#FLORIA TOSCA CHARACTER EVER

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TOSCA ???!??!?!??!?!?!???!

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OPERA / 2018-2019

TOSCA

STUDENT GUIDE

Washington National Opera Open Rehearsal Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Based on the play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou

School show: May 8

Teacher and Parent Guide: Tosca

WHO'S WHO

Main Characters

Floria Tosca, a celebrated opera singer (soprano—the highest female voice) Mario Cavaradossi, a painter and revolutionary (tenor—the highest male voice) Baron Scarpia, chief of Roman police (baritone—a middle-range male voice) Cesare Angelotti, former consul for the Roman Republic (bass––the lowest male voice) A sacristan, custodian of the church (bass)

So, What’s Going On?

Rome. June 17-18, 1800.

(Note: Unlike in most operas, audiences can pinpoint the exact dates of the Tosca story, as the plot unfolds in the wake of the Napoleonic Battle of Marengo, fought in June, 1800. In addition, all locations mentioned in the opera are real places in the city of Rome that still exist to this day.)

Act 1

In the “eternal city” of Rome, one of the many Italian revolutionary republics has recently been suppressed by forces loyal to an Italian king. With the future of the Roman territories uncertain and civil unrest on the rise, the streets are now run by the brutal Baron Scarpia (SKAHR-pya), chief of the royal police.

Newly escaped from prison, Cesare Angelotti (CHEH-zah-reh ahn-jehl-OHT-tee)––a member of the former Roman Republic––staggers into the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. His sister, the Marquess Attavanti (ah-tah-VAHN-tee), has promised to leave some clothes beneath the altar of her private family chapel so he can flee in disguise and avoid Baron Scarpia.

But Angelotti has some unexpected company.

Just as he slips behind the Attavanti chapel doors, a sacristan enters, followed by Mario Cavaradossi (kah-vah-rah-DOHSS-ee), a painter who’s been working on a church portrait of Mary Magdalene. Inspired by a mysterious woman, Cavaradossi has given his Magdalene blond hair and blue eyes––but in real life, he only has eyes for his own dark-eyed love, Floria Tosca (TOHS-kah), the most famous opera diva in Rome.

Take a listen...

Cavaradossi remarks that beauty comes in many colors in his aria “Recondita harmonia” (“Secret harmony”). Listen for the way in which the sacristan’s commentary cuts through Cavaradossi’s tune (which helps ground the moment in reality), and for the way the orchestra reinforces the painter’s melody when he sings of how much he loves Tosca.

Angelotti recognizes Cavaradossi as a fellow democrat and approaches the painter, asking for help. With the sacristan out of sight, Cavaradossi is about to pledge his undying loyalty, but the two men are interrupted by Tosca, who’s arrived to offer flowers to the Virgin Mary (but, really, to pay her Mario a visit). Knowing Tosca is a naturally suspicious woman, Cavaradossi tells Angelotti to hide.

Turns out Cavaradossi is right to be cautious.

Convinced her painter has been meeting with another woman behind her back, Tosca quickly flies into a jealous fit, but Cavaradossi succeeds in calming her down. They then make plans to meet up later that evening, and everything is sunshine and roses...until Tosca catches sight of Cavaradossi’s painting. She instantly realizes the Magdalene portrait shares a face with none other than the Marquess Attavanti (yup, Angelotti’s sister) and accuses Cavaradossi of having an affair with the blond beauty. The painter swears up and down that the resemblance is only a coincidence, that he just happened to see Attavanti praying in church, and that Tosca is the only woman for him. Satisfied (for the moment, anyway), Tosca leaves.

Alone with Angelotti, Cavaradossi tells the escaped convict to take shelter at the artist’s private villa and offers to show him the way.

As the two rush off, the sacristan re-enters with various members of the clergy and church choir. He proudly announces the evil Napoleon Bonaparte (who’s largely responsible for the revolutionary spirit that’s been stressing out their beloved king) has lost a decisive battle.

Celebrations are cut short, however, when Baron Scarpia comes marching in with his royalist police squad on the hunt for Angelotti. Searching for clues, Scarpia uncovers a lady’s fan with the Attavanti family crest displayed on it, as well as the Magdalene portrait (in which he recognizes the marquess’s face). Scarpia discovers the portrait is the work of Mario Cavaradossi, whom the chief suspects of treasonous activity and who, more importantly for Scarpia, is known throughout Rome as Tosca’s lover.

Certain the two revolutionaries have hatched a rebellious plot of some sort, Scarpia devises a plan to use Tosca’s infamous jealous streak against her. At this precise moment (what are the odds?), Tosca comes sweeping back into the church, hoping to reschedule her meeting with Cavaradossi (as she’s now been asked to sing a special concert to commemorate the king’s victory).

Seizing his opportunity, Scarpia shows Tosca the Attavanti fan and strongly insinuates the accessory was left behind by the painter’s secret mistress. Tosca lets her jealous fears get the better of her, and, heartbroken, runs off to confront Cavaradossi.

His trap set, Scarpia gives the order to have Tosca followed.

Take a listen…

Scarpia watches his villainous plot unfold and dreams of having Tosca all to himself. Check out the way Scarpia’s melody blends with the events happening around him in real time (the chorus singing the Latin “Te Deum” hymn to God, the church organ that accompanies them, the cannon fire in the distance, etc.), a trick designed to make you feel like you’re in the center of the action.

Caption: Scarpia hypocritically joins in the religious celebration while secretly thinking of Tosca.

ACT 2

Later that evening at the royal Farnese Palace, Scarpia––who’s asked that Tosca be brought to him––awaits news of Cavaradossi and Angelotti’s capture. But when news finally does arrive, it isn’t great: Following Tosca’s trail, Scarpia’s minions have arrested Cavaradossi, but Angelotti remains on the run.

Furious, Scarpia questions Cavaradossi. The painter vehemently denies having anything to do with Angelotti’s escape, but Scarpia isn’t convinced.

Her performance now over, Tosca arrives. Cavaradossi whispers for her to keep quiet just as Scarpia has his officers take the painter into a back room for further “interrogations” (if you’re thinking this means “torture,” you’re absolutely correct). The chief then turns his attention to Tosca, who claims she knows nothing about Cavaradossi or Angelotti’s revolutionary dealings.

But Tosca can only hold out so long.

Hearing Cavaradossi screaming in pain, she finally reveals that Angelotti is hiding in Cavaradossi’s garden. Cavaradossi is temporarily released, and a messenger arrives to deliver a startling twist: News of Bonaparte’s defeat was premature—the revolutionary has actually won the battle.

Ecstatic, Cavaradossi taunts Scarpia. Scarpia, not about to take this lying down, instantly sentences Cavaradossi to death by hanging.

Horrified, Tosca pleads with Scarpia to save Cavaradossi––which is just the scenario Scarpia was hoping for. He’s willing to be merciful, he says, but only if Tosca will spend the night with him...alone.

Take a listen...

Tosca’s famous aria “Vissi d’arte” (“I lived for art”) is one of the few moments in the opera where time seems to stand still. Pay special attention to the orchestra, which plays its own melodies underneath Tosca’s heartfelt prayer (some of these tunes appear earlier in the opera when Tosca and Cavaradossi first sing together). Listen also for the way Tosca’s voice rises to its greatest height on the word “Signore” (or “God”).

Backed into a hopeless corner, Tosca agrees.

Scarpia, insisting he keep up appearances so as not to look weak, makes arrangements for Cavaradossi’s mock execution. The painter will be put before a firing squad, but the bullets will be blanks. And, at Tosca’s insistence, the chief also signs papers that will grant the lovers safe passage across the Roman border.

But while Scarpia’s back is turned, a panicked Tosca resolves to defend herself rather than succumb to the baron’s violent advances. She finds a knife on Scarpia’s dinner table and––just as Scarpia lunges at her to claim his “prize”––stabs him in the heart, shouting, “This is a kiss from Tosca!” (...ouch).

ACT 3

With Scarpia dead and his body as yet undiscovered, Tosca hurries to the prison at Castel Sant’Angelo to inform Cavaradossi of the fake execution plan. She’s certain the papers she’s secured will allow her and Cavaradossi to begin a new life together...but is she right? Can Scarpia’s false execution orders be trusted? And will Tosca ever have to answer for Scarpia’s murder...or will she get her own version of an operatic happy ending?

Good to Know

Curious as to what Napoleon is doing in the middle of an Italian opera? Never fear; there’s a mini history lesson coming your way. (We promise it’ll be painless.)

Though celebrated composer Giacomo Puccini wrote Tosca in Italy at the turn of the twentieth century, the story of the opera is set almost exactly a century earlier...at a time when the country of “Italy” didn’t really exist.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Tosca’s hometown of Rome stood within one of many separate territories, each with its own unique leader and/or political structure. Yet despite these many different forms of government, some citizens of what would one day become Italy witnessed the recent democratic uprising in France and the impressive military campaigns of France’s General Napoleon Bonaparte and were inspired to build their own democracies (this was before Napoleon made the move to full-on dictator/emperor).

As a result, amateur republics spread throughout the Italian countryside. One of the most influential of these republics was in Rome, which had been occupied by French troops who helped stave off greedy Italian monarchs.

But by 1800 (when Tosca would have been at the height of her fame), the Roman Republic had been squashed by forces that supported the powerful King Ferdinand (no, not the guy from Spain) of Naples, which launched a few French counterattacks and left the region completely unstable. Former consuls of the Roman Republic like Angelotti would have been considered enemies of the royal state, freedom-loving artists like Tosca and Cavaradossi would have felt threatened by royalist powers, and royalist policemen like Scarpia would have ruled the streets with an iron fist.

Ciao!

Remember we said “all locations mentioned are real places in the city of Rome that still exist to this day.” We weren’t kidding. Jump on your Vespa and visit these sites of Tosca:

Caption: Farnese Palace

Caption: Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle

Caption: Castel Sant'Angelo on the Tiber River

Learning to Listen

Going to the opera means you’ll have to start listening in a new way if you want to take in everything the music and the voices have to offer. And guess what? This is less difficult than it sounds.

Try thinking of opera singing as its own type of language or speech. When we’re speaking, our emotions can change the way our voices sound from moment to moment—and one word can have a thousand different meanings depending on how we say it (loudly, softly, quickly, slowly, with a high- or low-pitched voice, etc.). The same is true for the characters in an opera. Each voice you’ll hear will have its own special flavor depending on who the character is and what he or she is saying.

Floria Tosca, for example, is an immensely passionate young singer with a fiery personality. Her voice, therefore, will be on the higher side (to provide a clue that she’s youthful and vibrant), but will frequently jump from light to dark as her mood swings back and forth. As the character herself is, in fact, a singer, there will also be moments when Tosca’s sound feels incredibly forceful, indicating she’s a woman who uses her voice as her primary form of expression.

Scarpia, on the other hand, is a sinister chief of police with lustful motivations. His darker baritone voice (unlike the brighter sound of the hero, Cavaradossi) suggests the baron spends a lot of time making shady backdoor deals. Still, Scarpia’s music will often rise to impressive heights, indicating he wields a lot of power over the many characters on stage.

When in doubt about how a character is feeling or what they’re thinking, always pay close attention to exactly how they sound. (The instruments in the orchestra will give you hints as well.)

Check This Out…

Composer Giacomo Puccini was a stickler for detail and wanted his operas to have a real sense of time and place. What kinds of musical clues help set each scene for you? Are there specific musical moments that remind you of sounds you might hear in real life? (Hint: Pay attention to the music and sound effects heard off stage as well as on.)

Rome was a divided city in 1800, and citizens were largely split between loyal royalists and democratic sympathizers. How do the costumes, sets, and props in this production help alert you to which characters belong on which side? Do Angelotti’s clothes give you clues about his recent stint in prison? Does the design of Scarpia’s office in the Farnese Palace help convey his wealth and royal status? Do Tosca’s costumes suggest a rebellious spirit or a royal servant...or both?

In Tosca, Puccini uses certain melodies to represent different characters or situations. These themes will recur again and again to help keep various people or events fresh in the audience’s mind. Can you guess which tunes are meant to symbolize Cavaradossi? Tosca? Scarpia? What about melodies that represent Angelotti’s escape or Scarpia’s evil plotting? (Bonus: Consider how these themes make you feel about the characters or situations they symbolize. For example, can you tell Scarpia is a villain just by listening to the music that accompanies his entrance? If so, how?)

Think About This…

Tosca and Cavaradossi find themselves in the middle of a political hurricane despite the fact their lives revolve mostly around art and each other. Do you think it’s possible for artists to remain neutral during a revolution? Can art exist all by itself or is it always affected by the world around it?

Given Tosca’s impossible predicament in Act 2, do you think her actions toward Scarpia are at all justified? Did she have any other choice? What punishment, if any, do you feel she deserves? Were you satisfied with the end of the opera or would you have preferred a different outcome?

Scarpia calls Cavaradossi a “Volterriano” (or “follower of Voltaire��). Why would a French Enlightenment author like Voltaire appeal to a painter who favored a democracy over a monarchy?

By the turn of the twentieth century, opera was making a serious effort to reel in audience members with limited attention spans––that is, composers were creating operas that were meant to feel like a seamless sequence of events rather than a series of scenes broken up by songs. And Tosca was no exception. But do you think Puccini succeeded in his goal to make Tosca a non-stop theatrical roller coaster? What moments, if any, would you cut from the show?

Take Action: Eye of the Beholder

When we first meet Cavaradossi, he literally sings an entire song about how it’s possible to be captivated by two very different types of artistic beauty.

He’s not wrong.

While it’s actually possible to find various things to appreciate in an infinite number of aesthetics, it’s rare we take the time to compare and contrast in detail or ask ourselves why we like the things we like––especially when it comes to artwork.

Why not try and prove Cavaradossi’s point for yourself and get to know your own personal tastes a bit better? Head to a museum or art gallery (if you can’t visit this type of venue, no worries: a book on paintings, sculpture, or even makeup or fashion will do) and choose two contrasting pieces you enjoy. (This could be a contrast in media, subject, era, style…whatever.)

Once you’ve selected your works of art, see if you can describe your feelings about each one in writing, in a small video, or in an amateur-podcast-style audio. Consider: What attracts you to each piece? How are they different/similar? Why do you think they’re equally powerful/effective despite their differences? (Note: You can try this experiment with two pieces of music, two films, two novels, two poems...any two works that excite you, so long as there are obvious contrasts between them.)

If you’re comfortable, help spread the word that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes. Share your thoughts on your two artistic pieces with your friends or family, and, when you’re done, ask them about what draws them in when it comes to works of art.

EXPLORE MORE

Go even deeper with Tosca extras.

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Top Image: Original poster by Alphonse Maria Mucha for the play La Tosca (1887) featuring actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Writer: Eleni Hagen

Content Editor: Lisa Resnick

Logistics Coordination: Katherine Huseman

Producer and Program Manager: Tiffany A. Bryant

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David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Deborah F. Rutter President

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

Timothy O’Leary General Director

Francesca Zambello Artistic Director

Major support for WNO and Tosca is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO.

WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

WNO's Presenting Sponsor

Generous support for WNO Italian Opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.

Unexpected Italy is presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy.

International programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

This performance is made possible by the Kimsey Endowment;The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

The contents of this guide have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

© 2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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30 Day Opera Challenge

Day Nineteen: Your favourite opera of all time

Tosca- Giacomo Puccini (libretto by Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa)

Tosca will always be my most favourite opera, as I love everything about it. I love the music, the characters, the arias, everything. The story of an opera diva who will do anything to save her lover from execution but ends in tragedy has captured many audiences around the world, especially in regards to the characters. There’s Floria Tosca, a passionate opera singer with a jealous streak; Mario Cavaradossi, a church painter with a good heart and Tosca’s lover; and Baron Scarpia, the sinister and corrupt Chief of Police who lusts after Tosca herself. I especially love the character of Tosca, especially the depth she has. She’s a sweet-natured young singer, yet her most fatal flaw is her jealousy, and it shows throughout the opera. She has some very beautiful arias such as ‘Vissi d’arte’ and ‘Non la sospiri, la notra casetta’. Likewise, Mario’s aria ‘E lucevan le stelle’ will never fail to move me to tears, as the music is absolutely beautiful and it really pulls at the heartstrings. Even Scarpia has some haunting arias over beautiful music, such as ‘Va, Tosca’ over the Te Deum music. I’ve seen two film versions of the opera: the 1976 version with Raina Kabaivanska as Tosca, Placidó Domingo as Cavaradossi, and Sherrill Milnes as Scarpia and the 2001 version with Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca, Roberto Alagna as Cavaradossi, and Ruggero Raimondi as Scarpia. I sincerely enjoyed the 2001 version: the chemistry between Angela and Roberto was amazing (it helps that they were married at the time), Angela really is a perfect Tosca, Roberto’s ‘E lucevan le stelle’ is truly heartbreaking to watch, and Raimondi played a truly sinister Scarpia. I will always love this opera, and no other opera can ever come close to this one.

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Gala evening at La Scala celebrates culture over extremism

The gala season premiere of Puccini’s “Tosca” starring Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and conducted by Riccardo Chailly received 15 minutes of applause from an audience of Milanese elite, in an evening that celebrated culture as a bulwark against political extremism.

For the second year, the performance opened with long applause for Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, sitting in the royal box with four government ministers. As last year, the Italian government is struggling, and the long applause was seen as a show of support for Italian institutions, which Mattarella represents in a non-partisan role.

After five minutes of clapping, Mattarella signaled for the audience to turn to the stage for the Italian anthem and the start of “Tosca.”

‘’When there is so much applause for Mattarella, like last year, it is to say that we believe in our constitution, that we believe in a single, indivisible Italy, and that we are a community that needs to grow and be open,’’ said stage director Davide Livermore, who also directed last year’s ‘’Attila.”

“There are too many strange things. There are too few politicians who have the courage to say fascism is against the law,’’ Livermore said.

The audience of Italian business, fashion, cultural and political VIPs included senator-for-life Liliana Segre, an Auschwitz survivor who was recently placed under armed escort due to anti-Semitic threats. The Milan native recalled coming to La Scala as a 16-year-old and said she has been a season-ticket holder for 30 years.

She said she loves “Tosca” for its passion, adding, “I wasn’t always 90 years old.”

“Culture helps everything,’’ Segre said before the performance. “As Primo Levi said, knowing is absolutely necessary,” she said, referring to another Italian Holocaust survivor who recounted his experience in a series of celebrated books.

American poet Patti Smith, who recently received an honorary degree from the University of Padova, was back at La Scala, after attending the season-opening for “Giovanna d’Arco” in 2015. She lauded an Italian grass-roots movement against right-wing populism, dubbed the Sardines, as she arrived at the theater, saying “The Sardines have power.”

Netrebko starred in the role of Floria Tosca, the object of unwanted sexual attention from a powerful authority figure, Baron Scarpia, sung by Luca Salsi.

The plot — part thriller, part drama — evokes #MeToo for the modern ear, as Tosca feels forced to succumb to Scarpia in a bid to save her lover Mario Cavaradossi, performed by Francesco Meli. She rebels, killing Scarpia, but is out maneuvered by Scarpia, who ensures that her lover is executed despite her concessions.

All three were showered with flowers and glitter from an appreciative crowd. Salsi kissed the stage in gratitude.

“It was written in 1900, but it gives a glimpse of the future of everything that comes more than a century later,’’ said Chantilly, La Scala’s musical director. “The modernity of the subject, the greatness of Puccini’s music, makes ‘Tosca’ very contemporary, very credible and very similar to a reality that is very raw and harsh in our society.’’

Vittorino Andreoli, an Italian psychiatrist and writer who attended the performance, said Tosca’s example serves as an antidote to contemporary woes.

“In this moment we are consuming our own feelings. Affection doesn’t exist any more. Great loves don’t exist any more,” Andreoli said backstage. “’This is a woman who drives this story, with these stupendous arias. I think it is a great example that women need to take control, because society is built on affection, which doesn’t exist any more. Everyone looks at money.”

Netrebko doesn’t necessarily agree. The soprano said she initially found Tosca, a role she debuted last year in New York, unsympathetic as a character, and says she sees nothing to emulate.

“Don’t take an example from the woman who is killing men,” she said backstage.

One of the world’s most staged operas, “Tosca” was performed for the first time ever for the Dec. 7 gala premiere, one of Europe’s most anticipated cultural events held each year on the feast day for Milan’s patron St. Ambrose.

“Tosca” continued Chailly’s emphasis on Italian Belcanto and Verismo operas as La Scala reinforces its famed Italian repertoire, where Puccini in particularly had been neglected.

Chailly chose to execute Puccini’s original score, which includes musical passages that the composer himself decided to cut before the opera was performed at La Scala for the first time just two months after its Rome world premiere in January 1900.

“This is an opportunity to get to know the opera better,’’ Chailly said. “I don’t mean that this is better than the one we are used to. I simply want to make known all of the music that Puccini wrote for this opera.”

This premiere also was the final one for outgoing general manager Alexander Pereira, who is being replaced by Frenchman Dominique Meyer of the Vienna State Opera.

During his five-year term, Pereira increased private sponsorship of the theater, which also relies on government funding, and increased ticket sales while also opening up performance series to children. But his tenure was also troubled by political run-ins that nearly cost him the job before it began. He leaves to take over as general manager for Florence’s Maggio Musicale theater.

“One book closes, another opens,’’ Pereira told reporters this week.

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Palm Beach Opera 2017-2018 Season Overview

{Photo credit: Dana Sohm for Lyric Opera of Kansas City via the Palm Beach Opera}

Offering world class performances each year at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, The Palm Beach Opera’s much anticipated 2017-2018 season promises to be spectacular. Taking us on a tour of the world including Rome, South America, and Paris, stage settings, costume designs and performances are expected to be awe inspiring. This year the Palm Beach Opera will bring three mainstage productions that are sure to sell out fast. Season tickets are currently available online on the Palm Beach Opera website. Individual tickets also went on sale September 7. Here’s a look into the 2017-2018 season.

Tosca - Giacomo Puccini

{Photo: Palm Beach Opera}

The mainstage season opens with the tragic tale of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on January 26-28, 2018. Generally considered one of the most lethal operas, Tosca is a thrilling melodrama centered around a romance complicated by politics and betrayal. Set in Rome with a backdrop of Napoleon invasion, the opera opens with the flight of Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner seeking refuge. He finds himself in a church where he is protected by Cavaradossi, a local artist who is also the lover of the famous singer, Floria Tosca, who will be played by Soprano Keri Alkema. Complete with war, imprisonment, torture, love, jealousy, and murder, Puccini’s Tosca will not disappoint.

Candide - Leonard Bernstein

{Photo: Palm Beach Opera}

Next up, opera-goers will be delighted by American composer, conductor, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bernstein’s birth, the Palm Beach Opera has a special performance of his comic operetta Candide planned for February 23-25. Candide was Bernstein’s first ever fully staged work and is based on the original work of Voltare, Candide, ou L’optimisme.

The opera opens in Westphalia at the castle of Schloss Thunder-ten-Tronck, the ancestral home of the Baron and his two children, Cunegonde and Maximilian. Also in the castle is their illegitimate cousin, Candide, and maid, Paquette. To the Baron’s dismay, Candide and Cunegonde fall in love. Through many trials, the pair remain together and cross the ocean to take their place in the new world. Played by Miles Mykkanen, recent Juilliard graduate and upcoming tenor, the lead role of Candide is expected to wow the audience.

The Marriage of Figaro - Mozart

{Photo: Palm Beach Opera}

The final mainstage performance will be Mozart’s poignant masterpiece Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). From March 23-25, the Palm Beach Opera will put on a spectacular performance in a new co-production with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Philadelphia, and the San Diego Opera.

Set in Seville at the Count Almaviva’s castle in the late 18th Century, the story begins with a lovers’ triangle between the Count, his wife Rosine, and her maid, Susanna. The Count is in love with Susanna, who is engaged to be married to Figaro (the lead in Rossini’s masterful opera, Le Barbier de Séville). Figaro has since stopped being a barber and is now the Count’s major-domo. Unfortunately, his old foe, Old Bartholo, is back to seek revenge. With a cast full jealous characters, a scheming old maid, silly young girl, and a drunken gardener, the amusing story packs in plenty of fun for the audience.

In addition to the three mainstage performances is the annual Liederabend performance, the Palm Beach Opera Guild Annual Dinner, Opening Night Dinners, and the Lunch & Learn series. Started in 2008, the Lunch & Learn series, were created to engage the Palm Beach Opera audience more directly with the artists, staff, and the upcoming production. Take on a deeper meaning for these magnificent masterpieces and learn about the history and artistic nuances of each performance.

For families, enjoy the annual Children’s Performance, a one-hour abridged version of Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). Taking place on Saturday afternoon, March 24, families will enjoy a performance by members of the Benenson Young Artist Program and the Apprentice Artist Program, conducted by Associate Conductor and Chorus Master Greg Ritchey.

Palm Beach Opera’s 2018 Gala is scheduled for February 15 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, featuring a concert by internationally-known soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. Festivities include a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, champagne dessert buffet, and evening entertainment.

Details for these as well as other community engagement programs will be released at a later date, and will be available on the Palm Beach Opera website.

[artsvark]

REVIEW: TOSCA at the SA State Theatre

This week sees Puccini’s opera TOSCA performed by a mostly Pretoria based cast, at the South African State Theatre’s Opera Theatre, with music performed by the Pretoria Symphony Orchestra. It was a lovely experience for me to see an opera in the venue in which I saw my first ever opera as a scholar in high school.

This 117 year old opera is a tale of politics, love, murder, deceit and betrayal. The story gets off to a slow start, and although the operatic singing in the first act was well done, the performances were lacking in terms of expression and didn’t really bring the characters to life. The orchestra, under the baton of Gerben Grooten, on the other hand stole the first act, in fact, stole the entire show. As the show progressed to the second and third acts, both the story and the singers became more animated and they certainly redeemed themselves.

On the whole, the Sunday afternoon matinee audience thoroughly enjoyed the show and showed their love and appreciation during the curtain call with the throwing of flowers and cheers and whistles for Pretoria based diva Loveline Madumo who gave a really impressive performance as Floria Tosca, and her co-star Markus Ahme who sang Mario Cavaradossi.

Overall a great performance, made difficult for some audience members who were not familiar with the story, by a technical fault which prevented the surtitles from being provided.

The opera has only four performances in this run, and ends on Sunday 28 May 2017. The Thursday evening performance has been cancelled leaving only Friday and Sunday performances this weekend.

REVIEW: TOSCA at the SA State Theatre was originally published on Artsvark

[dolokhoded]

unfollow right now if you watched tosca and didn't like floria she's god's most perfect angel she's toxic she's the best partner ever she's devout to mother mary she committed murder she's extremely galaxy brained she's literally fucking stupid she's the perfect character and no one can ever be her

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30 Day Opera Challenge

Day Seventeen: Favourite Italian composer

Giacomo Puccini (La bohème, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, etc.)

I’ll be honest: I love Puccini’s music. He composes some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard, and I always like to listen to them when I feel sad. I’ll admit that I really don’t like Madame Butterfly, for obvious reasons (Orientalism and stereotypes of East Asian women), but I absolutely adore his opera Tosca. The music is gorgeous, the arias are absolutely beautiful, and the characters are so wonderful and colourful and they almost come to life when sung. There’s the sweet and loving painter Mario Cavaradossi, the passionate and fiery Floria Tosca, and the sinister Baron Scarpia, all of whom have gorgeous arias to sing. I especially love Mario’s aria ‘E lucevan le stelle’, and Tosca’s aria of ‘Vissi d’arte’. And while I haven’t seen ‘La bohème’, I love listening to ‘O soave fanciulla’, which is one of the most lovely duets I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Puccini is perhaps one of the most genius opera composers in all of Italy, and his music is always flawless to listen to.

[serene-faerie]

30 Days of Ladies Challenge

Day Thirty: Favourite female character in opera (whatever you’d like!)

Floria Tosca from Tosca

Today’s the last day of this challenge, so I thought I’d finish with my favourite female character in opera. As such, I chose Floria Tosca, portrayed above by Angela Gheorghiu, from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca. To start off, Tosca is a celebrated opera singer in Rome and the lover of Mario Cavaradossi, a painter. However, after Cavaradossi hides an escaped political prisoner, Tosca is pulled into a web of lies and deception by the corrupt Chief of Police Baron Scarpia, who has lusted after her. In the beginning of the opera, we see that Tosca is an ardent believer in God, and always comes to the church to offer flowers to a Madonna statue. She’s very kind and sweet, but she has a jealous streak, as she suspects Cavaradossi of having an affair with the unseen Marchese Attavanti. What makes this significant is that this jealousy is Tosca’s flaw, as Scarpia uses it against her to lead him to Cavaradossi. Tosca is also quite a strong-willed heroine, as she refuses to give into Scarpia’s advances, but she does break and confess to where the political prisoner is hidden after being forced to hear her lover being tortured. Her best moment, however, is when she stabs Scarpia after giving into his advances. But ultimately, the false execution that Scarpia promised her was real and Cavaradossi is shot and killed, so Tosca commits suicide to avoid arrest. Tosca is a real tragic heroine, as she is simply an opera singer who is very loving and sweet, but her jealous streak is exploited by Scarpia and leads both her and Cavaradossi to their deaths. Musically, Tosca has some beautiful arias, including the ever-famous ‘Vissi d’arte’, and she is wonderfully portrayed by Angela Gheorghiu, who performs the role with a fiery passion. Overall, Tosca is my favourite opera heroine because of her devotion, her loyalty, and her passion in taking down Scarpia for her lover’s safety.