"He's not second-rate, he's third-rate," an angry Franco Zeffirelli is said to have said beforehand about his Swiss colleague, the director Luc Bondy. Bondy's stark and bald-designed Tosca replaced Zeffirelli's MET-Tosca production in 2009, which has been cherished since 1985. While watching this DVD we can suspect some of this riot. Backstage Bondy pretends that he has never heard of Zeffirelli.
That 'backstage' has to do with a nice aspect of this DVD. This is an HD Live transmission, where theaters all over the world can witness what is being performed in New York. The involvement in the live event is further enhanced by the fact that hostess Susan Graham interviews those involved behind the scenes. The singers are so sweaty and out of breath that nothing much comes out, but it is fun. Apart from that, we see a very strong performance here. Here, a warm and passionate Tosca is set against a chilly, calculating Carvadossi. We do not have to doubt the murderous drive of these opposing passions, Karita Mattila and Marcelo Álvarez will take care of that. (HJ)more
