Operaphoria: Tosca by Puccini

After his La Bohème success, Puccini turned to another French source for his next offering—Tosca. Originally written for the stage and starring Sarah Bernhardt, Victorien Sardou’s La Tosca (1887) was just the kind of melodrama the Divine Sarah thrived on.

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The opera’s events take place in less than 24 hours on June 17, 1800, the day news of Napoleon’s victory at Marengo reached Rome. General Melas’ defeat, a surprise to both him and Napoleon, gave heart to Roman Republicans, who were brutally suppressed by the Vatican and a coalition of European royal houses—Hapsburg, Bourbon, etc.—all mortal enemies of Napoleon and the French Revolution. This date is especially important because when the tortured Cavaradossi hears the news of victory he cries out, “Vittoria! Vittoria!...Libertà sorge, crollan tirannidi!” (Victory! Victory!...Liberty rises, tyrannies collapse!) Without this historical detail audiences are often left in the dark.

The entire story turns on Scarpia’s manipulating the jealous Tosca, whose compromises to save her beloved Cavaradossi lead to heroic actions. But in the end, she is undone by her naiveté. Along the way we witness Scarpia’s salacious, sadistic pleasures as well as his ultimate murder, all of which led critic Joseph Kerman famously to label Tosca, “Puccini’s shoddy little shocker.”

The opera opens in Rome’s Sant’Andrea della Valle, where Cesare Angelotti, escaped prisoner and former Consul of the Roman Republic, furtively looks for a place to hide. When Cavaradossi arrives to continue work on his Madonna painting, Angelotti recognizes him as a Republican sympathizer and pleads for help, which Cavaradossi eagerly gives. Suddenly Tosca appears, and as Cavaradossi hides Angelotti for their later escape to his villa, she suspects his evasiveness. When the police arrive Scarpia taunts Tosca, working on her jealousy to discover Angelotti’s hiding place. Meanwhile, as the Mass begins to the swelling sacred music Scarpia adds his cynical delight in snaring the woman he has lusted for, an incredible curtain scene.

Act 2 opens in Scarpia’s Farnese Palace apartment. He is dining luxuriously while listening to Cavaradossi’s torture in the next room. When Tosca arrives, she cannot bear Cavaradossi’s cries of pain and breaks down, revealing Angelotti’s hiding place. With the news of Bonaparte’s victory at Marengo the barely living Cavaradossi rings out with patriotic joy before being dragged away for execution. Finally alone with Tosca, Scarpia offers to arrange a mock execution for her lover—“come Palmieri,” as he cynically says, though Palmieri died in earnest—if Tosca will satisfy his lust. She tells him she will comply, but when he approaches she stabs him.

The final act opens at the Castel Sant’Angelo where Cavaradossi prepares for his execution. Breathlessly, Tosca arrives—her third breathless entrance!—to tell him of the fake execution. They will soon be free, but he must act his part before the firing squad. But Scarpia has the last word: the bullets are very real. Scarpia’s murder having been discovered, the police arrive but Tosca slips their grasp, jumping over the parapet to her death, but not before her final curse: “O Scarpia, avanti a Dio!” (Scarpia, we will meet before God!)

Puccini was attracted to Tosca because of its story “without excessive proportions, one which is a decorative spectacle, and one which gives opportunity for an abundance of music.” And, true to his words, his abundance of music has made Tosca an audience favorite, “shoddy little shocker” or not. – GD

Lise Davidsen
Opera singers face enormous competition, and most aspiring singers, even those with excellent voices, are not able to develop significant careers in the major opera houses of the world. Only a few make it, and of those who do, it takes time. However, Lise Davidsen is an exception to that model. The Norwegian lyric dramatic soprano won the coveted Operalia Competition in 2015, when still relatively young, and ever since then she has been in demand at all the major opera houses of the world. She followed that win with additional wins, prizes, and awards at all the significant opera competitions. Virtually all the leading opera reviewers have labelled her as one of the greatest vocal talents to have emerged in many years. Not only her voice, but her statuesque stage presence captures audiences wherever she appears.

In the Met’s 2022 season she sang three major roles: Eva in Meistersinger, the title role in Ariadne, and Chrysothemis in Elektra.

This season we will have the opportunity to see her as Tosca, a role she has already sung to great acclaim. She may well be the definitive Tosca for this generation. We will also see her as Leonore in Fidelio in March 2025.

At the end of the second act, Tosca stabs Scarpia in one of the most tense scenes in all of opera. It is a very well written bit of drama, charged with emotion—so charged that the orchestra stops playing, the singers stop singing, and Tosca delivers her softly spoken lines to an invariably breathless house. However, right in the middle of all that tension there is also a somewhat confusing moment for the audience. Tosca has just killed Scarpia, and he has uttered his last curse, having been slain by a woman – the ultimate insult to his manhood. The audience now recognizes that the evil man is totally dead, and they are generally feeling okay with it. Tosca quietly comments: “Ah è morto! Or gli perdono!” (He’s dead. Now I can forgive him.) At this point the audience feels an emotional release, and a few people in the audience might audibly respond. Their response might be annoying, breaking the mood. However, an emotional response from the audience is understandable. Tosca’s comment is a bit strange. Not many of us would be thinking about forgiving someone right after stabbing him.

But when we think of it, the comment is not so strange for Tosca. She is a very religious woman. All through the opera we see evidence of her devotion. She prays regularly, contributes money to the church, lights candles, and lays flowers at the feet of the Virgin. She not only believes she must be forgiving, but the concept of forgiveness is very important to her. She is consistently committed to acting on her beliefs. She also understands that forgiveness is extremely difficult when there is no justice. In this case, she has just administered justice. That fact enables her to once again focus on her religious beliefs, and she quickly comes back to her senses. We must be forgiving.

The author of this libretto (Sardou) was an excellent observer of the human condition, highly skilled at presenting his characters consistently. This scene is an example of his depth of human understanding. He reminds us that if we profess to be loving, forgiving people, we must act on it, even in the most difficult times. Perhaps especially in the most difficult times.

Incidentally, it doesn’t mean that Tosca can’t be scornful. She still appreciates the irony of this bloody monster choking on his own blood, and especially likes the irony of his being killed by a woman. As Scarpia approached her to collect his bribe of sexual submission she stabbed him full in the chest and proudly proclaimed, “Questo è il bacio di Tosca!” (This is Tosca’s kiss!). And as he dies she reminds him, “E ucciso da una donna!” (And done in by a woman!). After her religious and ritualistic treatment of the body, her last line of the scene is delivered with a quiet irony: “E Avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma!” (And all Rome had trembled before him.). She checks her hair in the mirror, pauses, and quietly walks out.

Of all Puccini’s heroines, none lived with more passion or died with a greater flourish than Floria Tosca. She is no Butterfly, who foolishly stabs herself instead of the bad guy. She is not weak, passive, or dependent, like other Puccini heroines. Nor does she live with suppressed rage, like Turandot. She lives lustily, in touch with her emotional life. Perhaps this temperament was conferred upon her because she is the only Puccini heroine to sing the role of an opera star.

So, if you hear someone reacting inappropriately at this dramatic moment of murder and subsequent forgiveness, and if that response is annoying, you might try appeasing your annoyance with some forgiveness. Tosca would approve. – GP

Any discussion of Italian history must begin with the understanding that before 1860 there was no Italian nation, only an Italian peninsula. Italy was not a nation until 1860, created by the political leadership of Count Cavour and the military successes of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Only then was Italy, led by King Victor Emmanuel, finally established. Before 1860 the Italian peninsula was parceled out between the Hapsburgs in the north, the papal states in the center, and the Bourbons governing everything south of Naples, including Sicily and Sardinia.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the French – under the banner of spreading republicanism – used their army to gain territory throughout Europe. Under Napoleon’s leadership they brought republican government to the papal states. There, the Repubblica Romana was established on February 15, 1798 as Pius VI fled into exile, in France of all places, where he died the following year. Hardly independent, the Repubblica Romana was tightly controlled by the French, despite being labeled a sister republic.

The following year the French were driven out of Italy by the combined Austrian and Russian forces. But in June 1800 – which is when Tosca takes place – Napoleon took back parts of northern Italy and the papal states. However, this time he returned them to Pius VII, seeking his good will for an eventual Concordat. There was no talk of reestablishing the Repubblica Romana, so Angelotti and Cavaradossi – Tosca’s fierce republicans – and all their fellow republicans, were hung out to dry. Napoleon’s plans led eventually to annexing the papal states to establish his infant son (Napoleon II, 1811-32) as King of Rome, among other titles.

For opera goers, the word Marengo may recall either a town in northern Italy or the exotic chicken dish Napoleon’s chef concocted to celebrate their unexpected victory there: From his depleted resources Chef Dunand hustled up some chicken, sautéed with garlic and tomato, topped with fried eggs and crayfish. It can still be found on the menus of some patriotic Italian restaurants. – GD

Production
Tosca, by Puccini
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Two intermissions

Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production: David McVicar
Tosca: Lise Davidsen
Cavaradossi: Freddie De Tommaso
Scarpia: Quinn Kelsey

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1)See The New Yorker, September 16, 2024, page 7