Tosca composer. Puccini "Tosca": History of creation and Great performers of both plays and operas

Italian composers are famous all over the world. One of them is Giacomo Puccini (his photo is presented below). This is the author of an opera called "Tosca". It is this work that we will talk about today.

The opera "Tosca", a summary of which is presented in this article, opens with three crushing chords. They are always used further to characterize Scarpia. This character is a sinister police chief, a merciless, although outwardly sophisticated man. He personifies the reactionary forces of Italy. In this country in 1800, Napoleon was considered the apostle of freedom, which was reflected in such a work as the opera Tosca. The summary continues with the opening of the curtain, signaling the beginning of the first act.

Start of the first act

The curtain rises immediately after the opening chords. The viewer is presented with an interior view of the Church of Sant'Andrea della Balle in Rome. A man in tattered clothes, trembling with fear, enters one of its side doors. This is Angelotti, a political prisoner who escaped from prison. He is hiding in the church. His sister, Marquise Attavanti, hid the key to the family chapel under the statue of the Madonna, in which her brother is hiding. Angelotti is now frantically searching for him. Puccini's opera "Tosca" continues with the fact that this hero, having found him, hastily unlocks the door of the chapel and hides in it. He manages to do this before the sacristan enters with food and things for the artist working here.

The sacristan comes to Cavaradossi

The sacristan is busy with his thoughts. He is talking about something to himself as he walks to the artist’s place of work. The sacristan is unhappy that the features of one of the parishioners appear in the image of a saint. Perhaps the devil himself controls the hand of this daring painter. Here comes the artist himself, Mario Cavaradossi. He begins to work on the image of Mary Magdalene. There is a painting on the easel, half finished. Cavaradossi sings the aria “His face changes forever.” In it, he compares the sketches of his portrait with the features of his beloved, Floria Tosca (the famous singer).

The artist discovers the fugitive

The sacristan leaves. The artist discovers Angelotti, who believes the church to be empty and decides to come out of hiding. His fear at the sight of the artist is immediately replaced by joy - he and Mario are old friends. Now the artist will not leave an escaped prisoner in trouble. However, their conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door.

The appearance of Floria Tosca in the church

Do you want to know how the opera "Tosca" continues? A summary introduces the reader to further events. Floria Tosca asks to open the door to the church. Cavaradossi, barely hearing the woman’s voice, pushes his friend back into the chapel to hide there. Florya enters. This is an amazingly beautiful woman, beautifully dressed. She, like most other beauties, is easily jealous. Now this feeling is aroused in her by the portrait that Cavaradossi is painting. She recognizes the blonde beauty. It takes some effort for the artist to reassure his beloved. Floria is unable to remain angry with Mario for long, and after a conversation they agree to meet at the artist’s villa after Floria’s evening performance at the Farnese Palace. Angelotti, after she leaves, comes out of hiding again. Cavaradossi takes him away in order to hide him at home.

Police chief searches for fugitive

The plot of the opera "Tosca" develops rapidly. News arrives that Napoleon has been defeated in northern Italy. The priests in the church are making preparations to perform a service on this occasion. Scarpia enters the midst of his preparations. The police chief is looking for the fugitive Angelotti. Together with Spoletta, his detective, he finds a lot of evidence that this is where the fugitive is hiding. Among the evidence, these characters in the play discover, for example, a fan with the coat of arms of Attavanti. Scarpia uses it cunningly in order to arouse the jealousy of Floria, for whom he burns with passion.

Divine service

The service begins. A large procession enters the church. While the Te Deum is played in honor of the victory over Bonaparte, Scarpia stands to the side. The police chief hopes that he can get rid of his competitor, and uses Floria's jealousy to do this. If his plan succeeds, Cavaradossi will be on the scaffold, and he will receive Tosca. Before the curtain falls, Scarpia kneels in prayer before the cardinal, but his thoughts are consumed with the devil's plan.

Beginning of the second act

The victory over Bonaparte is celebrated in the Farnese Palace in the evening of the same day. The sounds of music can be heard through the open windows of the police station, located right there in the palace. Scarpia is in his office thinking about the events of that day. He sends a note to Tosca with Sciarrone, his gendarme, and also receives a message from detective Spoletta. He searched Cavaradossi's house, but did not find Angelotti there, but saw Tosca. Spoletta arrested Cavaradossi, who was in the palace.

Interrogation of Cavaradossi and Tosca

While Floria's voice is heard performing the solo part, her lover is interrogated in Scarpia's office, but to no avail. When Floria appears, Cavaradossi manages to whisper to her that the police chief does not know anything, and that she should not talk about what she saw in his house. Scarpia orders the artist to be taken to the torture chamber. The gendarmes carry out this order, and with them the executioner Roberti.

After this, Scarpia begins to interrogate Tosca. The woman maintains her composure, but only until she hears Cavaradossi's moans coming from the cell. Unable to bear this, she reveals the location of Angelotti. This is a well in the garden. Exhausted by torture, Cavaradossi is taken to Scarpia's office. The artist immediately realizes that his beloved has betrayed his friend. Immediately after this comes news that Bonaparte has won a victory at Marengo. Cavaradossi cannot contain his joy. He sings a song in praise of freedom. Scarpia orders him to be taken to prison and executed the next morning.

Murder of Scarpia

The police chief then begins a treacherous conversation with Floria again. During this dialogue, Tosca's aria is included in a work such as the opera "Tosca". Floria sings “I only sang, I only loved.” This is a passionate appeal to music and love - two forces to which Tosca dedicated her entire life. A woman decides to sacrifice herself to save her loved one.

Scarpia now explains that since he has already ordered the execution of Cavaradossi, at least false preparations for the execution should be made. He calls Spoletta and gives him the necessary instructions, and also writes out passes so that Cavaradossi and Tosca can leave Rome. However, at the moment when Scarpia turns to her, intending to take the woman into his arms, Tosca plunges a dagger into the police chief. The orchestra is playing three Scarpia chords at this time, but now very quietly.

Floria washes her hands, and then takes the passes from Scarpia’s hand, places a candle on either side of the murdered man’s head, and places a crucifix on his chest. The curtain falls as Florya disappears from the office.

Beginning of the third act

The final act begins quite calmly. An early morning song performed by a shepherd boy sounds offstage. The third act takes place on the roof of the Roman Castel Sant'Angelo. It was here that Cavaradossi was to be brought for execution. He is given a short time to prepare himself for death. He uses this time to write his last letter to Tosca. This is a very touching scene that appears to the audience in the third act (the opera Tosca). The aria of "Tosca" that Cavaradossi sings at this moment is called "The stars were burning in the sky."

Passionate duet of lovers

Then Floria appears. She shows her lover the life-saving passes and tells how she managed to kill the police chief. A passionate love duo looks forward to a happy future. Tosca then says that Cavaradossi should go through the farce of a false execution and then they will run away together.

Tragic ending

The crew led by Spoletta enters. Mario stands in front of him. A shot sounds and the artist falls. The soldiers are leaving. Floria falls on the body of her murdered lover. She realizes only now that Scarpia deceived her. The cartridges turned out to be real, and Cavaradossi was killed. Sobbing over his corpse, the young woman does not notice the footsteps of the returning soldiers. They found Scarpia's body. Spoletta tries to grab Floria, but the woman pushes him away, climbs onto the parapet and throws herself down from the castle roof. The soldiers, frozen in horror, stand motionless while the tune of Cavaradossi's dying aria sounds.

This is how the opera Tosca ends. The summary we have presented, of course, does not even come close to conveying the full magnificence of this work. It's definitely worth seeing it in a theater if possible. Italian composers are considered among the best in the world. The opera created by Giacomo Puccini proves this once again.

Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Based on Victorien Sardou's drama "Florie Tosca"

Act I
Monarchical Italy 1800. Political prisoner Cesare Angelotti, who escaped from the fortress, found refuge in the church. Here, in the family chapel of his sister Marchioness Attavanti, the clothes he must change into and flee from Rome from the persecution of the police chief Baron Scarpia are hidden.

The artist Mario Cavaradossi works in the church. Fascinated by the appearance of the praying Angelotte (Cesare's sister), he unknowingly paints her as the repentant sinner Magdalene. Suddenly the artist sees a man leaving the chapel and with amazement recognizes in him his former friend Angelotti. The fugitive turns to Mario with a plea for help. The approach of Tosca forces him to hide. Cavaradossi's absent-mindedness arouses suspicion in Tosca, and the similarity she notices between the portrait of the Madonna and the appearance of the Marchioness arouses jealousy in her. Only the artist’s ardent assurances of love temporarily calm Tosca.

After she leaves, Cavaradossi invites Angelotti to wait for the moment and hide in the villa. A prison cannon fires, signaling the escape of a prisoner. The artist hurries Cesare to leave the church through a secret passage and run to the villa.

The church is filled with choristers and people: news has arrived of the victory over Napoleon's troops. The solemn service begins. Police chief Scarpia and his henchmen suddenly appear in the crowd, looking for the escaped prisoner. The Baron guesses that Angelotti was here, and Cavaradossi tries to hide him from the police. Scarpia intends to use the current situation for his own purposes: to catch the fugitive, send Cavaradossi to prison and win the favor of his long-time passion - the singer Floria Tosca. The discovery of Angelotte's fan, as well as her resemblance to the image of the Madonna, helps Scarpia ignite the fire of jealousy in Floria's soul, and she goes to Villa Cavaradossi in indignation. Following Tosca, Scarpia sends two detectives: she will lead them to the fugitive.

Act II
In his office in the Palazzo Farnese, Scarpia waits for reports. Seized by love lust, he conveys an invitation to Tosca through a subordinate to come to him. Agent Spoletta, sent to monitor the singer, enters. He reports that the search of the villa did not yield results. Scarpia orders the arrested artist to be brought in, who must tell him where the fugitive is hiding. Cavaradossi courageously rejects attempts to force him to confess and manages to remind Tosca, who has appeared, of the need to remain silent. Scarpia tries in vain to find out the secret from her. Only the screams of the tortured artist deprive Floria of self-control, and she tells where Angelotti is hiding. The police bring in the exhausted Cavaradossi. From Scarpia's order sending detectives to the well, the artist understands that the policeman managed to find out the whereabouts of his friend from Tosca. In anger, he curses his beloved.

At this moment, Spoletta brings the news that the victory turned out to be imaginary and Napoleon’s army is approaching Rome. The invigorated artist tries to attack the police chief, but he is grabbed and taken away.

Scarpia offers Tosca a shameful deal. He will save Cavaradossi's life and freedom if Floria is favorable to him. She indignantly rejects these vile claims. Scarpia continues his persuasion. In exchange for consent, he promises that the execution will be carried out with blank cartridges. Saving Cavaradossi is the only thing that worries Floria now, and she agrees. At Tosca's insistence, Scarpia writes a covering letter to the fortress and guarantees that she, together with Mario Cavaradossi, will be able to leave Rome without hindrance. He tries to embrace Tosca in his arms, but suddenly receives a dagger from her and dies.

Act III
Dawn twilight. Cavaradossi is brought to the site of the fortress tower (the place of execution of prisoners), who has an hour left before execution. Mario writes a farewell letter to his beloved.

Tosca runs in. She tells the artist that his execution will not be real. Hearing the shots, he must fall, pretending to be killed; after the soldiers leave they will run away. Convinced of a successful outcome, Cavaradossi calmly stands in front of the pointed muzzles of the guns. A volley thunders and he falls. The soldiers are leaving. Florya rushes to her lover, but he does not respond to her call. Mario is dead. Scarpia's order to fire blanks turned out to be a deception and his final revenge.

Anguish is surrounded by pursuers who have learned of Scarpia's murder. To avoid falling into the hands of the executioners, she, full of determination, runs to the edge of the tower - only death can unite her with Cavaradossi!

About the performance

In 1889, Puccini attended the premiere of Victorien Sardou’s drama, created for the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt: in order to emphasize who he sees as “that same Tosca,” Sardou even used the definite article in the title of the play (“ La Tosca”). The brilliant performance of “The Divine Sarah” impressed Puccini so much that he immediately wanted to write an opera based on this drama. But being at that time a little-known novice author, the composer did not dare to turn to the venerable, famous Sard. And only a few years later, when success in the operatic field strengthened his reputation, Puccini, through the mediation of his publisher, persuaded the playwright to give him his beloved plot.

Inspired by Bernard’s fiery expression, the composer dreamed of an equally talented performer of his Tosca and demanded an “ultradramatic singer” for the role of the jealous prima donna. After the restrained reception of the Rome premiere, where the coldish blonde Chariclea Darkle performed in the main role, Puccini wrote in despair: “Tosca appeared at a sad time! Now there are no more singers! Those that sing now do not give even 30 percent of what the author intended! There are no more such dramatic temperaments as there once were! I made the mistake of writing an opera that will never be performed as it should be!”

However, his dreams of ideal Tosca were still destined to come true! And they came true at the Mariinsky Theater: it was here that the composer found “that very Tosca” in the person of the incredibly gifted singer Medea Figner, who reigned on the St. Petersburg stage since the late 1880s. Moreover, along with the ideal heroine, Puccini also found the ideal hero! Its embodiment was Medea's husband and her stage partner, Mariinsky tenor Nikolai Figner, who superbly performed the role of Tosca's lover Cavaradossi.

Attaching great importance to the production of Tosca, Puccini pointed out that “this is an opera of bright colors and, if desired, a magnificent performance.” The international team that staged “Tosca” on the Primorsky stage of the Mariinsky Theater fully took into account the composer’s wishes. Indeed, in the opera, in addition to the human characters, there is another extremely important hero - the eternal city of Rome, the atmosphere of which determines the work. It also defines the performance of the seaside "Tosca", designed in a solemn and ceremonial Empire style, where the dominant color is purple-scarlet - a symbol of the power of the Roman patricians, but also the color of blood and passion.

Nadezhda Kulygina

The opera takes place in 1800 in Rome.

First action

Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle. Cesare Angelotti, a political prisoner who escaped from prison, comes here. His sister, Marchioness Attavanti, left him the key to the family chapel. Angelotti takes refuge there.

The sacristan enters. Following him appears the artist Mario Cavaradossi, who paints Mary Magdalene, inspired by the face of the Marchioness of Attavanti he saw in the church. But the artist’s love belongs to the singer Floria Tosca.

Cavaradossi notices Angelotti. He decides to help a fugitive whose republican ideals he shares.

Tosca enters. The stranger in the picture arouses her jealousy. Cavaradossi calms his beloved. They agree on an evening date.

The melancholy goes away. A cannon shot is heard: the escape has been discovered. Cavaradossi accompanies Angelotti to his villa.

The church includes the Sacristan, clerics, and choristers. News of the victory over Napoleon was received. There will be double payment for singing in honor of the victory.

The head of the Roman police, Baron Scarpia, appears in the church. He discovers traces of the fugitive and suspects that Cavaradossi helped Angelotti.

Tosca returns, who wants to tell the artist that an evening date is impossible: she will participate in a concert in honor of the victory over the French. Scarpia incites the singer's jealousy. He shows her the fan of the Marquise Attavanti, found in the chapel. Maybe the artist is with someone else now? Tosca rushes to the villa, Scarpia's agents follow her. The Baron is triumphant. Now he will be able to arrest both Angelotti and Cavaradossi. The melancholy he had long dreamed of would come to him.

Second act

Scarpia's office in the Farnese Palace. The Baron is waiting for Tosca. He is sure that she will come to save Cavaradossi.

Spoletta appears. He reports that only the artist was found and arrested in the villa.

Scarpia orders the prisoner to be brought in. Cavaradossi denies everything.

Tosca enters. Cavaradossi is taken to the torture chamber. Tosca, unable to hear her lover’s groans, tells where Angelotti is hiding.

Cavaradossi angrily reproaches Tosca for his betrayal.

News arrives of Napoleon's victory at Marengo. Cavaradossi rejoices. Scarpia orders the execution.

Tosca offers all her wealth for the salvation of her beloved. But Scarpia only wants Tosca's love.

Toska pretends to accept the condition. Scarpia promises that the shooting will be staged: the guns will be loaded with blank cartridges. He signs a pass to leave the country for Floria Tosca and her companion.

When the Baron approaches Tosca, she plunges a dagger into his heart.

Third act

Angel's Castle. While awaiting execution, Cavaradossi writes a farewell letter to his beloved.

Tosca runs in with good news: Scarpia is dead, Cavaradossi will live. During the execution, he must fall and lie there until the soldiers leave.

After the volley, Tosca waits for her beloved to rise. But Scarpia deceived her. The guns were loaded and Cavaradossi was killed.

Spoletta and the police burst in. Melancholy decides its own fate - it chooses death.

G. Puccini opera "Tosca"

As the basis for the libretto for his opera “Tosca,” G. Puccini chose the play of the same name by V. Sardou. This great story of love and betrayal, dressed by the Italian composer in the operatic genre, has not ceased to touch the hearts of people around the world for more than a century. The performance was so loved by the public that today it is the most repertoire in the world.

Brief summary of the opera Puccini Read “Tosca” and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Brief summary of “Tosca”

The plot of the opera takes place in Rome at the very beginning of the 19th century. At the center of the whirlpool of events is the love of the singer Flora Tosca and the artist Mario Cavaradossi.

Trying to save his friend, once the Roman consul Cesare Angelotti, from persecution, the artist Cavaradossi hides him in the well of his country house. Police Chief Scarpia guesses where the criminal is hiding. To capture him, he follows Mario's beloved Flora Tosca, who leads him to the rebel's hideout. But instead of a prisoner, the artist ends up in prison. To save her loved one from torture, the girl has to reveal Angelotti’s hiding place. But the merciless police chief orders Cavaradossi to be killed as well. Flora can save him if she gives the villain her love... She has no choice but to agree to this step. But the policeman is not going to save the artist, he is just “pretending” that the shooting will not be real. Having received documents to escape from Scarpia, Tosca kills him.

At dawn, Flora runs to her lover and talks about her upcoming escape. He also asks him to fall “like an actor” when he hears shooting with “blanks.” The soldiers raise their weapons, a shot thunders, Cavaradossi falls. The girl rushes to her beloved, because the performance is over and they are free! And only after seeing the bloody body does he understand what really happened. Meanwhile, the soldiers are already running towards Scarpia’s killer. Melancholy is doomed...

Interesting Facts

• Tosca is an opera with one of the most unusual premiere stories. The first performance of the play caused a lot of noise. It all started with the police filling the theater hall. Someone reported that there was a bomb in the hall. After her unsuccessful search, the performance finally began. As soon as the first chords of the orchestral introduction struck, screams were heard in the hall. Their cause was not a bomb threat, but a violation of Roman theatrical tradition: in the city it was customary to start performances late. The audience gathered just with this expectation, and this time the conductor began the opera on time. The spectators who had just arrived were outraged and demanded to start the performance all over again. The conductor and soloists had to make concessions. Well, what else can you do here!
• In one performance, in the scene of Tosca falling from the fortress wall, mattresses and pillows were replaced by a trampoline, and before the curtain closed, the singer managed to fly over the wall several times.
• Austrian singer Leonie Rizanek sang the Prayer of Longing on her stomach. She also did not believe that Tosca could hide the knife in advance, and in versions of the play with this singer, a glass of wine was broken, and a splinter was stabbed into Scarpia’s neck.
• Montserrat Caballe entered the Guinness Book of Records as the only singer who sings the last four notes of the Vissi d'Arte prayer in one breath.

• Ramon Vinay became famous for starting his career as a tenor and ending up as a bass. In the opera Tosca he performed the roles of both Cavaradossi and Scarpia.
• According to biographers Puccini , he received V. Sardou’s consent to use his composition for the basis of the libretto thanks to the music - the composer performed fragments of his operas for the playwright, and the music captivated him.
• One of the librettists insisted on changing the ending. He proposed abandoning the death of the main character and replacing the scene of her falling from the castle roof with madness. But the playwright did not give in to persuasion: the girl must throw herself down from the parapet of the Castel Sant'Angelo. He called the main argument for such a finale the following: it is not good to detain the viewer with a scene of madness just before the end of the performance. And then the maestro intervened in the dispute - he took his copy of the libretto, opened the final scene and showed those present his mark “coat aria”. This is how he called the final number, which not all spectators will hear - after all, by this moment most of them will leave the hall and rush to the wardrobe for outerwear. This greatly amused Sardou, and he entrusted the reworking of the last scene to the composer, whom he called “a man of the theater,” who knows the preferences of the public better than others.
• The first production of the opera was received rather coldly by the audience. One of the reasons for this reaction was unoriginal melodies and.... sound and stage sadism. In this case, the audience did not like the torture scene.
• Puccini tried in every possible way to convey in his work the atmosphere of Rome at the beginning of the 19th century. Especially for this, with the help of the temple minister, Don Panicelli, in his opera brainchild, he recreated the authentic sound of the bells of St. Peter's Cathedral.

• In one of the performances, the role of Cavaradossi was sung by the great Enrico Caruso. The composer's acquaintance with this genius was very interesting. Puccini had absolutely no idea of ​​his vocal capabilities, and therefore asked him to sing. As soon as Caruso completed the performance of the hero’s first aria, the maestro asked who sent him to him, perhaps the Almighty himself?
• In the 20th century in Russia, the opera “Tosca” was performed under the title “The Struggle for the Commune.” A new libretto was written for the work of the great Italian; its authors were N. Vinogradov and S. Spassky. The action was moved to France at the end of the 19th century, where the main characters were a revolutionary and a communard.
• Due to the specifics of the plot, “Tosca” is often used in various works related to the work of intelligence services and detectives. Among the most famous films where this work is mentioned or music from it is heard are “Déjà Vu” (1989, directed by J. Machulski), “Surrogates” (2009, J. Mostow), “Pink Doll” (1997, B . Olshvang), "Stalingrad" (2013, F. Boncharchuk), "22 bullets. Immortal" (2010, R. Berry), "Method" (2015, Y. Bykov). It’s curious, but the plot twists and turns of the immortal operatic masterpiece are very organically woven into the quests of some computer games, for example “Hitman: Blood Money” (2006).

Popular arias from the opera “Tosca”

Cavaradossi's aria "E lucevan le stelle" - listen

Baron Scarpia "Va Tosca! Te Deum" - listen

Aria - Tosca's prayer "Vissi D"arte" - listen

Cavaradossi's aria "Recondita armonia" - listen

The history of the creation of “Tosca”

V. Sardou wrote the play “Tosca” specifically for one of the most outstanding actresses in the history of the theater - Sarah Bernhardt. G. Puccini met this performance at the Milan theater in 1889, and at the same time he had the idea of ​​writing an opera based on this work. However, in those years he was only a beginning composer, and therefore did not particularly count on attention from the famous playwright. That is why Puccini instructed his publisher Giulio Ricordi to conduct all negotiations with the author of the play. But everything was complicated by the fact that the maestro was not the only one who wanted to write an opera based on the plot of “Tosca” - they became interested in the play as a source of libretto G. Verdi and A. Franchetti. As a result, the honor of creating the opera fell to the latter, but thanks to Ricordi’s strong recommendations, he had to abandon this idea.

Puccini began working directly on the opera only in 1896. At this time he was already well known for his operatic creations" Bohemia " And " Manon Lescaut "have already had considerable success. Now the composer already assessed his chances of Sardou’s favor quite highly. And indeed, he managed to hold several fruitful meetings with him. L. Illica and J. Giacosa were involved in writing the libretto; the composer himself did not miss the opportunity to work on the plot He held active negotiations with the author and insisted on some changes in the plot - so, he sped up the action, shortened some minor plot lines and made changes to the fate of the main character. The opera was completed in the fall of 1899.

First productions

The premiere performance of Tosca took place at the famous Teatro Constanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900. The leading roles were played by Chariclea Darkle (Floria Tosca), Enrico de Marchi (Mario Cavaradossi), Eugenio Giraldoni (Baron Scarpia). Composer Leopold Mugnone was at the conductor's stand that evening. The debut production caused an unprecedented stir - the first person of the state was in the hall - the Queen of Italy herself, Margaret of Savoy, who was accompanied by most of the government representatives. The composer's compatriots, P. Mascagni, F. Cilea, and G. Sgambatti, did not miss the opportunity to hear the opera. After the performance, Puccini was called to the stage several times, but he was dissatisfied with the reaction of the audience.

In the spring of 1900, the Milanese public was able to appreciate Tosca - it was staged on the stage of the legendary La Scala. The opera was conducted by the unrivaled Arturo Toscanini.

During the first year of its existence on stage, this creation of Puccini was staged not only in all major Italian theaters - the world's opera stages also became interested in it. Russian theaters were no exception - the first productions of Tosca took place at the end of 1900 in Odessa.

This opera Puccini , perhaps the most sensual and sincere of all those he wrote. Many consider it a true melodrama, the best example of the genre.

Video: watch the opera “Tosca” by Puccini

The premiere of this opera (the fifth in Puccini’s work) took place at the Teatro Constanza in Rome on January 14, 1900. The assessments were very contradictory. "Tosca" was enthusiastically greeted by supporters. Others reproached her for naturalism, cheap melodrama, “veristic extremes,” and excessive “brutality” of the content. On March 17, 1900, the premiere of Tosca was a huge success at the La Scala theater under the direction of Arturo Toscanini.

Puccini himself held the plot of Tosca very dear to him as an Italian. It talks about Italy suffering and fighting for freedom. The action takes place in Rome in 1800. The libretto (G. Giacosa, L. Illica) is based on a modern drama by the French writer Victorien Sardou, written for the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt.

The artist Mario Cavaradossi hides the republican Angelotti, who escaped from prison, in his house. Only Cavaradossi’s beloved, singer Floria Tosca, is privy to this secret.

Police Chief Scarpia arrests the artist and subjects him to severe torture. Tosca, who is in the next room, cannot stand it and gives Scarpia the place where the fugitive is hiding. However, instead of the promised pardon, Cavaradossi is taken into custody.

Scarpia, seized by a love passion for Tosca, offers her a deal: the life and freedom of Cavaradossi in exchange for her love. If he refuses, Cavaradossi will face execution. After painful hesitation, Tosca accepts this condition. Scarpia promises that the scene of Cavaradossi’s execution will be staged “for show,” and the cartridges will be blank.

When Scarpia approaches Tosca to embrace her, she stabs him with a knife. Scarpia dies, but his promise turns out to be a deception: during the execution, Cavaradossi dies in front of Tosca. In despair, she throws herself from the parapet of the prison tower onto the stones of the pavement.

“Tosca” is a work of truly tragic nature; unlike “La Bohème,” it is characterized by pronounced conflict. There is a lot here reminiscent of the great Verdi, the style of such operas as “Il Trovatore”, “Don Carlos”, “Aida”, “Othello”:

• freedom-loving pathos, tragic intensity, fierce struggle of antagonistic forces;
• the scale of grand opera;
• flexibility and freedom of operatic forms based on end-to-end development;
• a natural fusion of symphony and vocal cantilena.

The forces of action and counteraction in Tosca are clearly demarcated. At one pole of the drama is the tyrant Scarpia, the chief of police, who has become a kind of symbol of enslaved Italy. His musical portrait has an undoubted connection with the image of Verdi's Iago. At the other pole are Tosca and Cavaradossi, their love. Of all Puccini's operas, the feeling of love found the most complete, generous expression in Italian style in Tosca. The predominance of the love line and lyrical orientation become a distinctive feature of the opera's dramaturgy (even Scarpia sings a lyrical arioso).

The cantilena beginning permeates the entire music of the opera, including the orchestral fabric. Moreover, it is the orchestra that often takes on the leading melodic function. An example is the touching prayer of Tosca fromIIactions. This aria clearly reveals one of the composer’s creative secrets: the listener is constantly left with the impression of a smooth, wide cantilena, and meanwhile the vocal part is built on an ariatic declamation with long “standings” on one sound. It's all about the orchestra, its continuously flowing melody.

It is characteristic that it is in the orchestra that one of the most striking themes of the opera first appears - the melody of Cavaradossi's famous aria from the last act.

Compared to the refined orchestral style, the score of Tosca has a richer, denser style. The role of copper and the gloomy timbres of low string instruments increases.

The main operatic form of Tosca is dialogue. Starting from the moment of the fatal meeting of Cavaradossi with Angelotti, the entire opera develops on the basis of conflicts, clashes, struggle, or, on the contrary, the close unity of two characters. Thus, the principle of dialogue becomes the main dramatic principle of Tosca.

The leitmotif system in Tosca becomes more diverse and richer. Scarpia's leitmotif, the sequence of major triads (B-As-E), undergoes the most active development. It becomes the source of a number of similar themes that define its darkly tragic atmosphere of the opera. The bright lyrical themes opposing it (the leitmotif of Tosca, the leitmotif of love) retain stability and integrity.

Along with the leitmotifs of the main characters (Tosca, Scarpia), “situation motifs” characteristic of Puccini appear. This is the theme of ominous foreboding in the interrogation scene of Cavaradossi, the “theme of decision” of Tosca before the murder of Scarpia in the finale of the second act, the ominous whole-tone “theme of the well” associated with Tosca’s involuntary betrayal and the death of Angelotti.

To convincingly convey the atmosphere of papal Rome, Puccini made a special trip to Rome to listen to the morning bells of the surrounding churches. For the part of Tosca (the only female part in the entire opera), he found a canzone in the Romanesque dialect.

This is Puccini's only appeal to the true historical situation - the era of the struggle against papal reaction that followed the fall of the Roman Republic.

Verdi at one time was also interested in Sardou's drama. He fully approved of Puccini's decision to take on its plot.