OPERA TALK: TOSCA BY GIACOMO PUCCINI
OPERA TALK: TOSCA BY GIACOMO PUCCINI
Passionate diva Tosca must choose between her integrity and her lover Cavaradossi, as he faces torture from the evil Scarpia.
1. Talk only with audio-visual presentation
2. Talk with 1 aria performed by the speaker
3. Virtual Talk

SUMMARY SETTING TANISHA’S PICKS LEGENDARY CAST OPERA-ALIKES
SUMMARY SETTING TANISHA’S PICKS LEGENDARY CAST OPERA-ALIKES
SUMMARY
Tosca, opera in three acts by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa) that premiered at the Costanzi Theatre in Rome on January 14, 1900. Based on French playwright Victorien Sardou’s popular play La Tosca (1887), the opera is about political intrigue and romance in the days of the Napoleonic wars. READ MORE ON BRITANNICA
SETTING
As Sophia from the Golden Girls says “picture it” Tosca is set in Rome between noon of June 17, 1800, and dawn of the following day.
ACT 1: The church of Sant’Andrea della Valle.
ACT 2: Scarpia’s apartments in the Palazzo Farnese, later that night.
ACT 3: The parapet of the Castel Sant’Angelo, early the next morning.
LEGENDARY CAST- WHO YOU WILL HEAR
Due to time constraint, this opera talk features a partial cast. If you loved the program, purchase from our affiliates or borrow the above DVD’s from your local library to see the full cast.
Tosca
MARIA CALLAS
RAINA KABAIVANSKA
Cavaradossi
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
PLACIDO DOMINGO
JONAS KAUFMANN
Scarpia
BRYN TERFEL
GEORGE LONDON
TITO GOBBI
Tosca
MARIA CALLAS
RAINA KABAIVANSKA
Cavaradossi
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
PLACIDO DOMINGO
JONAS KAUFMANN
Scarpia
BRYN TERFEL
GEORGE LONDON
TITO GOBBI
TANISHA’S PICKS
This opera talk features Tanisha’s favorite casts from these recordings. Click the link to purchase them for your own collection.
Tosca [videorecording (DVD)]
Recorded in performance in 1978
Cast: Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, Cornell MacNeil; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus James Conlon, conductor.
Tosca [videorecording (DVD)]
Filmed in Rome in 1976
Cast: Raina Kabaivanska, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes; New Philharmonia Orchestra; Ambrosian Singers; Bruno Bartoletti, conductor.
Tosca [videorecording (DVD)]
Filmed in 2011
Cast: Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel; Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Anthony Pappano conductor
Maria Callas - At Covent Garden 1962 and 1964 by Warner Classics [videorecording (DVD)]
Great Moments in Opera from the Ed Sullivan Show [videorecording (DVD)]
OPERA-ALIKES
If you liked this opera talk, you may like other opera talks featuring Puccini operas.
