Tosca at Opéra national de Paris - Opéra Bastille

"These rivals of the Madonna have a whiff of sulphur about them."

Il Sagrestano, Acte I


How was it that when Sardou’s drama was transformed into an opera it became the very symbol of operatic art? Is it because Tosca portrays a singer whose jealousy has a fatal bearing on the destiny of her lover? Is it because Puccini’s music floods the play, highlighting the sensuality and the subtlety of its eponymous heroine? Or is it ultimately because, from the moment the curtain rises to the heroine’s final fall, Tosca advances towards the final tragedy with the relentless efficiency of a perfectly regulated machine? The remarkable theatrical director Pierre Audi treats Puccini’s opera to a production that reflects the dimensions of the score: a Pasolinian landscape overshadowed by a gigantic cross symbolising the collusion between those who oppress in the name of the church and their political counterparts. The work is performed by an impressive cast including Anja Harteros, Marcelo Álvarez and Bryn Terfel.