While some may find his voice small or dry- I have always liked the quality of his voice. Which brings me to the next great acting singer- Ingvar Wixell. :) She makes you believe in a heroine that can be shy about kissing in front of the "Madonna" in church but fight like a tigress for the man she loves when faced with evil. Passionate, jealous, pious but dangerous with a knife. Her "Vissi d'arte" is moving, believable and just a sacred moment in time- a real jewel (nice camera work by Brian Large.) It is also obvious she understands this character of contrasts. You never watch her & think "that's artifice" because it never is. They are all motivated by something in her character. So what is a Tosca without a singer that can act? It's horribly pathetic, I know, I've seen one (more than one, but I won't go bashing here.) In THIS Tosca, the lead role sung by Éva Marton is to die for (pun intended.) She sings with abundant abandon and also manages to make you believe her EVERY move. After all, Puccini's Tosca was based on a play by Sardou for one of the greatest actresses of his day, Sarah Bernhardt. This is such a wonderful production because all the singers can sing AND act. I really don't have enough adjectives for it, but I will try to describe why it's so fabulous. I recently found it on DVD and bought it straight-away. Personally for me, it is the best Tosca I've EVER seen. I saw this production back in 1985 on PBS and have never forgotten it. if you don't know the story of Tosca and don't want plot information, don't keep reading. All in all, extraordinary opera, superb production. Also the build up to the ending is nail-biting, while the Scarpia meet me before god bit is magic. All the crucial scenes are done very well, the te deum and the whole of act 2 are brilliantly done, and Marton's acting in the final moments of the second act gave me goosebumps. Regardless, his acting more than makes up for it for it is extraordinary, making Scarpia both sinister and human, even in the same scene. I can understand why some may find his singing dry but I also like this tone. Tito Gobbi, Ruggero Raimomdi and Sherrill Milnes, all three especially have nailed this difficult and powerful baritone role, allow me to say the same with Ingvar Wixell. Eva Marton is exceptional in the title role, with both her singing and acting very powerful and her performance is everything Tosca should be, jealous and impassioned above all things. Jaume Aragall is a good Caveradossi, he has the perfect voice for the role epitomising heroism, arrogance and poignancy, and while his acting is not quite in the same league he is never flaccid or stolid. The three leads are nothing short of exceptional. The story is complex, tragic and dark, with never a dull moment, and I have to give credit to Brian Large's bravura direction and the exemplary orchestra playing and conducting for making that possible. The set for Scarpia's rooms is beautiful and does create a somewhat foreboding setting, while in terms of staging the te deum is inspired and is never devoid of the music's intensity. The costumes and sets are to die for, I rarely find myself disappointed in Tosca's act 2 dress in any production and this was no exception. In fact for me only Iago's "I believe in a cruel god" from Otello is even more so. My favourite though will always be the te deum, a wonderful piece of music that is beautiful in melody but also contains one of the most chilling and blasphemous utterances in opera, "Tosca you made me forget God". And the music is magnificent, there is Recondita Armonia, E Lucevan le Stelle and Vissi D'Arte, every single one of those arias are powerful in their own right, and beautifully performed and sung, and the whole of act 2 is a real tour-de-force musically and dramatically. It is one of my absolute favourite operas, and most likely my favourite Puccini opera especially for Scarpia, a complex and extraordinary character who lives long into the memory. I agree completely with the previous reviewer, this production is most excellent and I can't tell you how many times I have seen it along with the other film versions/productions I've cited. This 1984 production is one of my favourite Toscas along with the 19 ones.