Her soprano is consistently attractive across its range, with an effortless top capable of a rich variety of colors, a plummy midrange and an elemental low range that made me think of the great Leontyne Price. She built tension to the breaking point throughout Act 2, then surrounded her “Vissi d’arte” aria with a halo of nostalgia, lying back languidly on Scarpia’s divan as if momentarily stepping outside of time and space. Lisa Daltirus seems born to sing Tosca, and her natural ease in the role was evident at the outset: the proudly poised entrance (Floria Tosca is, after all, herself an opera diva), the don’t-mess-with-me countenance, the sharp glances of jealousy that struck fear in the heart. Stage director Bernard Uzan, with plenty of worldwide experience to his credit, chose to step back and let his veteran lead singers do what they can do, which is plenty. The season-opening production, which debuted September 11 at the Lyric Theatre, features one of the best lead casts that the company has ever assembled, at least in recent memory, and it had me utterly engaged for three hours. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City was wise to eschew tinkering with the drama in favor of confronting head-on the opera’s musical glories.
The plot of Tosca is a pretty crass affair, but even seasoned opera devotees keep returning to the piece because it features what is perhaps Puccini’s most incisive and consistently compelling musical score.
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