Sonya Yoncheva, the Savior of Tosca
2023 The Year of Song and Verse №2
She sings Fedora on Jan 14, 2023 at the Met in HD a much see in theaters world wide.
Tosca and Puccini have always been a problem with me. A few pretty songs a loose story and Puccini has always lost me, while I never walked out of a performance I never left satisficed. The one opera of his that should stand the test is Tosca. I have always wanted to love this opera after seeing the Italian movie of the play. The book for Tosca is rather good, it does have big numbers it does make sense, it examines the monstrous both in the vice filled and virtuous, but it always left me dry eyed and unemotional in two live performances and a few versions on DVD.
Finally in 2018 the Met In HD series stared Sonya Yoncheva as Tosca, I was in the mood for a performance and had never seen her sing before. Her Tosca captivated me. She truly carried the play, but she should since it is Tosca. Her voice and acting conveyed jealousy, rage, wrath, murder, and suicidal heart break. Yes she is gorgeous but then Tosca is supposed to be in all ways seductive and captivating.
This did not occur in a vacuum David McVicar’s direction and new set design as well as the met and the remaining cast only enhanced Yoncheva performance. Yet with problem plays like Tosca and Luisa Miller, Yoncheva makes a less than believable plot that often false flat, transform into a captivating performance.
Tosca with Sonya Yoncheva can be streamed from Met Opera Web site.
Disclaimer: Ernest Boehm donates to the Metropolitan Opera and does not derive any finical benefit from Medium articles.