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ⓒNew National Theater Tokyo's Opera 'Tosca' / Photo by Rikimaru Hotta

The final production of the 2023-24 seasonat the New National Theater Tokyo (NNTT) was Puccini's Tosca. In honor of the100th anniversary of the composer's death, many of Puccini's operas are beingperformed around the world, and Japan is no exception, so I was able to seemany performances of Puccini's operas during my visit.

What struck me about the NNTT's performanceof ‘Tosca’ was that the production premiered 24 years ago in 2000. Since then,it has been revived seven times in almost 25 years. It was said to be a verypopular show at the time of its premiere, but I thought it was so far removedfrom the reality of Korea that the production was still alive after four and ahalf centuries.

The performance of operas that are nowconsidered classics may be limited by the fact that the score and librettocannot be changed, but this can also be an advantage. Since the original ispreserved, it can be reproduced at any time and can serve as original art. TheNNTT production of ‘Tosca’ was also significant in this regard. The director ofthis production, Antonello Madau Diaz, was an Italian director who had alsodirected operas for the Seoul Metropolitan Opera in Korea in the 90s, but hepassed away in 2015.

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ⓒNew National Theater Tokyo's Opera 'Tosca' / Photo by Rikimaru Hotta

The production was very classical andtraditional, with a lavish look. In the first act, the scene where Cavaradossisings the aria "Recondita armonia" and works on a painting, followedby Scarpia's aria "Te Deum," was set in the same cathedral, and thespace and costumes were colorful and rich to look at, like a baroque courtpainting. The same was true of Rome's Palazzo Farnese, the setting for Acts 2and 3. This is the style of Franco Zeffirelli's time, and it's hard to findsuch a lavishly staged production anywhere these days, so it was a real treatto see authentic Italian opera at its best.

NNTT's casting process is characterized byan active search for contemporary opera stars as well as up-and-coming singersfrom around the world. The opera's two leading roles, Tosca, sung by sopranoJoyce El-Khoury, and Cavaradossi, sung by Romanian tenor Teodor Ilincăi, are no exception. The Lebanese-Canadian singer is known as a lyricsoprano for her excellent bel canto singing. El Khoury's acting is bland,lacking the theatrical detail that Puccini's opera demands, but her singing hasan appealing tone reminiscent of soprano Angela Gheorghiu in her prime. Ilincăiis a uniquely colored tenor with a powerful yet wistful tone, and he handledboth arias well.

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ⓒNew National Theater Tokyo's Opera 'Tosca' / Photo by Rikimaru Hotta

Baritone Takashi Aoyama musically conveyedhis intense charisma, but his somewhat rigid movements did little to emphasizeScarpia's demonic nature. Nikoloz Lagvilava from Georgia was originally slatedto play Scarpia, but he had to cancel for health reasons, so Takashi Aoyama steppedin. Ilincăi and Lagvilava were also scheduled to appear as Otello and Iago,respectively, in the Seoul Arts Center's production of "Otello" atthe end of this August.

Maurizio Benini and the Tokyo PhilharmonicOrchestra created a harmonious work with a refined and flowing melody. Thedelicacy of the strings, the lyricism of the harp, the volume of the brass -each part was in the right place at the right time, and the solid performanceof the chorus also played a large role in completing the picture.

The director, Madau Diaz, and several of the collaborators involved in the premiere of the opera have since passed away. But we can still feel their artistic presence through the ongoing performances. It makes me envious that this kind of renewal and continuity is possible in the performing arts, rather than in painting, literature, or music. It is a performance that is a testament to the power of Japanese opera, not just the exceptional skills of a few artists.

Sooyeon Sohn (Opera critic/ Professor,Dankook University)

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