New Production of Famous Classic Tosca to Premiere in Tbilisi Opera
Legendary opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini will see a new grand premiere in the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater on April 5. The opera is a co-production of the Puccini Festival and the Tbilisi Opera Theater, that was first premiered at the Tore Del Lago Puccini Festival in Italy in 2018. The Director of Tosca is Giancarlo del Monaco, son of great Italian tenor Mario Del Monaco. Music Director and conductor of production is Gianluca Martinenghi, Set Designer - Carlo Centolavigna, Costume Designer - Ester Martin.
The premiere of Tosca in Tbilisi is dedicated to legendary soprano Tsisana Tatishvili. The singer has been a soloist of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater for 38 years. At the same time, she successfully appeared on the prestigious stages of the former Soviet Union and Europe, where she performed the title roles in Georgian, Italian, German and Russian operas. Tatishvili is a unique Georgian singer who created a precedent in the history of Georgian operatic art – her performance of Salome by Richard Strauss has yet to be repeated. The Georgian soprano was the holder of all top state prizes of Georgia and those of the former Soviet Union, as well as the Albert Schweitzer Order of Honor and Gold Medal.
Renowned Georgian opera soloists and invited artists will take part in the premiere of Tosca in Tbilisi. On April 5, the title role of Tosca will be performed by the leading soprano of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater, Khatuna Chokhonelidze. The part of Cavaradossi will be performed by the famous Georgian tenor George Oniani, who has played this role numerous times in different opera theaters and even took part in the premiere of Tosca at Torre de Lago Festival in Italy with huge success and receiving great acclaim.
The main surprise for opera-lovers is that world-famous Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli will perform the role of Scarpia on April 5. The artist has already performed Tosca 100 times and not only sings and acts, but does both at the same time! Ataneli's international career began in 1996. Since then, he has regularly appeared in such roles as Scarpia, Sharpless, Tonio, Alfio, Gerard, Jago, Giorgio Germont, Jack Rance, Don Carlo Vargas, Renato, Simone Boccanegra, Amonasro, Rigoletto, Barnaba, Rodrigo and Conte di Luna. He has graced the stages of the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Grand Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Opera National de Paris, Bastille, La Scala in Milan, the Hamburg State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and more. He is equally beloved and cherished both at home and abroad.
The celebrated baritone has received international acclaim for this particular role of Scarpia and has been praised by many critics.
“World’s bright star, Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli was brilliant at the Tosca premiere. Apart from being an internationally recognized baritone, notable for his incredible voice and amazing technique, he is a true master of the stage, delivering all his roles with deep passion and perfection,” Gerhard Bauer said of the Georgian baritone.
“Lado Ataneli was most distinguished and bright in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. He shone through with a great and rich voice as well as acting. I have not seen such an incredible performance since great Italian baritone Tito Gobbi,” Jürgen Kesting, Opernbrief Geneva, said of Ataneli’s acting.
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It was premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work is based on French playwright Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, La Tosca, a melodramatic piece dedicated to famous actress Sarah Bernhardt. The setting is Rome in 1800, a year after the French Revolution, when the city was preparing itself for Napoleon’s invasion. This is the tumultuous backdrop to a passionate love affair between republican artist Mario Cavaradossi, and the fiery and loyal singer Floria Tosca. When Cavaradossi is accused of aiding a fugitive and arrested, Tosca must both rescue her man and evade the lustful designs of Baron Scarpia, the royalist chief of secret police.
Puccini saw Sardou's play when it was touring Italy in 1889, and in 1895 he obtained the rights to turn the work into an opera. Turning the wordy French play into a succinct Italian opera took four years, during which the composer repeatedly argued with his librettists and publisher. Tosca premiered at a time of unrest in Rome, and its first performance was delayed for a day for fear of disturbances. Despite indifferent reviews from the critics, the opera was an immediate success with the public.
The grand opera first saw its premiere in Tbilisi four years after its world premiere, in 1904. Since then, Tosca has been included in the regular repertoire of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater.
The dramatic force of Tosca and its characters continues to fascinate both performers and audiences, and the work remains one of the most frequently performed operas.
The performances are scheduled to take place on April 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14 at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater.
By Lika Chigladze