Double Vision

More than a century after its première, Tosca remains one of the most popular operas worldwide, and one of the most frequently performed. Yet the opera is more grand guignol than grand melodrama, and its fascination with suicide, torture, attempted rape and execution by firing squad leave little room for the genuine human emotions that might render its cruelty tolerable or redeeming. While Alvis Hermanis’ consistently fascinating, occasionally frustrating new production at the Staatsoper Berlin sets out to locate the emotional core of Tosca, it manages – through no fault of the excellent cast or the musical direction of Daniel Barenboim – to come up empty handed. Mr Hermanis’ new staging – which replaces Carl Riha’s much-loved but superannuated version after 38 years of active service – is essentially a subtle piece of modern…