Tosca, Opera by G. Puccini
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini has it all: romance, drama, violence, death, and more. This melodramatic roller coaster of an opera debuted at Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. Puccini’s impeccable score matches the fast-paced action and tension of the storyline, but it also features some of the maestro’s most heartfelt and lyrical duets and arias. Tosca exemplifies the style of verismo, Italian for ‘truthfulness’. Under this paradigm, the events on stage unfold in nearly real time, the characters’ actions are often exaggerated and shocking, and audiences can enjoy an immersive, highly emotional experience. The realism and dramatism of Tosca finds its perfect setting at the historic Arena di Verona, a venue that imbues every performance with its special charm. Your opera ticket includes even more than the Puccini masterpiece, however: at a day of your choosing before or after the performance, you can enjoy a sightseeing train tour through the city of Verona and get to know its historic sites. A double deal like this is hard to resist!
A product of the highly successful creative trio of maestro Giacomo Puccini and librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Tosca is based on the French melodrama La Tosca by Victorien Sardou. The plot unfolds over an afternoon, evening, night, and the following early morning. Puccini’s gift for musical narration and the librettists’ keen sense for plot development allow them to pack these hours into a performance that feels completely real-time. The title character, the singer Floria Tosca, is the quintessential tragic heroine, so typical of Puccini’s operatic hits. She is beautiful, vain, and her emotions get the better of her, bringing on tragic consequences. Her lover, the former rebel Cavaradossi, is hiding a fellow freedom fighter. His odd behaviour makes Tosca think him unfaithful, and her rage leads her to expose him to Baron Scarpia, the ruthless chief of police. Upon realising her dreadful mistake, Tosca must find a way to save her lover’s life – but can she still make it and at what price?
When writing the arias and duets in Tosca, Puccini seemingly pulled all the stops. The tenor parts of Cavaradossi are a thing of beauty, such as ‘Recondita armonia’ and the all-time favourite ‘E lucevan le stelle’. Tosca also shines with the stand-out number ‘Vissi d’arte’, among others. Arena di Verona will pulse with the explosive pace of the action and Puccini’s melodies, at once romantic, sorrowful, aggressive, dark, and always beautiful.
As a welcome bonus to the wonderful spectacle of Tosca, your ticket includes a 25-minute sightseeing tour through Verona on a mini-train. You can make use of this on the day of the performance or one day before or after it. The ‘trenino’ leaves every 30 minutes from Piazza Brà, where the majestic Arena is. The sightseeing route includes historic spots that span millennia, from Roman gems like the Gavi Arch or the city gates to Medieval constructions like the Castelvecchio castle or the Duomo di Verona, to early Renaissance buildings like the Basilica di Sant’Anastasia - and more! Let Puccini’s Tosca transport you back to an exciting period in history, an experience that the sightseeing tour complements perfectly.