Melodramma in three acts
Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after the play La Tosca (1887) by Victorien Sardou A co-production of Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville Principal Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real
That in this veristic melodrama of rivalries, politics, thwarted passions, and brutal outcome the words “honor” or “revenge” are never once said gives an idea of Puccini’s intentions to transcend and renew the framework of Italian melodrama as well as the Verismo style. Proof of this is the almost cinematographic pace of the dramatic action, the abundance of leitmotiv examples and the massive orchestration which reaches its heights in scenes like the «Te Deum» or the interrogation scene. Under the iron hand of sinister Scarpia, the lovers Tosca and Cavaradossi are unable to raise their voices except to express discouragement and defeat, portrayed as victims. They are fully-fledged creations of a century which witnessed the birth of the modern totalitarian state, mass destruction and genocide. First seen at the Teatro Costanzi of Rome in 1900, to this day Tosca is one of the most popular and incombustible of operas. Suitable for all tastes, it comes to the stage of the Teatro Real in the production of Paco Azorín, which premiered at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. This is a vibrant and explicit version, set on a revolving stage accompanied by video projections.