By Nancy Plum
The Princeton Festival showed off its mainstage production this past weekend with a presentation of Giacomo Puccini’s timeless opera Tosca. Conducted by Rossen Milanov, Friday night’s performance (with repeats on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night) at Morven Museum & Garden kept listeners captivated with high-quality character portrayals, Puccini’s unforgettable arias and a libretto of plot twists, all leading to a disastrous end. Performed in Italian with English titles, Tosca was surely a challenge for the Festival, but the audience reaction made it clear that reaching to new heights can often strengthen a performing organization’s standing in the community.
Set in early 19th-century Rome, Tosca contains a career-defining role for sopranos in the character of “prima donna” singer Floria Tosca. Princeton Festival soprano Toni Marie Palmertree was no stranger to the part, with past performances of this character under her belt. Palmertree immediately began with a clear and appealing sound, portraying the diva as young and demure, but with the potential to do what it takes to get what she wants. With a background including the Metropolitan Opera, Palmertree showed herself well capable of commanding the stage. She sang Tosca’s signature aria “Vissi d’arte” with poignant resignation to her fate, then instantaneously turned the tables on her foe. Palmertree altered her vocal quality and timbre in this second act aria to indicate her submission to Scarpia, a sharp contrast to her soaring passages of defiance or when proclaiming her love for the painter Cavaradossi.
The object of Tosca’s affection was sung by tenor Victor Starsky, also a Puccini veteran. Starsky began the first act with a solid voice, conveying Cavaradossi’s thoughts pensively in the chapel while painting and simultaneously helping an escaped prisoner. He reached higher vocal ranges with ease, floating notes over orchestration which became richer as his character slipped more into despair. Starsky and Palmertree were well-matched vocally, and the audience welcomed the humor in their interactions in such a dark storyline.
The lives of both Tosca and Cavaradossi were upended by Chief of Police Scarpia, sung with appropriate nefariousness by baritone Luis Ledesma. A singer frequently portraying both heroes and villains, Ledesma has also made a mark in the operatic world interpreting Spanish works, including the recent ground-breaking Florencia en el Amazonas. Ledesma’s Scarpia was not overtly ruthless, but was imposing nevertheless, like other 19th-century baritone characters who manipulate the situation (and usually the soprano lead) to get their way. Ledesma saved his rage for the Act II confrontation with Tosca — the dramatic meat of the production. Accompanied by steady and increasingly menacing brass, Ledesma and Palmertree brought the scene to an intense conclusion, setting up an even more tragic final act.
Bass Eric Delagrange convincingly sang the music of prisoner Angelotti, who although a minor character, was a vital key to the opera. As a chapel Sacristan, bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo added a strong third voice to a well-balanced trio among Angelotti, Cavaradossi, and the Sacristan. Other voices helping to carry the story were Nicholas Nestorak as police agent Spoletta and Jacob Hanes singing the role of the jailor.
Princeton Symphony Orchestra provided consistently effective accompaniment throughout, allowing the voices to carry over the instrumental palette. Milanov brought out wind passages when there was little or no singing, and the ensemble deftly shifted moods in an opera full of emotional swings. From Cavaradossi’s light-hearted nature to Scarpia’s distinguishing sharp chords, the musicians well captured Puccini’s theatrical intent while moving the score along. In particular, the onstage action of the third act was so riveting that one almost forgot there was an orchestra, and the subtlety and crispness of the accompaniment well captured the anguish.
Chorus director Vinroy Brown compiled a solid vocal ensemble, with a well-trained children’s chorus prepared by Allison Fay. Stage director Eve Summer placed the chorus of monks in the audience aisles for the Act I “Te Deum,” easily filling the hall with blocks of sound. The members of the children’s chorus were always engaged in the action, singing with clarity and animation.
This year’s Princeton Festival has raised summer classical entertainment to new levels in a region where many people head to the shore for the weekends. With the weather so far cooperating, this past week’s productions of Tosca have continued this season’s combination of music, drama, and nature.
The Princeton Festival continues until June 21 with music, opera, and dance, along with community activities. Information about all events can be found by visiting princetonsymphony.org/festival.