Tosca, quarantined

Need to know

Tosca premiered in Rome in 1900, the opera is divided into three acts and is based on French playwright Victorien Sardou’s popular play La Tosca. The opera is about political intrigue and romance in the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars.

Critics at the premiere, were not fans of the opera’s extreme melodrama, but fans couldn’t get enough and Tosca became an instant hit.

“Spoiler” All three main characters, Floria Tosca, a Roman opera star, Mario Cavaradossi, a painter, and Baron Scarpia, Roman chief of police, do not survive the opera.

Tosca is considered a verismo (realism) opera and Puccini set the actions of each act in specific, real locations in Rome. He even researched the specific plainchant of the churches of Rome to set Scarpia’s vengeful aria “Te Deum”, as well as tracked down an expert in church bells to identify the correct pitches that would be rung in early services.

Did you know, “Vissi d'arte”, Tosca’s most famous aria almost didn’t make the final cut? Puccini thought the aria killed the momentum of the action leading up to Scarpia being stabbed. Out of respect for his soprano, he left the aria in the show. Read more Tosca facts from Operawire.com

Tosca is in the top 5 of most performed operas in the last decade according to Operabase.com. Since 2010, the opera has been performed 4,611 times in over 900 productions. Puccini has four other operas on their top 20 performed operas list, including La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot.

Religion & Politics

We know, two subjects one shouldn’t discuss, but it is impossible to discuss Tosca without talking about religion and politics. The core of the story is about religious faith and a political religious state that is plagued with corruption.

John Louis DiGaetani writes, “Thematically, the core of the opera (Tosca) is the conflict between Tosca’s belief in God and the Catholic Church and Mario Cavaradossi’s agnosticism, perhaps atheism. Between these two ideological poles moves the powerful Baron Scarpia, who outwardly expresses a devout belief in God and the Church but in actuality is a hypocrite who uses his powers as Rome’s chief of police to destroy the rebellion against the old regime in any way expedient, and who also uses his political power to force women to go to bed with him.”

Based on the negative views of the Catholic church in his operas, many historians have have asserted that Puccini was anti-religious. Tosca overtly shows the composers struggle between religion/spirituality and the church as a whole. As Tosca’s faith in the church crumbles around her, we get a glimpse into Puccini’s faith, that God ultimately judges us not man, with the last words of the opera, “O Scarpia, avanti a Dio!” Oh, Scarpia! Before God!

Read more about Puccini and religion at Lyric Opera of Kansas webpage.

Here is another great article from patheos, Personal Faith and Manipulative Religion in Puccini’s “Tosca”.

What to hear!

So many great singers have taken on these iconic roles, here are a few recordings to start you off, but know that this opera rabbit hole is deep and has so many wonderful recordings!

“Vissi d’arte” sung by Maria Callas

“E lucevan le stelle” sung by Jonas Kaufmann

“Tre sbirri. Una carozza- Te Deum” sung by Bryn Terfel

“Mario, Mario, Mario!” duet from Act 1 sung by Luciano Pavarotti and Shirley Verrett

I’ll have what the Diva’s having!

We raise a glass to the diva herself and created a cocktail in her honor, a Tosca-tini. Just like the diva, it’s a little sweet, a little bitter, a little spicy, but always the star of the show. See John mix it up here.

Ingredients: 1 3/4 oz Silver Tequila, 3/4 oz Aperol, 3/4 oz Campari, 3/4 oz Orange Juice, 2 dashes Orange bitters, 1 jalapeño slice, Prosecco to top (optional), garnish with jalapeño slice or lime slice.

Directions: Put Tequila, Aperol, Campari, Orange Juice, bitters, and jalapeño slice into a shaker with ice, shake until chilled (20-30 seconds), strain into a chilled coupe and top with Prosecco. Garnish with a jalapeño or lime slice, Enjoy!

Synopsis

Tosca is an opera in three acts that take place at real locations in Rome over the course of one day in June, 1800. Act 1 at Church of Sant’ Andrea della Valle, Act 2 at the Palazzo Farnese, and Act 3 at the Castel Sant’ Angelo.

The plot centers around three main characters, Rome’s opera diva Floria Tosca, her lover, painter Mario Cavaradossi, and the corrupt Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia. Scarpia lusts for Tosca and uses his power as chief of police to arrest Cavaradossi who he also suspects of aiding an escaped political prisoner. With her lover arrested, Scarpia plans to use his position to manipulate Tosca into revealing the prisoner’s hiding place and ultimately have his way with her. Having to make the choice to save Mario, Tosca agrees, but soon after Scarpia signs the paperwork and comes to claim his prize, she stabs him. Tosca hurries to find Cavaradossi and explains that the bullets fired would be blanks and to fake his death. After the soldiers fire and Cavaradossi doesn’t move, Tosca quickly realizes she had been lied to by Scarpia. The chief’s men rush in to arrest her, but before they get to her, Tosca jumps from the balcony proclaiming she will meet Scarpia before God.

Read the full synopsis from the Met.

Stream

Rent from the Met, take your pick from multiple productions of Tosca performed over the years.

Here is a free production to stream from Verona.

Stream Act II from Covenant Garden production staring Maria Callas (Tosca) and Tito Gobbi (Scarpia).