Noah Stewart's ringing tenor highlights Portland Opera's "Tosca"

Alexandra LoBianco and Noah Stewart | Photo by Cory Weaver

Noah Stewart stole the show on opening night (October 29) of Portland Opera’s recent production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” His portrayal of Tosca’s lover Cavaradossi, replete with ringing top notes, was stunning. His “Vittoria! Vittoria!” practically blew the roof off of Keller Auditorium, which is hard to do, given the size of the place. But he wasn’t a tenor with only double-fortes in his holster. He captivated the audience with a soul-searching “E lucevan le stelle” and easily scaled his voice down to soft pianissimos that evoked passion and sensitivity.

Alexandra LoBianco, in the title role, displayed a gorgeous timbre from the tip-top notes to the depths of the soprano register. Her singing of “Vissi d’arte” was convincing, but she needed more volume to match up with Stewart. LoBianco’s portrayal of a jealous and somewhat shallow woman who turns into a heroine was spot on, and at one point in the second act, she became so deeply involved in her character that, when trying to evade the clutches of the chief of police, Scarpia, she forcefully banged into the stage scenery.

In creating a thoroughly despicable Scarpia, Gordon Hawkins exuded an unhurried, powerful, and menacing presence – all of which was lubricated by his polished baritone. Katherine Goforth’s Spoletta deftly showed fearlessness and fearfulness while helping to carry out Scarpia’s designs. This contrasted well with the Zachary Lenox’s Sciarrone, who aided and abetted Scarpia without hesitation. Deac Guidi fashioned a buffo Sacristan with a duo nature – pious on the outside yet not above taking money from the church’s coffers. As the escaped political prisoner, Angelotti, Damien Geter could have been more desperate, but his role as the bored jailer worked well.

Gordon Hawkins |  Photo by Cory Weaver

 Linda Brovsky, in her Portland Opera debut as stage director, paced the story crisply, providing a nuance here and there, such as Spoletta surreptitiously making the sign of the cross when he had to oversee one of Scarpia’s nasty requests. Traditional costumes by Christine A. Richardson were perfectly attuned to the scenery of the Stivanello Costume Company, which showed a tired and worn-out Rome. All was expertly presented by Connie Yun’s lighting.

Deac Guidi | Photo by Cory Weaver

Although they had not played in twenty months because of the pandemic, the orchestra was fully revved up and charged into the music with gusto. Conductor Tiffany Chang, making her company debut on the podium, elicited a robust sound from the musicians. Nicholas Fox prepared the chorus, which sang with gusto

The evening began with general director Sue Dixon and artistic director Priti Gandhi extending a warm welcome to the audience before the curtain went up. If you missed this production, I can heartily recommend that you view it via Portland Opera Onscreen, which will be available from November 16 to December 31st. You will catch Stewart in a stellar performance, and that may be the harbinger of a pretty fantastic future for him.