Photo Coverage: Nashville Opera's 'Tosca'
by Jeffrey Ellis - Oct 7, 2009
Nashville Opera opens its 2009-2010 season with a sumptuous mounting of Puccini's classic Tosca, onstage at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall October 8 and 10. Starring soprano Erika Sunnegardh in the title role, the production features William Joyner as Cavaradossi, Luis Ledesma as Scarpia, Matthew Trevino as Angelotti/The Jailer, Stefan Skafarowsky as Sacristan/Sciarrone and Tracy Wise as Spoletta. The production is directed by John Hoomes, artistic director for Nashville Opera, and the Nashville Symphony is conducted by Steven White, artistic director of Opera Roanoke. The Nashville Opera Ensemble, under chorusmater Amy Tate Williams, is also featured.
REVIEW: Nashville Opera's Season-Opening 'Tosca'
by Jeffrey Ellis - Oct 7, 2009
From the first strains of the music, so beautifully played by members of the Nashville Symphony, under the baton of conductor Steven White (himself the artistic director of Opera Roanoke and a frequent collaborator with Nashville Opera artists) to the final, dramatic scene in which Tosca falls to her death after the execution of her lover, Tosca is a feast for both the eyes and ears. Creatively designed, utilizing the scenery from the Virginia Opera mounting of the work and sumptuous costuming from Baltimore's AT Jones & Sons, it has all the impressive trappings of grand opera. Yet John Hoomes' thoughtful direction results in something that is far more relatable-and certainly more accessible-than one might imagine.
