Puccini's TOSCA to Return to The Metropolitan Opera This Month

Soprano Lise Davidsen will sing her first Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, opposite tenor Freddie De Tommaso, who will make his Met debut, as David McVicar’s production of Puccini’s Tosca returns for 13 performances with three distinctive casts, September 25–January 23.

In September–October, soprano Aleksandra Kurzak reprises her portrayal of the title role. Tenor SeokJong Baek, who sang the role of Calàf in Puccini’s Turandot to critical acclaim last season, makes his Met role debut as Cavaradossi. Baritone George Gagnidze sings Scarpia, and Xian Zhang and Marco Armiliato conduct. 

In November, baritone Quinn Kelsey makes his Met role debut as Scarpia, joining Davidsen and Tommaso for their performances, which will be conducted by the Met’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The performance on Tuesday, November 12, will be in honor of the centenary of Puccini’s death on November 29, 1924, and will include a multimedia tribute to the composer that precedes the performance.

In January, Sondra Radvanovsky returns to the Met for the first time since her season-opening performances as Medea (2022–23 season), alongside tenor Brian Jagde. The pair join forces with legendary bass-baritone Bryn Terfel as Scarpia, marking Terfel’s first performances at the Met in more than a decade. Maestro Zhang conducts.

The creative team for McVicar’s production includes set and costume designer John MacFarlane, lighting designer David Finn, and movement director Leah Hausman. Tosca is the fifth most performed opera at the Met, with a total of 1,008 performances since its Metropolitan Opera premiere on February 4, 1901.

Tosca: Celebrating Puccini

On November 12, honoring the centenary of Puccini’s death—and to mark the first-ever Met performance of the title role by soprano Lise Davidsen—the company presents a special gala performance conducted by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, including a historical tribute that will precede the performance. The night will also include a pre-curtain cocktail reception and a post-performance dinner with the cast.

Tosca Broadcasts in Cinemas, on Radio, and Online

The matinee performance of Tosca on Saturday, November 23, will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the globe as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

The October 3 and 11, November 15, and January 23 performances of Tosca will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on the SiriusXM app, and audio from these performances will be streamed live on the Met’s website, metopera.org. Audio from the November 23 performance will also be rebroadcast over The Robert K. Johnson Foundation–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network on January 18.

Photo credit: Ken Howard / Met Opera

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