Tosca by Puccini, Fr. 23 Juni 2006, Ab (2006/2006), Unter der Regie von Sergej Maslobojscikov, Dirigat Balázs Kocsár, Grand Theatre, Miskolc, Ungarn

The Miskolc Opera Festival's theatrically outstanding performance, and musically the most outstanding in many aspects, was Puccini's Tosca, a joint production of the Debrecen Tsokonai Theater and the Miskolc Opera Festival, directed by Sergej Maslobojshchikov. It was not particularly disturbing that the Ukrainian director removed one of Puccini's most popular operas from its already questionable verista roots, transferring the action to a special sacred sphere. The action on stage and the communication between the actors were mediated by a group of angels, mostly dressed in red costumes and composed of little girls, and the children's maximally professional stage presence was indispensable in creating the dreamlike, slightly distorted heavenly atmosphere of the performance. The director may have been inspired by the action locations (church, Angel Castle) for this idea, although the text sung by Tosca, Cavaradossi and Scarpia is also full of references. "Under the leadership of Balázs Kocsár, the Debrecen orchestra provided a solid basis for fully enjoying the musical and theatrical performances..." (István Csurkovics)