roman set design provides a deluxe opera experience and is described as highly atmospheric and sumptuous. Don’t miss this opportunity to be initiated to a “front row” opera with internationally acclaimed greats at Orcas Center.

Tickets for the Met’s Tosca are $20 and $15 for students, with $2 off for Orcas Center members. They may be purchased at www.orcascenter.org or by calling 360-376-2281 ext. 1 or visiting the Orcas Center Box Office open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12-3 p.m. $5 subsidized tickets available at the Box Office. This show is rescheduled from November 26 and those ticket holders have tickets available in the box office for the January 14 event. For more information about Orcas Center’s 2017-2018 season visit www.orcascenter.org.