Tosca (Apr. 11, 1959)

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Giacosa and Illica

Adler; Steber, Bergonzi, London

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 1 hrs. 53 min.

Tosca, the beautiful, glamorous singer who has all of Rome at her feet, is one of the iconic soprano roles of the Italian repertoire. She’s caught between two men—her lover, the handsome, idealistic painter Cavaradossi, and the villainous Baron Scarpia, Rome’s all-powerful chief of police, who will stop at nothing to win Tosca for himself. Puccini’s story of torture, attempted rape, murder, suicide, and general mayhem is as thrilling and dramatic as anything seen on the operatic stage. Thanks to Eleanor Steber’s impetuous title heroine, George London’s malevolent Scarpia, and Carlo Bergonzi’s romantic Cavaradossi, this Tosca still sends chills down your spine.