“Tosca” by Puccini (Vienna Opera, La Scala, Netherlands Opera). Tosca (opera)

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 love and betrayal, dressed by the Italian composer in the operatic genre, has not ceased to stir 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.

Characters		Description
Floria Tosca	soprano	famous singer, actress, faithful and jealous
Mario Cavaradossi	tenor	painter, republican
Baron Scarpia	baritone	head of the roman police
Cesare Angelotti	bass	former Roman Republican consul, prisoner
Spolette	tenor	police informer

• 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 Rizanekpela 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 work 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 offered to refuse death main character and replace 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 final scene and showed those present his mark “Aria coat”. 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 behind outerwear to the wardrobe. 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 by everyone possible ways tried to convey the atmosphere of Rome in his work early XIX 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 late XIX 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 opera masterpiece very organically woven into quests and some computer games, for example "Hitman: Blood Money" (2006).

With a libretto (in Italian) by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on the drama of the same name by V. Sardou.

Characters:

FLORIA TOSCA, famous singer (soprano)
MARIO CAVARADOSSI, artist (tenor)
BARON SCARPIA, Chief of Police (baritone)
CESARE ANGELOTTI, political prisoner (bass)
Sacristan (baritone)
SPOLETT, police informer (tenor)
SCIARRONE, gendarme (bass)
JAILER (bass)
SHEPHERD BOY (mezzo-soprano)
ROBERTY, executioner (silent)

Time of action: June 1800.
Location: Rome.
First performance: Rome, Teatro Costanzi, January 14, 1900.

V. Sardou, the king of French playwrights, wrote “Tosca” especially for Sarah Bernhardt. She was a huge success in the role of Floria Tosca, and performances of “Tosca” were given, according to the author, three thousand times. (This number may be somewhat exaggerated: Sardou claimed this twenty years after the premiere.) In any case, this drama aroused interest as possible source for the libretto not only by Puccini, but also by Verdi and Franchetti. Franchetti was the first to receive the rights to write an opera based on this drama, and only thanks to some slyness of Tito Ricordi, the publisher of both Puccini and Franchetti, these rights passed from a less gifted composer to a great one.

But there were others who thought, and perhaps still do, that the play was too dramatic to serve as an ideal libretto. Some of the critics who judged the premiere expressed precisely this opinion. Mascagni thought the same. He said: “I was a victim of bad librettos. Puccini was a victim of too much of a good thing.”

Whether these critics are right or wrong, the fact remains that the opera is a huge success; Sardou's play practically died after Bernhardt abandoned it, but Puccini's opera continues to live on the stages of everyone opera houses world a hundred years after its premiere, after more than three thousand performances and after hundreds of sopranos made their final leap from the parapet of the prison castle.

Puccini perfectly understood the value of Sardou's drama - the rapid pace of its development and extraordinary expressiveness. He objected sharply when the librettist Illik wanted to put a long farewell speech into the mouth of the tenor, and instead wrote a short one, but in highest degree expressive and emotional aria “E lucevan le stelle” (“The stars were burning in the sky”). He refused to write an old-fashioned quartet with a tenor being tortured offstage and Scarpia, Tosca and Spoletta talking about it on stage. He didn’t even like the famous aria “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” (“Only sang, only loved”), because it stopped the action, and when one day at a rehearsal Maria Geritza accidentally rolled back the bed just before the first sounds and sang aria, standing on the floor, the composer said: “That’s so good. This gives the aria vitality." From then on Jeritza sang it that way.

Yes, Puccini was always first and foremost a man of the theater. But this does not mean that he did not appreciate good voice. Once, when the tenor planned to stage the opera was unable to fulfill his contractual obligations and sing the part of Cavaradossi, Ricordi sent for a young tenor who - the publisher did not show originality in his judgment - had a “golden voice”. This will not help anyone then famous singer was Enrico Caruso. After Puccini accompanied him in the aria “Recondita armonia” (“His face changes forever”), the composer turned in his chair at the piano and asked: “Who sent you to me? God?"

ACT I
Church of Sant'Andrea della Balle

Three crushing chords open the opera; they are then always used to characterize Scarpia, the sinister chief of the Roman police. This figure of a merciless, although outwardly refined man, personified the reactionary forces of Italy, where Napoleon, in 1800, was considered the apostle of freedom. Immediately after these opening chords the curtain rises. The viewer's gaze reveals an internal view of the Church of Sant'Andrea della Balle in Rome. A man in tattered clothes, trembling with fear, enters one of the side doors. This is Angelotti, a political prisoner who escaped from prison. He is hiding here in the church, in the Attavanti Chapel. His sister, Marchioness Attavanti, hid the key to this family chapel under the statue of the Madonna, and now Angelotti is feverishly looking for it. Finally, having found it, he hastily unlocks the lattice door of the chapel and hurries to take refuge in it. As soon as he disappears, the sacristan enters, bringing food and necessary things for the artist working here. He is busy with his thoughts and talking to himself about something, heading towards the artist’s place of work on the left. He is unhappy that the features of one of the parishioners appear in the image of the saint. Is it not the devil who controls the hand of the daring painter? Our hero appears, Mario Cavaradossi, an artist who begins work on the image of Mary Magdalene. The painting is on the easel, it is half finished. He sings the aria “Recondia armonia” (“He changes his face forever”), in which he compares the features of his portrait with the features of his beloved, famous singer Floria Tosca.

The sacristan leaves. Cavaradossi discovers Angelotti, who, thinking that the church is empty, has come out of his hiding place. His fear at the sight of the artist is immediately replaced by joy, because Cavaradossi is his old friend, and now the artist does not leave the unfortunate fugitive prisoner in trouble. Their conversation, however, is interrupted by a persistent knock on the door. This is Floria Tosca. As soon as he hears her voice demanding that the door to the church be opened for her, Cavaradossi pushes his friend back into the chapel to hide there. Floria appears. She is amazingly beautiful, superbly dressed and, like most beauties, she easily gives in to feelings of jealousy. This time, jealousy is aroused in her by the portrait that the artist is painting. She recognizes the blond beauty in the portrait, and it takes him some effort to calm her down. Floria cannot remain angry with her lover for long, and by the end of their love duet they agree to meet that evening at his villa after her evening performance at the Farnese Palace. After she leaves, Angelotti reappears from his hiding place and Cavaradossi takes him away to hide him in his house.

Now comes news of Napoleon's defeat in northern Italy. In the church, priests are preparing for a solemn service on this occasion. But in the midst of this preparation comes Scarpia, who, as chief of police, is looking for the fugitive Angelotti. With his detective Spoletta, he finds a lot of evidence that the fugitive is hiding here. Among the evidence is a fan with the Attavanti coat of arms. He cunningly uses it to arouse the jealousy of Tosca, for whom he himself burns with passion.

The service begins. A large procession enters the church. And while the Te Deum sounds in honor of the victory over Napoleon, Scarpia stands on the side: he hopes that he can get rid of his competitor, using Tosca’s jealousy for this. If his plan succeeds, Cavaradossi must be on the scaffold, and Floria Tosca will belong to him. Just before the curtain falls, he kneels in public prayer before the marching cardinal, although all his thoughts are absorbed in his own diabolical plan.

ACT II
Farnese Palace

In the evening of the same day, the victory over Napoleon is solemnly celebrated at the Farnese Palace; through the open windows of the police station, which is located here in the palace, the sounds of music can be heard. Scarpia, alone in his office, reflects on the events of the day. With his gendarme Sciarrone, he sends a note to Tosca and now receives a message from Spoletta. This detective searched the entire Cavaradossi house, but did not find Angelotti there, but saw Tosca there. He arrested Cavaradossi and brought him to the palace. While the voice of Tosca is heard singing the solo part in the victorious cantata in the palace, her lover is brought into Scarpia’s office and interrogated, but to no avail. When Tosca appears, Cavaradossi manages to whisper to her that Scarpia knows nothing and that she should not say anything about what she witnessed in his house. Scarpia gives the order to take the artist to another room - a torture chamber, which is what the gendarmes and the executioner Roberti do with them.

Scarpia then begins interrogating Tosca. She maintains her composure until Cavaradossi's moans reach her ears from the cell. Unable to bear this, she reveals the place where Angelotti is hiding - in a well in the garden. Cavaradossi, exhausted from torture, is taken to Scarpia's office. He immediately understands that Tosca has betrayed his friend. The next moment news arrives about Napoleon's victory in Marengo. The artist cannot hide his joy and sings song of praise freedom. Scarpia contemptuously orders the artist to be taken to prison and executed the next morning.

Scarpia then resumes his treacherous conversation with the desperate Tosca. During this dialogue, she sings the aria “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” (“Only sang, only loved”) - her passionate appeal to love and music, the two forces to which she dedicated her life. In the end, she agrees to sacrifice herself to save the life of her loved one.

Now Scarpia explains that since he has already given the order to execute Cavaradossi, preparations must be made, at least falsely, for this. He calls upon Spoletta to give the necessary orders and issues passes so that Tosca and her lover can leave Rome. But at the moment when he turns to her to embrace her in his arms, she plunges a dagger into him: “Tosca kisses hard!..” (The orchestra plays the same three chords of Scarpia, but this time pianissimo - very quietly. )

Floria quickly washes her bloody hands, takes the passes from Scarpia's lifeless hand, places a candle on either side of his head, and places the crucifix on his chest. The curtain falls as she quietly disappears from the office.

ACT III
Sant'Angelo Prison Square

The final act begins quietly enough. Behind the stage, the early morning song of a shepherd boy sounds. The scene of this action is the roof of the prison castle of Sant'Angelo in Rome, where Cavaradossi is to be brought for execution. He is given a short time to prepare yourself for death. He uses it to write his last letter to his beloved Tosca. At this moment, he sings the heartbreaking aria “E lucevan le stelle” (“The stars were burning in the sky”). Soon Tosca herself appears. She shows him the safety passes that she managed to get from Scarpia, she tells him how she killed the treacherous police chief; and two lovers sing a passionate love duet, anticipating their happy future. Finally, Tosca explains that Cavaradossi must go through the farce of a false execution, after which they will escape together.

A calculation led by Spoletta appears. Mario stands in front of him. They're shooting. He falls. The soldiers are leaving. Melancholy falls on the body of her murdered lover. Only now does she realize that Scarpia insidiously deceived her: the cartridges were real, and Cavaradossi lies dead. Sobbing over the corpse of Cavaradossi, the young woman does not hear the footsteps of the returning soldiers: they discovered that Scarpia had been killed. Spoletta tries to grab Tosca, but she pushes him away, jumps onto the parapet and throws herself from the roof of the castle. While the farewell motive of Mario's dying aria thunders in the orchestra, the soldiers stand frozen in horror.

Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maikapara)

The Rome premiere, conducted by Leopoldo Mugnone, gathered journalists and representatives of culture in the hall, Queen Margaret and members of the government were also present. Nevertheless, the public and critics did not accept the opera with enthusiasm; subsequently they spoke about the lack of originality of melodic ideas going back to Puccini’s previous operas, about sound and stage sadism (in particular, the torture scene was meant). But also negative traits revealed the incomparable skill of the composer, always able to make a deep impression with his theater. Puccini tried to introduce the action into the sound, light, color and moral atmosphere of Rome at the beginning of the 19th century. The composer's friend Don Panichelli helped him recreate the authentic ringing of bells in the vicinity of Castel Sant'Angelo and, together with a resident of Lucca, Alfredo Vandini, also a friend of the composer, told him the poems of the ancient folk song(shepherd songs). There was a lot in the image of Rome that was fictitious, but also attractive in the sense of depicting the historical situation. Like an artist in front of an easel, Puccini paints nature freely, with all the enthusiasm of the first contact with it. This fact in itself would not be so interesting if it were not for the connections with the images of the characters. The orchestra describes them as if sketchily, rather hastily, but carefully following the truth; suddenly his calm speech is interrupted, he becomes agitated, sobs or threatens, insults or pleads. Then the character’s image acquires plasticity, swiftness and excitement. Taken by surprise, the viewer does not have time to recover from surprise as the indomitable Puccini dries away his tears, even returns his smile with a few phrases, without ceasing to add new strokes and correct what he has written. A cunning master, he moves swiftly from innocent touches to tragedy with acrobatic ease.

As for the characters, they seem to want to establish themselves at any cost, crushing and trampling on everything that interferes with them. While in romantic art the hero was the absolute ruler of the outside world, here it is the latter who puts pressure on the hero, demanding respect for himself. This is tantamount to suffocation. It should be borne in mind that Puccini's scene almost exactly depicts the crypt as a symbol of existence, devoid of a mythological aura. At the dawn of a new century, Tosca could not better mark a new historical and aesthetic milestone. The cruelty and lustfulness of Scarpia, monstrously vicious and at the same time sincere, socialite and servant of power; tenderness of Tosca, the only woman in the opera, capricious and jealous, but above all loving, courageous; the poetic simplicity with which the artist Cavaradossi is attached to life and its joys; a very skillful framing of the action, which alternately serves as a church in festive decoration, a hall in a palace with an adjacent torture room, a prison and inside it a punishment cell for those sentenced to death; a combination of voluptuousness and torture, lust for life and oppression - everything rises like a kind of tombstone. In the face of death, beauty and love triumph in a victory won through pain.

G. Marchesi (translated by E. Greceanii)

History of creation

The plot of the play “Tosca” by the French playwright Victor Sardou (1831-1908) attracted Puccini’s attention for a number of years. He first saw Tosca in Milan in 1889 with famous Sarah Bernard in the title role. The freedom-loving pathos of Sardou's drama, set in Italy during the dark era of reaction, was in tune with Puccini's sentiments. The tense atmosphere of the play, the severity of the conflicts, and the dramatic nature of the characters’ experiences corresponded to the composer’s desire for bright operatic expressiveness. The creation of the libretto for the future opera was entrusted to the composer's permanent assistants - L. Illika (1859-1919) and D. Giacosa (1847-1906). Puccini himself took an active part in the work, at whose insistence a number of changes were made to the fate of the main character. The music of Tosca was composed in 1898-1899. The first performance - January 14, 1900 - was accompanied by great success. Productions of the opera soon followed in major European theaters, strengthening the glory of this one of the most famous works Puccini.

Music

"Tosca" is one of Puccini's most dramatic works. Her music is brightly expressive, sometimes ecstatically excited. In the extended scenes, recitative and ariatic forms freely alternate, united by a detailed orchestral part.

In the first act there are two sections. In the first there is music of a chamber-intimate nature, in the second a crowd stage becomes the backdrop of a personal drama.

In the orchestral introduction, the darkly ominous, heavy tread of the chords associated with the image of Scarpia is contrasted with the rapidly descending, nervous theme of Angelotti. The plastically embossed melody of Cavaradossi’s aria “It changes its face forever” conveys a feeling of rapturous rapture in beauty. Tosca’s arioso “Our Little House” is imbued with flirtatious grace and elegance. Cavaradossi's arioso “There is no gaze in the world” sounds passionately and excitedly, turning into the waltz-smooth melody of his love duet with Tosca, full of languid bliss. A festively animated boys' choir opens the second half of the act. In the extended duet-scene, Scarpia’s sanctimoniously dean-like remarks against the backdrop of a church bell are contrasted with Tosca’s expressive cantilena, overwhelmed either by lyrically mournful or angry-indignant feelings. Scarpia's final aria is contrasted with the solemn music of the church service.

The opera “Tosca,” a brief summary of which is the subject of this article, is one of the masterpieces of the famous Italian composer G. Puccini. This famous piece of music is one of the most popular musical performances. Many theaters around the world regularly stage this opera. A dynamic plot, dramatic intrigue, strong-willed characters ensured this composer's creation enormous popularity, which continues to this day. It is significant that episodes of some films take place against the backdrop of scenes from this performance.

Brief description of the composer's work

Giacomo Puccini is one of the most famous Italian composers. Many of his operas are still regularly staged at leading theater venues in the world. He was the greatest author after Verdi major works. At the same time, he differed from his famous predecessor in his commitment to a new direction in art - verism. This style implied an emphasis on socio-psychological conflicts between characters.

This determined the features musical works composer (“La bohème”, “Manon Lescaut” and others). He believed that melody and action on stage should be inextricably linked, therefore in his compositions there are no overtures that are performed without a stage performance. The music in Puccini's operas sounds in a continuous flow, without the transitions that separated the musical numbers in the works of his predecessors. Such innovation did not immediately meet with the understanding of not only the public, but also professional critics. However, many of them even then noted the courage of the composer’s musical decisions, his original, incomparable style, which influenced subsequent authors (I. Kalman, I. Dunaevsky and others). The composer's works are distinguished by vivid drama and complex orchestration, so not all singers can sing to his music. Despite the originality of many of the author's discoveries, he borrowed a lot from his predecessors, primarily from Verdi (dynamic plot, drama).

The basis of the story

In 1900, the opera “Tosca” was written. Summary Puccini's new masterpiece is based on the once popular play by V. Sardou. Other composers also became interested in this drama, including the famous G. Verdi. However, after long negotiations, it was Puccini who received the right to use the plot of the work in his new opera. The libretto was created by K. L. Illicke and G. Giacosa. The author, however, did not accept the play original form. At his insistence, significant changes were made to the text of the work. The plot of the drama was greatly simplified; minor lines were cut, all attention was concentrated on the three main characters who formed love triangle. The opera “Tosca,” the summary of which is interesting not only from a dramatic but also from a historical point of view, was not immediately appreciated. The author was accused of repetition musical numbers and naturalism of scenes (primarily we're talking about about the episode of torture of the main character). But over time, the work gained enormous popularity in the music world.

Historical background of the action

The opera "Tosca", a brief summary of which should be characterized in the context of the history of the early 19th century, is distinguished by a dynamic and dramatic plot. The action takes place in June 1800 at the time of the advance of Napoleonic armies on the Italian Republic, occupied by the troops of the Kingdom of Naples. This background allows you to better understand the motives and actions of the characters. Characteristic feature this work is closely related love line from political. Giacomo Puccini masterfully integrated the main intrigue into the context of the era.

Introduction

The opera begins with a very dynamic moment: a supporter of the republic, a supporter of Napoleon Angelotti, flees from the castle and hides in the Roman church where he works main character, talented artist Mario Cavaradossi. From his opening aria, the viewer learns about his love for the famous opera singer Floria Tosca.

His gentle melodic song contrasts sharply with the alarming melody of the former Roman consul, who turned out to be his old acquaintance and comrade. The two meet, and from a short, abrupt dialogue, the viewer learns that the artist sympathizes with the republican cause. He offers Angelotti help: he gives him food and shelter in his country house. Their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of the main character. Puccini's opera "Tosca" is full of drama and dynamism of action. The young singer immediately reveals her very difficult character.

She is jealous, suspicious, but at the same time passionately, almost frantically loves Mario. The latter hides his secret from her. Both sing a wonderful love duet and agree to meet in the evening. Their joint performance shows the viewer the depth of feelings of these characters and at the same time, as it were, foreshadows tragic ending actions.

Development of action

The opera "Tosca", the libretto of which is based on Sardou's play, is distinguished by its fast, almost rapid development of action. Immediately after the heroine leaves, Mario helps Angelotti leave the temple unnoticed.

After this scene, Scarpia appears, the main antagonist in the play. He holds the post of chief of police in Rome; he is also in love with the main character and strives with all his might to win her over. He realizes that the fugitive was hiding in the church and decides to track him down, using Tosca's jealous temper.

The beginning of the intrigue

When the latter returns, Scarpia hints to her about the possibility of Mario's infatuation with another woman. These words lead the heroine to despair, and she rushes into Vacation home artist to confirm his suspicions. Scarpia orders to follow her, without doubting that the one he was looking for is hiding in this shelter. At the same time, Scarpia understands that he has an opportunity to accuse Mario of treason and sentence him to death for harboring a Republican rebel. The ending of the first act turned out to be very difficult musical performance"Yearning". The plot of the opera is based on the principle of contrast. At the end of the act, chants are heard in honor of the victory over Napoleon's army. At this time, Scarpia is plotting to destroy his opponent.

Second act

The second act opens with a scene in the police chief's palace. He sings his famous aria, which reveals him as a proud, proud, arrogant man. Scarpia sings about how he enjoys torturing his victims not only physically, but also psychologically. This aria is like an introduction and explanation of the terrible scene that followed later. The author of the opera "Tosca" skillfully built the action on contrast: the gloomy ominous aria of this negative character sounds almost at the same time as the main character’s festive performance in the palace. The guards then bring in the arrested Mario. He was detained on suspicion of harboring Angelotti. However, Scarpia has no direct evidence of the artist’s guilt: the fugitive managed to hide in a secret well, and the guards were never able to find him. Then the boss decides to use the affection of the main character in order to extract from her the whereabouts of the escaped prisoner.

Confrontation of heroes

The opera "Tosca" is particularly dramatic. Composer Puccini in this work demonstrated the extraordinary talent of the author of psychologically intense music.

The action of the play takes a new direction with the appearance of the main character. Scarpia orders her lover to be tortured, extracting a confession from the jealous singer. The latter, as the police chief expected, visited the artist’s house and learned Mario’s secret. The police chief orders the prisoner to be tortured, and Tosca, unable to bear the sight of her lover’s torment, reveals the secret of the fugitive’s whereabouts. Then Scarpia orders the arrest of Angelotti and signs the order to shoot Mario. However, in response to the heroine’s requests to spare Mario, he promises to save him by staging a mock execution, but in exchange demands one date from Tosca.

Climax

At this moment, one of the best arias in the opera is performed by the heroine: she laments her fate and succumbs to despair because of the tragedy that has unfolded. It is indicative that the composer himself initially did not want to include this number in the performance, since, in his opinion, it slowed down the dynamic action of the performance, but the aria turned out to be so good that it was eventually inserted and over time became famous: many famous singers perform it in concert performances.

Tosca agrees to Scarpia’s condition, receives a pass to leave the country, after which, in a fit of anger and indignation, he kills his tormentor.

The final

At the beginning of the last act, Mario's famous aria sounds, in which he, sentenced to death, says goodbye to his life and is sad for his beloved. This number is one of the most heartbreaking in the world operatic repertoire, just like the above Tosca aria, it can often be heard at concert performances.

Then the heroine appears and informs her lover about her crime, and also initiates him into the details of the plan to stage the execution. Both sing a duet, remarkable in its expressiveness, in which they express hope for a bright future life. Then follows the execution scene, which reveals all of Scarpia’s treachery: the latter ordered Mario to be shot for real. The heroine, seeing her lover dead, throws herself down from the tower. The opera "Tosca", reviews of which at the beginning of its production were not very positive, is now rightfully considered a masterpiece of the world musical theater. The best sopranos and tenors dream of singing in the roles of this performance. Numbers from this work by Puccini are often included in concert programs leading world performers.

ACT ONE

Church of Sant'Andrea in Rome. Angelotti, the former consul of the Roman Republic, who escaped from imprisonment in the fortress, enters one of the side doors. His sister, Marquise Attavanti, hid the key to the family chapel located in the church under the statue of the Madonna. Angelotti looks for the key, finally finding it, unlocks the door of the chapel and hurries to take refuge in it.

As soon as he disappears, the old sacristan enters, bringing food and work supplies for Cavaradossi. Soon the artist himself appears.
As the old man leaves, the chapel door opens and Angelotti enters. He thinks that the church is empty and looks at the artist with horror. Fear, however, gives way to joy: Cavaradossi is his longtime friend and ally. And now the artist does not leave his friend in trouble. Their conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door: it’s Tosca. The artist thrusts a basket of food into Angelotti's hands and pushes him into the chapel. The singer enters and listens incredulously to Cavaradossi’s explanation. She heard voices and thinks that there was a beautiful blond stranger, whose features are depicted in Cavaradossi's painting. In the end, the artist manages to calm his beloved. She leaves.

Cavaradossi quickly makes a decision; he hands Angelotti the key to his country house and he himself accompanies his friend to ensure the safety of the escape.

Priests are preparing for a solemn service on the occasion of Napoleon's defeat. The sacristan calls the people to church.
The all-powerful chief of the Roman police, Baron Scarpia, enters the church: the threads of the search lead here, to the church, apparently, the fugitive Angelotti found refuge here. The investigation is still ongoing when Tosca returns to the church. She is surprised to discover that the artist is no longer in the church. Jealousy flares up in her. And Scarpia still fuels her suspicions, because he has long been attracted to the beautiful singer.
The church fills with parishioners. The solemn service begins. During the ceremony, Scarpia acknowledges keeping an eye on Tosca, for her steps will probably lead to Cavaradossi and then to Angelotti.

Scarpia made a decision - he will execute the revolutionaries and get Floria Tosca for himself.

ACT TWO

Palazzo Farnese. Scarpia's detectives arrive and report that they searched Cavaradossi's country house to no avail: they did not find Angelotti. Just in case, they took Cavaradossi with them, apparently knowing where his friend was hiding. While Scarpia and his henchmen are interrogating the artist, a "hymn of thanksgiving" sung by Tosca is heard from the chapel.

The artist denies everything. Tosca enters, whom Cavaradossi warns with a gesture to remain silent.
Scarpia sends the prisoner to the torture chamber, then begins interrogating Tosca. The singer is silent, but Cavaradossi’s moans are heard louder and louder from the torture chamber, and she cannot stand it. A woman in love reveals Angelotti's location.

The goal has been achieved. The police chief gives the order to stop the torture. The exhausted, bloodied artist is brought in, and it immediately becomes clear that Tosca has secured his release at a terrible cost: she has betrayed Angelotti. He angrily pushes away the woman he loves.
Scarpia orders the artist to be taken to prison and shot at dawn.

After a tragic internal struggle, Tosca accepts the proposal. But the police chief does not intend to fulfill the agreement. Instead of releasing the artist, he promises Tosca that during tomorrow’s execution the soldiers will fire blank cartridges, Cavaradossi’s job is only to act out the comedy of the execution. To avert Tosca’s suspicions, he immediately gives the order: “Instead of the scaffold, a bullet!” Just like in the case of Palmieri!” Tosca thinks that these words refer to blank cartridges. But Scarpia understands that the police chief's words mean death. Scarpia graciously agrees to issue even a pass for lovers.

While he is writing the pass, Tosca quietly hides a knife, prepared on the table for dinner. When Scarpia, with a ready-made pass in his hands, approaches Tosca, trying to hug her, she kills the villain with a knife.

ACT THREE

Platform on the fortress towers.
It's getting light. Through the veil of fog, the outlines of the city emerge in the distance. From somewhere you can hear the ringing of the bells of Rome.
Cavaradossi is taken out of prison. His last request: he wants to write a few words to his beloved. The artist gives his ring to the jailer and he nods: let him write.

Suddenly Tosca appears and, all glowing with joy, informs her beloved that the execution will only be an appearance. She instructs the artist: when a volley is heard, he must fall to the ground - after the executioners leave, the pass issued by Scarpia will open the way to freedom. A convoy passes.

Toska hides behind one of the columns, watching the tragic scene from there. A volley is heard - Cavaradossi falls.
As soon as the soldiers leave, Tosca quietly calls out to him and sees with horror that his beloved is dead. Sobbing, she falls on his corpse.
Noise and voices are heard: Scarpia's corpse has been discovered, and they are looking for the killer. Toska, without waiting for his pursuers, rushes down from the height of the fortress tower.

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 amazing beautiful woman, dressed superbly. 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 blond 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 are these characters the plays reveal, 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.