And in the cavernous open-air hall, everything had to go through a sound system thus, instead of the conductor setting balances between musicians and singers, a sound engineer in the back of the hall did the honors. Musically, the performance tiptoed rather than surged. Communication with the singers was confined to TV monitors, so shaping and in-performance correction were catch-as-catch-can. Opera CdA proves worthy of Puccinis Tosca, continuing Sunday. Conductor Grant Gershon was thus doubly hobbled.

The National Symphony Orchestra was onstage but largely invisible behind the elaborate set. Not that this is the ideal way to experience the art form. But the Filene Center’s entire opera season began and ended Friday with a single performance of Puccini’s “Tosca.” I hope management will remember the full house (for the Wolf Trap Opera company’s cast of unknowns) and the standing, cheering ovation when it plans future seasons the dearth of opera in one of the country’s premiere summer venues is shameful. Today the Wolf Trap Opera is a thriving, admirable company, showcasing many talented young singers at the smaller Barns venue. In its first decade or so, Wolf Trap offered a full bill of operas each season at its Filene Center, with regular visits from the Met and the New York City Opera in addition to its own productions by the fledgling Wolf Trap Opera.

Tosca opera 2017