The National Opera's production of Tosca was directed long ago by Siegwulf Turek. Additional rehearsals have been added to allow Mattila and the new chief conductor Mikko Franck to fine-tune their interpretation.
Mattila said that she is jumping into a ready production with a flexible mind.
"There is nothing wrong with the direction. I like the straightforward approach. Assistant director Anna Kelo is very precise, and she knows the roles and the languages, and then there is Juha (Juha Uusitalo) as Scarpia, and this wonderful Russian tenor (Vladimir Kuzmenko)."

Things are different in new productions. At the Metropolitan, Mattila is in a position where she has approval over decisions, if she agrees to take part. The director of Tosca is now under consideration.
"They will definitely listen to me - there and in many houses", she says.
Metropolitan's other decisions on Tosca have already been made public. James Levine is to be the conductor, Marcelo Alvarez is in the tenor role of Cavaradossi, and Bryn Terfel is playing the lustful villain Scarpia.

The role of Tosca requires control.
"So you don't wear yourself out screeching! It is easy to go into howling, when the orchestra is playing loud."
Mattila also read the original play by Victorien Sardou, which the libretto was based on.
"The Tosca of the play is much tougher and more influential than the opera suggests."
Puccini is not new to Mattila. She was one of the most celebrated singers to do the title role of Manon Lescaut, and is scheduled to perform it this autumn in San Francisco.
"Manon is a lengthier role, but a more lyrical type. I had to do it before Tosca, which is so rough to sing."

In the core of the opera there really is an attempted rape, a torture scene, a homicide, an execution, and a suicide. Tosca has provoked many negative reactions.
Even Puccini's libretto writers were annoyed when the composer wanted the events to move on, without the kind of meandering that is so typical to opera. As for the critics, Joseph Kernman famously described the compact opera as a shabby little shocker.
"When you go onto the stage, you have to have 110 percent confidence in why you are on stage, and not worry about what others are thinking", Mattila says.
"For me this is a classically rough story, with all of the elements of an action movie. To be honest, I have not had an action role like this before."

As incredible as it may seem, Mattila has never seen Tosca on stage.
"On film, yes, but not on stage. When I accepted the role, I actually avoided it."
She says that she has heard "almost every one" of the sound recordings of the opera.
"There is something admirable in almost all of them.Brigit Nilsson is in a class of her own, with her heavy voice, and Leontyne Price, who had magnificent colour in her voice. I like to listen to singers who use Italian simply for the purpose of dealing with the text, even though I have a good coach."
What about Maria Callas, who stopped doing entire opera performances at the age of just 41, specifically after doing Tosca?
"She is everyone's classic, who has her own style of singing. Those with a different type of voice will listen to it out of curiosity", she comments.
"Usually the best recordings come from those who have done the role on stage as well. Otherwise the truth and realism in the comprehensive nature of handling the role is always lacking."

Esta se la dedico b_alonsoes, que creo que le gusta un "poquito" Karita Mattila
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Sopran ... 5221289797

Tendré que ponerme a escucharla de nuevo , porque las opiniones de _Annio_ , tienen mucho fundamento.

mejor que gheorgiu debe estar, sin duda

Kraustex creo que no has entendido bien mi mensaje. Yo me refiero a que esos son defectos de la Mattila PARA CANTAR UNA BUENA TOSCA, no como cantante en general, que me parece EXCELENTE.

Lo único que le faltará será la tran traída italianidad estos días en Hispaópera.

A mí lo de la italianitá me da mucho miedo...si hablamos de aspectos de técnica de canto italiana vale, pero si hablamos de "espíritus", "extroversión", "comunicatividad" etc. me parece las más de las veces un truco para disculpar a malos cantantes (como Pippo, tan solar e "italiano" él).