Tosca (Jan. 6, 1979)

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

Conlon; Verrett, Pavarotti, MacNeil

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 1 hrs. 53 min.

This all-star performance of Puccini’s hit opera features Luciano Pavarotti as Mario Cavaradossi, one of the legendary tenor’s most memorable roles. He portrays the ardent lover of the beautiful singer Floria Tosca (the great Shirley Verrett) no less convincingly than the passionate patriot fighting Rome’s notorious chief of police, Baron Scarpia (Cornell MacNeil). Together, this extraordinary trio of artists conveys all the passion, jealousy, and betrayal of the drama, under the baton of James Conlon, who leads the Met’s musical forces.