FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MIAMI.(Review)

With Deborah Voigt making her debut in the title role, and Renata Scotto directing for the first time an opera in which she often sang, Florida Grand Opera's much-anticipated production of Puccini's Tosca looked like a slam-dunk season-ending winner. Yet the production seemed imperiled. On opening night (March 14), tenor Clifton Forbis was flown in from New York less than four hours before curtain to replace Scottish tenor David Maxwell Anderson, who had been injured during rehearsals. (Anderson recovered in time to sing the rest of the run.)

As it turned out, backstage brouhaha provided the rare moments of drama at Miami--Dade County Auditorium. Voigt's big, refulgent soprano offered the expected highlights, with generally solid vocalism from the supporting cast. But despite Scotto's considerable best efforts to inject dramatic fire and provide credible acting, the lack of intensity in this most theatrical of Puccini's operas offset the virtues, and the show never really caught fire.

Voigt has stated that the role of Tosca presented few vocal hurdles, and for a singer steeped in Wagner and Verdi roles, the score must look like a breeze on the page. But there's more to singing Tosca than getting the notes right; the long lines and expansive lyricism of Puccini are wholly different from the cut and thrust of Verdi. In what was not only her first Tosca but her first leading Puccini role, Voigt lacked pacing and idiomatic ebb and flow.

The soprano's voluminous instrument did indeed provide thrilling moments, even if there was a persistent hardness to her tone, possibly due to the venue's dry acoustic. Voigt's gleaming soprano cut through the large orchestra with ease, and one will rarely hear "Vissi d'arte" sung with such power and security.

Her dramatic performance was less successful. There were some worthy isolated moments -- Tosca's jealousy in Act I and her guttural cries of "Muori!" to the dying Scarpia. But for the most part, Voigt's portrayal was an uneasy mix of ...