Tonight I again joined Bob for a trip to the opera. This time to the Opera San Jose to see Puccini’s Tosca. This was the first time I had been to Opera San Jose, the first time I’d seen a Puccini opera, and the first time I’d seen Tosca.
We drove down in somewhat heavy traffic, but it was counter-commute. The opera was performed at the California Theater, which is near San Jose State University, and the area seemed was pretty cleared out by the time we got there. We got some dinner at a food court ahead of time, and it was warm enough that we could eat outside. Afterward, we went into the theater for a pre-show lecture. The theater is a beautifully ornate 1920s-style movie theater. After the lecture, there was an organ recital in the lobby before the opera.
Apparently, one of the missions of Opera San Jose is to cultivate new talents, so they are a little more experimental than the San Francisco Opera. I thought the music, singing, and production were great. Tosca is a classic melodramatic operatic story, where all the principals are dead by the end. As we left the theater, the area was hopping as there seem to be a number of live music venues in the area. I enjoyed the evening, and it was a nice dose of culture.