'TOSCA' TENOR NOT UP TO TASK.

Byline: David Mermelstein Correspondent

IF WE DIDN'T know better, we might wonder if Placido Domingo and the Los Angeles Opera were getting political. Think about it: The company's latest production is set in a Western capital in which the state has the power to imprison its enemies without charge and torture them without consequence. See any present-day parallels?

OK, it's a bit of a stretch, given that the opera in question is Puccini's ``Tosca,'' which opened last week. But the approach would have been welcome. For then, at least, there might be some excitement connected to this mediocre revival of Ian Judge's by-the-numbers staging, a production first seen at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1989 and now before us for the fifth time.

In truth, the excitement was supposed to have come from the cast - rising Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra (the new Pavarotti, according to the hype machine), Lithuanian mezzo- cum-soprano Violeta Urmana (who just two months ago triumphed at New York's Metropolitan Opera) and Kansas-born bass Samuel Ramey (like Domingo, one of opera's Energizer bunnies).

Signs of trouble occurred early on opening night, with Licitra, in his company debut, practically mauling Cavaradossi's lambent aria ``Recondita armonia.'' Chalk it up to nerves, but instead of producing the golden tone his handlers had promised, Licitra sounded harsh, his timbre twangy and nasal, his phrasing graceless. Shockingly, no one in the packed hall applauded; stunned silence was the response. Things got better for him as the evening wore on, but even in his final aria, the ethereal ``E lucevan le stelle,'' the voice remained unappealing, with the breaks in it all too obvious.

Urmana, also in her company debut, was more impressive, offering real feeling in Tosca's big number, Act 2's ``Vissi d'arte.'' Despite beginning her career in vocally lower material, the soprano did not strain to produce high notes, nor did she have any trouble projecting. What was missing, though, was the flair and magnetism she brought to the title role of Strauss' ``Ariadne auf Naxos'' at the Met. Instead of ``being'' the tempestuous singer that is Tosca, Urmana merely suggested her character.

The production's saving grace turned out to be Ramey. Though he is nearing the end of his career as he becomes a fixture at L.A. Opera (this is his sixth appearance with the company since 2000), he is clearly giving local audiences his utmost. The voice may not be as rich or as loud as it was two decades ago, but the intensity, intelligence and authority are undimmed. As the evil Scarpia, Ramey exuded malevolence, and only when he forced himself on Urmana physically (a scene that unfortunately suggested animal wrangling) did the power dynamic shift in the wrong direction.

Little need be said of Judge's familiar production, with serviceable sets by John Gunter. But the presence of L.A. Opera music director Kent Nagano in the pit was a plus. If his conducting wasn't exactly distinctive, his shading of dynamics was laudable. Besides, he has other things on his mind: He's leading the company's first production of Wagner's ``Parsifal,'' which opened Saturday night.

TOSCA - Two and one half stars

What: With a starry cast, the Los Angeles Opera revives Ian Judge's well-worn production.

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 2 p.m. today and Dec. 4 and 18. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Dec. 7, 10 and 15.

Tickets: $30-$205. [phone] or www.losangelesopera.com.

In a nutshell: A by-the-numbers version of a Puccini favorite.

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Photo:

Tenor Salvatore Licitra and soprano Violeta Urmana lead the cast in the L.A. Opera's ``Tosca.''