I heard numerous nuances that I’d never heard before as she led great contrast between the love duet’s romance and jealousy to the harsh and frightening chords of Scarpia’s entrance. She led with musical intelligence and perfect pacing, and you could almost feel the high spirits of the orchestra in response to her work. Kim, who recently began her tenure as San Francisco Opera’s first female music director, drew every bit of humor, melodrama, and pathos in Puccini’s glorious score. I certainly didn’t find any.īut there was plenty to love about the Lyric Opera Orchestra, under the masterful baton of the Lyric-debuting conductor Eun Sun Kim. Played out on beautiful, detailed sets by the late Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, and featuring lavish costumes by the late Marcel Escoffier, the direction of Louisa Muller was quite as you would expect of a standard production, despite her program notes indicating that she hoped to “find new layers”. But while it was a very satisfying musical afternoon, neither singers nor the determinedly tradition production provided anything of the sort.

So, I always hope for some new approach or new insight that will shed light on some aspect of character or phrasing. I know it so thoroughly that I think I could sing along (don’t worry, I wasn’t tempted). Other than the inevitable La bohème, it is the opera that I have seen and heard the most over the years.

Tosca lyric opera