TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/04/1997
Badea; Guleghina, Larin, Morris
SID.19100102
Tosca……………….Maria Guleghina
Cavaradossi………….Sergej Larin
Scarpia……………..James Morris
Sacristan……………David Evitts
Spoletta…………….Charles Anthony
Angelotti……………James Courtney
Sciarrone……………Bradley Garvin
Shepherd…………….Andrew Jablon
Jailer………………Vaclovas Daunoras
Conductor……………Christian Badea
Production…………..Franco Zeffirelli
Stage Director……….Max Charruyer
Set designer…………Franco Zeffirelli
Costume designer……..Peter J. Hall
Lighting designer…….Gil Wechsler
The draw here is Larin, who died much too early. He has Grigory (Boris Godunov), Don Jose, Don Alvaro, and Pinkerton in addition and I saw his Prince in Rusalka in San Francisco. His Alvaro was excellent (second run the first season of the production) and I wish Sirius would rebroadcast both the Ramey and Morris Borises, both are with Larin, the first under Gergiev with Borodina, and the Morris under Bychkov with Mishura. I’d love to hear the Solti Boris (April 1963) as well, but because of the translation, I doubt we will ever hear it. Larin was a premature passing, and not sure how he sounded on this. Guleghina is not my favorite Tosca, and Tosca is not my favorite opera.