Tosca : Sturminger, Thielemann / Staatskapelle Dresden, Harteros, Antonenko, Tezier, Mastroni, etc (2018 Stereo)

Premiered in 1900 with huge success, Puccinis melodramma Tosca is a political thriller with a heart-breaking love story. With his gripping opening scene, stage director Michael Sturminger sets the tone for a cinematic, richly detailed Tosca which is set in the Mafiosi world of modern day Rome and which is the perfect thriller reminiscent of Scorseses Goodfellas (Kleine Zeitung), a film noir (FAZ). In this production soprano Anja Harteros is a phenomenal Tosca! (Kurier), unparalleled in the world (Der Standard) and Aleksandrs Antonenko is a Cavaradossi of superlatives (Kieler Nachrichten). The Staatskapelle Dresden under Christian Thielemann show again that he is not only a master of German repertoire but also strikes the right note in Italian repertoire. (Focus)