Puccini’s Opera: Tosca

Puccini's opera, Tosca, is the quintessential “verismo” opera, meaning, “true to life.” That is, it is not based on mythology or legend, but rather the characters could have been real people and the events could actually have happened.

Puccini and his librettists set each of the three acts at a specific building in Rome in the year 1800, and each act of this version was filmed in its designated location. We will see that the interiors of these buildings are truly beautiful. All of this is in the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

The performance that we will watch is not from an opera house; rather it is a gripping and visually stunning film that has been hailed as one of the most satisfying versions of this opera. This “movie” version stars Raina Kabaivanska as Tosca, Plácido Domingo as Cavaradossi, and Sherrill Milnes as the evil Baron Scarpia. Since the opera is only 115 minutes long, we will watch it in one class period, with a break and refreshments after Act 2.

Ed Carnes holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in English and history and has taught the Russian language at the college level. He has attended many seminars in music and opera and has been a devotee for many years.