My last Tosca May 16th 2019

 Memories of that Tosca seem to come from   another life where someone else was replacing me...

 All around  me life is starting again with precautious gestures... vaccination is helping to widen the doors onto normal life:  That is life  with no curfew, less ill people in hospitals, and still with masks on in shops queues and concert halls now beginning to open again. Outdoors masks are not  compulsory. Because of my special  health conditions, vaccinattion at the moment is not possible for me. I have to visit a specialist in Marseille who is fully  booked for months  and  could decide what to do towards that vaccination issue. I am not anxious about it because after nearly two years I am used to living at home entirely and in my two small gardens with Music of course and internet connection.

That is why I live in my memory most of the time. I should try to sort it out but I have never been an organised person... Dreams,  arias,  memories come to me because I often listen to either France Musique or what I look for in all my recorded music from live productions I attended more than ten years ago. Before retirement I used to tape concerts from the Radio, France Musique mainly and I have drawers full of tapes ... with all sorts of operas and concerts and interesting long live interviews or comments on operas. I very rarely put them on my radio set. But when I bought a recording stick I really enjoyed what I recorded  I had a Sony one which allowed me to keep all the precious lyrical moments I enjoyed where I was. Of course I also managed to download them on my computer and I have a collection of beloved music and singers.Then I was given an Iphone and recording videos was so easy... when I had a rather sheltered seat at Bastille Opera House or Marseille or anywhere .. La Scala too when I went even  at Moscow Bolschoï and last precious souvenir Bayreuth for Lohengrin with Anja Harteros... 

That is why I rediscovered today  the video of the 16 last minutes of Tosca at Bastille with Anja Harteros and Vittorio Grigolo.

 I did not  upload those minutes on youtube because they are considered illegal and I understand but I would like to share the beauty of the two artists in this extreme tragic moment with the music singing acting and a rather striking setting. I wrote briefly some lines about that last Tosca because it was an event in our life: For once I was not alone my husband asked me to book a seat because Tosca is his favourite opera and he wanted to see Anja Harteros he listened to because of my deep passion for her art of singing and he caught sight of her at a small shop near  Berlin  Deutsch oper whee she was singing  (I was going to of course!) she was at the cash desk for some sweets  .. that was so good... we said 'hello' with admiration...I bowed very impressed... as always!

Vittorio Grigolo is a passionate singer on stage and he is a nice tenor too with a lot of "Italianita," very communicative acting  with his partners. 

 

I suddenly rediscovered how intense he was, so that his Floria became also like him, passionate and loving! She was disheveled and had some of her  bangs (very impressive curly hair) in front of her eyes and I noticed he was gently combing her hair  back with his hand as well as stroking her head gently. I did not remember these gestures and her affectionate even loving embraces when I was in the house that night, it is my video which told me that intimate palying that opening night.

They both shared impressive,  expressive,  passionate singing,  I remember that, but I did not remember the intensity of their shared acting at the end of Tosca. I will try to reflect these discoveries in the screesnhots from the video I made on May 16th 19,  a day before flying to Beijing and  crossing 3600 kms through China on their fast trains, our last journey before Covid 19 started all over the world, but at that time we did not know ... it was ahead of us..      

Sceenshots trying to show their intense moving acting and singing. Anja Harteros was amazing and Vittorio Grigolo was so moving,  perhaps a bit too much... still it was convincing... I keep in mind he was replacing Jonas Kaufmann who has so often starred with Anja Harteros and that night was the opening night so both must have been more moved and eager than ever in singing acting sharing their roles.

 
They had a lot of chemistry that night to be remembered ! The last vision of Tosca walking away with a veil floating across the stage then that aura where only her shadow gradually became smaller... until the curtain fell and the music gave its last hard pangs in our hearts.. with her cries.. Tosca's  ending is really something at the orchestra and that night it was fantastic, (conductor Dan Ettinger, director Pierre Audi). 

(Today I erased the link for the audio finale which did not work. And erased also the video I uploaded because I have doubts.)

(Many thanks for the upload on Youtube,  I was very confused to see this video and mine with watermark which means I downloaded it? I left France on the 17th and did not have access to youtube for more than a month somehow. Vittorio Grigolo sang only that night of the 16th and the upload refers to another date). What counts is the sound of their voices, their intensity, their subtle renditions  according to their feelings at that tragic pathetic end we all know the issue. With utterly skilled musicians and singers-actors they are both it is a rare moment which is now for me unique. (I had also the chance to see Vittorio Grigolo at La Scala along side Diana Damrau .. so it was for me another great discovery ! 

Now I feel better ! 

D who was sitting behind me at row 27th same folding seat at the Parterre mid alley with plenty of space for his legslol gave me the surprise of making the video with his smartphone... that is why as he has no youtube account, when he downloaded it there appeared the watermark... I feel relieved that he remembered doing so... He did it for me because I was so absorbed in the music and singing of my favourite dramatic soprano... I managed to see all her 'Tosca' in France...