Tosca

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

by David Nicholson

Cardiff enjoyed a birthday celebration to end them all in a joyous production of Puccini’s peerless opera Tosca starring Bryn Terfel, Welsh National Opera’s most famous old boy.

The centre is 10 years old, while Terfel is celebrating his 50th year.

This is a stripped-back production where all the action takes place on stage, on which the the orchestra is also located.

In the absence of the usual panoply of egotistical directors’ quirky takes on the story and over-imaginative flights of fancy the focus is very much on the performances and this is a true celebration of beautiful singing, fantastic music and great acting.

We meet painter Carvaradossi in a cathedral, where he helps escaped political prisoner Angelotti avoid the tender mercies of Terfel’s chief of police, Scarpia.

When Ainhoa Arteta’s Tosca comes to visit her artist lover in the cathedral the action really takes off.

Arteta lives and breathes the tempestuous and passionate Tosca and her jealousy is absolutely authentic.

This really is a pair of lovers to believe in and their convincing chemistry positively makes the air tingle with their passionate relationship.

Teodor Ilincai is a wonderful tenor and his Carvaradossi is a brave and single-minded friend, helping Rafal Pawnuk’s Ancelotti escape the brutal regime.

But it is is his singing which is a thing of beauty. Ilincai has a pure voice and his arias soar over the proceedings.

The audience have come for Terfel and the Welsh bass baritone does not disappoint. His entrance as Scarpia gives the production its lift-off and he is the personification of Machiavellian evil without ever going over the top and descending into pantomime.

He’s particularly effective as he toys with Tosca — he wants to have her and use her to ensnare a confession about where Ancelotti is hiding.

While the whole action takes place in a small performance area in front of the orchestra, it’s never less than believable.

This five-star performance is a fitting celebration of Terfel’s birthday and of the wonderful auditorium housed in the Millennium Centre.

Let’s hope that Terfel can be tempted back to Cardiff for more operatic performances for a wider audience to enjoy.