Virginia Opera performs Tosca on Saturday, October 12 at 8 p.m.
Virginia Opera opens its 45th season with Giacomo Puccini’s tour-de-force opera Tosca. Set in Rome on the brink of military invasion, Tosca is a blistering opera about a lethal love triangle between the opera diva Tosca, her artist lover, and a corrupt chief of police. Lillian Groag directs a stellar cast, including Ewa Plonka, Matthew Vickers, and Kyle Albertson, in this production that surges with timeless passion, unforgettable characters, and an emotional musical score that will leave you breathless.
Before you head out to see Virginia Opera’s production of Tosca, learn more about the opera:
ONE: Tosca premiered on January 14, 1900, and it has been wildly popular ever since. Remarkably, in the 2018-2019 Season, Tosca was the 5th most performed opera worldwide with 520 performances and 125 productions.
TWO: Tosca is set in real locations throughout the city of Rome, including the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle (Act I), the Palazzo Farnese (Act II), and the Castel Sant’Angelo (Act III). In fact, a chapel in Sant’Andrea della Valle has been affectionately dubbed the “Cappella della Tosca” by Puccini fans.
THREE: Puccini nearly cut the soprano’s aria “Vissi d’arte” because he felt it stalled the action as the tension rose to the climax. Even the legendary Maria Callis agreed with Puccini, proposing to cut it herself. In the end, Puccini decided to keep the aria out of respect for his soprano at the time, and it’s a good thing he did because it is considered not only the most famous piece of music in the entire opera but one of the most iconic in all of the whole repertoire of the art form.
Sources: www.operabase.com, www.operawire.com, and Boston Lyric Opera.
Virginia Opera performs Tosca at George Mason University Center for the Arts on Saturday, October 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 13 at 2 p.m. Buy Tickets.