Puccini's Tosca: A Short Guide to a Great Opera

By Michael Steen

Tosca's première in Rome in January 1900 was nearly disrupted by a terrorist threat to blow up Italy's King Umberto. Victorien Sardou had written the melodrama for the great actress Sarah Bernhardt. Giacomo Puccini's popular opera is a tale of sadism and brutality, torture, attempted rape, murder, an execution and two suicides. 'Realism' was in vogue: Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana had been a great success, as had Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. With sharp practice, the publisher Giulio Ricordi obtained 'Tosca' for Puccini, who had already composed Manon Lescaut and La Bohème. The story, set in the Napoleonic, era was ideal for Puccini, a chain-smoker who enjoyed women, shooting birds, and high-speed motor cars.

A political prisoner seeks sanctuary in the church where prima donna Floria Tosca's lover Cavaradossi, a role associated with Pavarotti, is painting a picture of Mary Magdalen. In Va, Tosca! the police chief Scarpia fantasises about Tosca during a Te Deum celebrating Napoleon's victory. Tosca stabs Scarpia following the famous operatic aria, Vissi d'arte, immortalised by Maria Callas on stage and in the film produced by Franco Zeffirelli. Awaiting death before dawn in the Castel Sant'Angelo, Cavaradossi sings the well-known arias E lucevan le stelle and O dolci mani. Tosca's attempt to save him comes to nothing.

Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, 'Short Guides to Great Operas' are concise, entertaining and easy to read. They are packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience.

Other 'Short Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include La bohème, Madama Butterfly and Carmen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: Feb 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781848314580

Book preview

Front coverTitle page

Published in the UK in 2013 by Icon Books Ltd,

Omnibus Business Centre, 29–41 North Road, London N7 9DP

email: [e-mail]

www.iconbooks.net

ISBN: 978-1-84831-458-0 (ePub format)

ISBN: 978-1-84831-608-9 (Adobe ebook format)

Content previously published in Great Operas, published in the UK in 2012 by Icon Books Ltd

Text copyright © 2012, 2013 Michael Steen

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typesetting by Marie Doherty

CONTENTS

Title page

Copyright

PREFACE

USING THIS EBOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PUCCINI’S TOSCA

THE OPERA AND ITS COMPOSER

WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S WHAT

THE INTERVAL: TALKING POINTS

Italy in 1900, at the time of Tosca

Tosca: the historical background

Puccini’s place as a composer

Puccini’s attention to detail: the music and the score

An opera for stars

Jinxed?

ACT BY ACT

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sources of quotes

Other sources

NOTES

Short Guides to Great Operas

PREFACE

This guide is aimed at the ordinary opera-goer and opera-lover, usually a busy person who wants to know the essentials of the opera but has little time to grasp them.

It provides key background information to Tosca, told engagingly by someone who knows the opera intimately.

It is light, easy to read, and entertaining. Relevant information has been carefully selected to enhance your appreciation of Puccini’s work.

It is authoritative, but not dense or academic. It is unburdened with the clutter that can easily be obtained elsewhere. It concentrates on information that it will help