Royal Opera House announces first fully staged opera since lockdown

London’s Royal Opera House has announced that its winter 2020/21 programme will open on 13 January with 12 performances of Puccini’s Tosca.  Anna Netrebko returns to the stage at Covent Garden on opening night to sing the title role in Jonathan Kent’s 2006 production.

This will will be the first fully staged production of an opera at Covent Garden since lockdown in March 2020. Running from Wednesday 13 January to Saturday 13 March, the production will also be live streamed for audiences across the globe 22 January.

Opening on 13 January, Dan Ettinger will conduct the starry opening-night cast including Anna Netrebko, her husband tenor Yusif Eyvazov (Cavaradossi) and Gerald Finley (Scarpia).

On 15, 18, 21, 23 January, Spanish soprano Saioa Hernández will sing the title role, with South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee reviving the role of Cavaradossi in which he made his Royal Opera debut in the 2012/13 Season. Lithuanian bass-baritone Kostas Smoriginas, a former member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, will perform the role of Baron Scarpia.

When the production returns in March, British conductor Alexander Soddy will make his ROH debut conducting Swedish soprano Malin Byström, British-Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso (making his role debut as Mario Cavaradossi) and German baritone Michael Volle.

The three casts are joined by the Royal Opera Chorus, former and current members of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Oliver Mears, Director of Opera of the Royal Opera House, said: ‘What better way for the Royal Opera House and our beloved audience to return to full-scale opera than with Puccini’s masterpiece? Gripping theatre from beginning to end, Tosca also features some of the most passionate music in the repertory, performed here by a dazzling collection of local and international stars. Classic opera at Covent Garden is back.’

To comply with Covid-safe working and social distancing guidance, in this production of Tosca the orchestra will be smaller than usual, and Act I features some changes to the original staging. In order to ensure the safety of artists and creative teams and to prevent the spread of Covid-19, mitigations have included strict socially distancing in the rehearsal studio alongside testing, for those in physical contact during rehearsal, administered privately at no expense to the NHS.