POV Tosca Guide - Pacific Opera Victoria

Transcription

Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Based on the play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou
First Performance January 14, 1900, Teatro Costanzi, Rome
Study Guide for Pacific Opera Victoria’s Production
April / May, 2013
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Tosca
A Melodrama in Three Acts
Music by Giacomo Puccini / Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Based on the play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou
First Performance January 14, 1900, Teatro Costanzi, Rome
Performances April 4, 6, 10, 12, 2013, at 8 pm. Matinée April 14 at 2:30 pm
Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
In Italian with English surtitles
Cast and Creative Team
Cast in order of Vocal Appearance
Cesare Angelotti, a political prisoner .................................................. Alexandre Sylvestre
Sacristan ............................................................................................... Bruce Kelly
Mario Cavaradossi, a painter ............................................................... Luc Robert
Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer, Cavaradossi’s lover ........................ Joni Henson
Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police ............................................................ David John Pike
Spoletta, a police agent working for Scarpia ....................................... Michel Corbeil
Sciarrone, a gendarme ......................................................................... Stephen Barradell
Shepherd boy ....................................................................................... Ayden Turpel-Stewart
Jailer...................................................................................................... Andy Erasmus
Artistic Director ................................................................................... Timothy Vernon
Conductor and Chorus Master ........................................................... Giuseppe Pietraroia
Director ................................................................................................ Amiel Gladstone
Production Designer ............................................................................ Christina Poddubiuk
Costume Designer ............................................................................... Kevin Knight*
Lighting Designer................................................................................. Gerald King
Fight Choreographer ........................................................................... Jacques Lemay
Director, Victoria Children’s Choir ................................................... Madeleine Humer
Stage Manager ...................................................................................... Sara Robb
Assistant Stage Managers ..................................................................... Sandy Halliday, Peter Jotkus
Principal Coach ................................................................................... Robert Holliston
Soldiers, police agents, altar boys, noblemen and women, townsfolk, artisans
With the Victoria Symphony, the Pacific Opera Victoria Chorus, & the Victoria Children’s Choir
* Original costume design for the Canadian Opera Company Production
PRODUCTION PATRON: DAVID H. FLAHERTY
Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Tosca
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Introduction
My dream of love has vanished forever . . . I die in despair!
And never before have I loved life so much!
Puccini's iconic tale of tyranny and love has electrified audiences since its première in 1900. It has
all the ingredients for spectacular opera – lust, jealousy, murder, suicide, an explosive love triangle,
breathtaking plot twists, and an emotional steamroller of a score.
Politics, art, and terror collide as the glamorous opera singer Tosca – as beautiful, coquettish, and
fiery as any diva must be – fights to save her lover, the idealistic painter Cavaradossi, from that
darkest of villains, the sadistic police chief Scarpia, who has offered her a deadly bargain – her love
in exchange for Cavaradossi's life.
Puccini's glorious melodies, lush orchestral colours, and lyrical, heart-breaking arias ignite the
ultimate theatrical experience. A taut melodrama, a shocking political thriller and a passionate love
story, Tosca is raw, ravishing, and supremely operatic!
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Synopsis
ACT ONE
Rome. The church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. The
Attavanti Chapel is on the right. To the left, a scaffolding,
a dais, and easel supporting a large picture covered by a
cloth. Beside the easel are painter’s materials and a basket
of food.
Cesare Angelotti, a political prisoner who has just
escaped from the prison at the Castel Sant’Angelo,
enters the empty church. Catching sight of a pillarshrine containing an image of the Virgin, he quickly
begins to search beneath the feet of the image, finally
locating a key that will open the gates of the Attavanti
Chapel (his sister is the Marchesa Attavanti).
After Angelotti has vanished into the chapel, carefully
closing the gates behind him, an old Sacristan
shuffles in, mumbling to himself. The Sacristan
kneels to pray as the Angelus rings; a few moments
later Mario Cavaradossi enters the church to
continue work on his portrait of Mary Magdalene. Interior of the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in
Rome – the setting for Act I of Tosca.
The unveiled canvas reveals a blonde, blue-eyed face
– inspired by that of the Marchesa Attavanti, whom the painter has seen but does not know. Taking
out of his pocket a miniature of his beloved Floria Tosca, he compares her dark-hued beauty with that
of the fair Mary Magdalene; in a phrase leading to a high B flat, he leaves us in no doubt that his only
thoughts are with Tosca. The disapproving Sacristan mumbles a great deal throughout Cavaradossi’s
aria, and leaves the stage after observing that the basket of food has not been touched.
Angelotti, thinking the church is empty, emerges from his hiding place. Seeing the painter, he
exclaims, “Cavaradossi! Don’t you recognize me? Has prison changed me so much?” Cavaradossi
addresses him as “Consul of the short-lived Roman Republic!” This is the first indication of Angelotti’s
identity and is very helpful if we are to understand the political background of the story. The
conversation between the two men is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Tosca. Angelotti retreats
into the chapel, taking the basket of food with him.
Cavaradossi has described Tosca as a very jealous woman, and as she enters the church it is apparent
that her worst suspicions have been aroused: she wants to know why the church was shut and whose
skirts she heard rustling from outside the door. Mario has answers to all these questions, though they
don’t entirely convince Tosca, especially when she sees the beautiful blonde face her lover has been
painting. Cavaradossi swears that no eyes in the world are so beautiful as hers and the lovers reconcile
in a surging, passionate love duet.
After Tosca has left the church, Cavaradossi takes a key to his villa and gives it to Angelotti, assuring
the fugitive that he will be quite safe hiding there. His instructions are interrupted by the sound of a
cannon shot signaling that Angelotti’s escape has been discovered. Now that the situation is even more
fraught, Cavaradossi decides to see his friend to safety, and the two men leave the church together.
The Sacristan enters, followed by a noisy crowd of acolytes and choristers who are excited at the
prospect of a double fee for singing a Te Deum and a Gloria in honor of victory over Napoleon. At the
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height of their raucous celebration, Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police, enters the church unexpectedly.
Order is immediately restored and, at the sight of Scarpia and his henchmen, the crowd slinks quietly
away, leaving only the Sacristan to be interrogated as police agents scour the church for evidence of
their escaped political prisoner. A woman’s fan bearing the Attavanti family’s coat of arms is
discovered, as is the portrait of the Marchesa Attavanti. When the Sacristan divulges the identity of the
painter, Cavaradossi immediately becomes a suspect.
At this point Tosca enters the church again, calling for Mario. Scarpia shrewdly takes advantage of the
painter’s disappearance to show Tosca the fan he’s discovered – with the Attavanti arms on it. As the
Chief of Police expects, this arouses Tosca’s jealousy. With a final and violent oath addressed to the
picture – “You shall not have him tonight! – Tosca leaves the church, determined to catch her lover in
the arms of another woman. Scarpia summons his head agent, Spoletta, instructing him to take three
agents and a carriage and follow Tosca wherever she goes.
Distant bells begin to toll, and the congregation, which is rapidly growing, prepares for the arrival of
the Cardinal. The dramatic and musical action is now almost purely religious; only Scarpia remains
aloof from the pageant, reflecting on the beauty of Tosca and his plan to possess her and send her lover
to his death.
ACT TWO
Scarpia’s apartment on the top floor of the Palazzo Farnese,
overlooking the courtyard.
Scarpia, alone and seated at supper, reflects on the success
– so far – of his plan to win Tosca and see Cavaradossi
and Angelotti hanged at dawn. Elsewhere in the palace a
gala entertainment is about to take place, featuring the
celebrated singer Floria Tosca. Scarpia summons
Sciarrone, one of his gendarmes, and instructs him to take
a note to Tosca as soon as she arrives. Sciarrone returns
with Spoletta, who has followed Tosca as ordered: the
chase led him to Cavaradossi’s villa where he found no
signs of Angelotti, but as Cavaradossi’s manner seemed
very suspicious, Spoletta had him arrested and brought to
the Palazzo Farnese.
Cavaradossi is brought into the room for interrogation as,
through the open window, a cantata is heard with Tosca
singing the solo part. Scarpia cross-examines Cavaradossi,
but the painter steadfastly denies all knowledge of Interior of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome – the
Angelotti’s whereabouts. The sound of the cantata ceases setting of Act 2 of Tosca
abruptly when Scarpia, irritated by the music, closes the window violently. Tosca now enters, surprised
to find Cavaradossi, who whispers a warning not to answer any of Scarpia’s questions. Sciarrone now
opens the door of the torture chamber and Roberti, the executioner, is instructed to “begin with the
usual pressure.” Tosca and Scarpia are left alone in the apartment.
With characteristic smoothness the Chief of Police begins to question Tosca. Only with Scarpia’s
sinister insistence that the truth will spare Cavaradossi “a most unpleasant hour” does it dawn on
Tosca that her lover is being tortured in the next room. Throughout the scene the contrast between
Scarpia’s physical torture of Cavaradossi and his equally effective emotional torture of Tosca is
increasingly heightened and intensified. Scarpia orders the doors of the torture chamber to be opened
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so that the cries of his victim can be heard. Tosca pleads with Mario to let her speak, and despite his
violent refusal, she ultimately breaks down and reveals where Angelotti is hidden at Cavaradossi’s villa.
The painter is carried in from the torture chamber; Tosca embraces him, promising that she has not
revealed any secrets. But Cavaradossi hears Scarpia saying pointedly and clearly to Spoletta: “In the well
in the garden – Go!” and realizes he has been betrayed. Immediately Sciarrone enters with the dramatic
news that General Melas has been defeated in battle by Napoleon, prompting Cavaradossi to rise to his
feet in triumph, crying “Vittoria!” His triumph is short-lived, however, and Scarpia orders him to be
led away to execution. Once more Scarpia and Tosca are alone together, and the Chief of Police
returns to his table to resume his “poor, interrupted supper.”
Tosca’s only concern is to save Mario, and Scarpia names his price: he must possess Tosca completely.
Tosca has little time to consider this ultimatum: the sudden and dramatic sound of drums signals that
Mario is being led to the scaffold. As the drumbeats recede into the distance Scarpia watches Tosca
intently and silently as she delivers her famous soliloquy, “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” (“I have lived by
art and love”) an appeal not to Scarpia but to God for mercy. As British musician and music journalist
Spike Hughes observed, this is the first moment in Tosca where the heroine really has our sympathy.
Up to now she has been a rather stupid and jealous opera singer; in “Vissi d’arte” she becomes a
woman whose suffering can move us.
As Scarpia prepares to renew his attack on Tosca, the news is brought to him that Angelotti has
committed suicide. Everything is ready for the execution of Cavaradossi, however.
At this moment Scarpia turns to Tosca, who nods her consent. In order to convince her that her lover
will be reprieved, Scarpia gives the order to Spoletta: Cavaradossi will be shot rather than hanged, so
that a mock execution with fake bullets can be staged – “in the manner of Palmieri,” he adds
significantly. Scarpia further agrees to give Tosca a safe-conduct pass so that she and her lover can leave
the country safely and without hindrance.
As Scarpia sits down to deal with the necessary paperwork, Tosca catches sight of a sharp-pointed knife
on the table. While the Chief of Police is distracted, she takes it and hides it behind her dress. Scarpia
fixes his seal on the safe-conduct pass and goes to embrace Tosca. As he opens his arms she stabs him
in the chest, delivering one of the most famous lines in Italian opera: “This is the kiss of Tosca!” Only
when she is sure he is dead does Tosca declare: “Now I forgive him.” Taking the safe-conduct pass from
the dead Scarpia’s hand, Tosca reflects, in another well-known line: “And before him, all Rome
trembled.” Before leaving the apartment, Tosca reverently places two lighted candles on either side of
the dead man’s head, and a crucifix on his breast.
ACT THREE
The platform of the Castel Sant’Angelo. There is a
casement – i.e., an armoured structure from which guns
are fired – on the left, also a table, bench and stool. On
the table are a lantern, a large register book and writing
materials. Hung on one of the walls is a crucifix with a
votive lamp in front of it. On the right, the opening to a
small staircase leading up to the platform. The Vatican
and St. Peter’s are visible in the distance.
As dawn breaks over the roof of the Castel
Sant’Angelo, the voice of a shepherd boy is heard in
the distance, accompanied by tolling church bells.
Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo – the setting for Act 3 of Tosca
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The scene is set by the entrance of the jailer, who exchanges a few words with a sentry guarding the
platform and then awaits the escorted arrival of the prisoner.
The entrance of Cavaradossi is accompanied by a tune in the orchestra which anticipates his famous
aria, “E lucevan le stelle.” Cavaradossi is told by the jailer that he has an hour to wait until his
execution, and that a priest is available if required. Cavaradossi refuses the services of the priest and
instead bribes the jailer with a ring – his last possession – to convey a farewell note to his beloved
Tosca. While writing it, he is overwhelmed with memories of their days together and, putting down his
pen, reflects on the woman and the life he has loved so much and which he is now about to lose
forever. To quote Spike Hughes again: “ ‘E lucevan le stelle’ succeeds, as ‘Vissi d’arte’ succeeds, because
it has a quality of genuine pathos which is particularly strong when it is heard in its dramatic context.
No man with only an hour to live can fail to capture some of our sympathy, if only because we
automatically put ourselves in his position. In the case of Cavaradossi, Puccini makes us experience the
condemned man’s thoughts so vividly that his agony becomes our agony and we are deeply moved by
his desperately sad reflections.”
As Cavaradossi ends his aria in tears and buries his face in his hands, the tempo quickens and Tosca
enters, escorted by Spoletta. Incredulous, Mario reads the safe-conduct document and remarks that this
must have been Scarpia’s first gracious act. “It was his last,” answers Tosca, who then tells her lover
how she killed Scarpia. The story is told with great speed and efficiency, as we in the audience have, of
course, already seen it.
Cavaradossi agrees to go along with the escape plan – directors and tenors regularly discuss the
probability that he has seen through it immediately and is going through the motions to allow Tosca a
few moments of joyous optimism. Tosca instructs Mario about the mechanics of this mock execution –
“When the soldiers fire, you must fall down, and when they have gone – we are saved and free!” – and
about how to play his role – “Like Tosca on the stage,” he remarks with a smile.
The firing party enters to the accompaniment of a sinister funeral-march theme, and Spoletta gives the
necessary instructions. As the volley of shots is fired, Cavaradossi falls to the ground so convincingly
that Tosca exclaims, “What an artist! As the funeral music dies away, the jailer, Spoletta, and the sentry
exit, leaving Tosca and Mario alone. Tosca rushes to Mario telling him that everything is now safe;
when he does not reply she realizes that he really is dead. This is what Scarpia had meant by an
execution “in the manner of Palmieri.”
By now it is even too late for Tosca herself to escape: Scarpia’s murder has been discovered. As Spoletta
charges towards her, Tosca rushes to the parapet and after shouting “Oh Scarpia, before God!” she
hurls herself over the ledge to her death. The last melody we hear is that of Cavaradossi’s “E lucevan le
stelle.”
Robert Holliston
NOTE: The descriptions of the mise-en-scène that precede each act are taken from the original libretto and are not
intended to describe the details of Pacific Opera Victoria’s – or indeed any company’s – set design.
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Tosca – Notes on the opera’s genesis
Shortly after finishing Edgar (1889), Puccini saw the celebrated actress Sarah Bernhardt in Milan,
playing the title role in Victorien Sardou’s play La Tosca. Although he understood no French, the
composer sensed that here was a powerful drama that might translate very effectively into the operatic
medium. Shortly afterwards, Puccini heard that Verdi himself had flirted with the idea of setting
Sardou’s play, but decided finally that he was too old to take on such a project. This only fired
Puccini’s enthusiasm for the subject, but he hesitated to begin work and the idea was forgotten until
after the launching of La boheme in 1896.
News reached Puccini that another composer, Alberto Franchetti, was already hard at work on a setting
of Tosca with a libretto by Luigi Illica. This slight nudge from a professional rival was all that Puccini
needed, and somehow his allies Illica and publisher Giulio Ricordi convinced Franchetti that Sardou’s
play was too “political,” and therefore risky, a proposition. The hapless composer abandoned work on
the project with the relief of someone who’d just had a “close call,” and the very next day Puccini
signed a contract with Ricordi for a three-act opera called Tosca.
Even still, the completion of the work we know today took a long time. Puccini was always very
demanding of his librettists, insisting that each line of text and every phrase of music have a direct
bearing on the action. The more conventional Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa actually proposed that a
formal quartet be sung while Cavaradossi is being tortured, something completely foreign to Puccini’s
verismo ideals1 (but which the young Verdi may have handled with aplomb).
The première of Tosca took place at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, on January 14, 1900. The drama
offstage very nearly rivaled that onstage. The political scene in Rome was as volatile as at the time that
Tosca was set – exactly 100 years earlier. Italy had been united, but King Umberto I had been the target
of several failed assassination attempts (he was successfully assassinated on July 29, 1900). Anonymous
letters threatening to set off a bomb were sent to the theatre, exacerbating a situation already volatile
due to rumors that the opera was politically subversive.
Police searched ticket-holders outside the theatre, creating long delays; those refused entrance protested
noisily, causing the conductor, Leopoldo Mugnone, to stop the music and ring the curtain down.
When the audience had been calmed down (in part by the playing of the national anthem) order was
restored and the curtain rose again on the beginning of the opera.
In the audience were rival composers Franchetti and Pietro Mascagni (who deliberately entered his box
seat after the curtain rose). There was a great ovation after Act I, and the opera’s two most famous arias
as well as the Act III duet were encored.
But critical response was mixed: the composer’s skill as an orchestrator was praised, but the violence
and sadism of the plot was considered extreme, and while the opera didn’t take long to establish itself
in the permanent repertory, neither did the tendency of critics and academics to look down their noses
at it. “While La Bohème is all poetry and no plot,” wrote Giacosa to Ricordi, “Tosca is all plot and no
poetry.”
Nevertheless, with the early reviews of Tosca we see for the first time references to a distinctive “Puccini
style,” and if this style has sometimes caused the more rarified critics to reach for the smelling salts,
audiences throughout the world have embraced it warmly and thoroughly.
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The opera’s historical background
In the year 1800, Italy was still divided into a number of smaller states, most of which were occupied by
the Habsburg or Austro-Hungarian Empire. The French Revolution had provided renewed inspiration
for the Italian freedom fighters. In 1798 the French conquered the church-state of Rome and created a
republic, governed by consul Cesare Angelotti. However, after a short period they were forced into
retreat by the army of Naples, and Rome was returned to the Pope.
In May 1800 the French army crossed the Alps to do battle with the Austrian forces on a plain outside
the village of Marengo. Napoleon won the Battle of Marengo and reconquered the northern parts of
Italy – an event included in the second act of the opera when Cavarodossi breaks into jubilant song as
he's notified of it, prompting Scarpia to condemn him to death. Intellectuals and artists saw Napoleon
as liberating the country from the terror of the dictatorships and as aiding the cause of a united Italy,
whereas those loyal to the Pope and King, such as Scarpia, tried to keep the Austro-Hungarian
dominance and protect the Kingdom of Naples by all means. Between these two extremes we find
Tosca, a singer loyal to the King who has fallen in love with the freedom fighter Cavaradossi.
Although the main characters – Tosca, Cavaradossi, Scarpia, and Angelotti – are firmly set in a precise
historical time and may have been inspired in part by real individuals, they are fictional.
The opera’s critical reception
“The listener hearing Tosca for the first time must not expect to find an opera with the captivating and
companionable appeal of La Bohème. There are many fine moments in Tosca, both lyrical and dramatic,
and it is a work put together with all the skill of a master-craftsman of the musical theatre; but the
characters very rarely excite our sympathy as they do in La Bohème. Scarpia, Tosca, and Cavaradossi are
stock types, representing respectively cruelty and lust, love and jealousy, youth and enthusiasm … it is
significant that the moments when we do feel a little sympathy for the leading characters of the drama
are when they become human beings whose feelings we can understand when we see them in
situations (from which heaven preserve the rest of us) that are none the less real for being unusual.”
Thus writes Spike Hughes, the British jazz musician, composer, and music journalist in Famous Puccini
Operas, an insightful and sympathetic study that offers something to all readers, be they student or
professional musician, novice or seasoned operagoer. The American critic and musicologist Joseph
Kerman was considerably less charitable and in his first book, Opera as Drama (1956), ignited
controversy whilst insuring for himself a dubious immortality by referring to Tosca as a “shabby little
shocker.” (Kerman’s remark may have been intended to paraphrase critic Bernard Shaw’s response to
the Sardou play: “Such an empty-headed ghost of a shocker … Oh, if it had but been an opera!”)
The fact is that Puccini’s operas have been the target of the most egregious and vituperative abuse
virtually since they captured the public’s affection and became successful. It is neither necessary nor
edifying to catalogue the many pejorative remarks (mostly unsupported by anything like vigorous or
enlightened debate) that have dogged Puccini (and Puccini lovers) for well over a century. But it does
my heart good to enlist the support of a genuinely accomplished, experienced, deeply thoughtful and
enlightened musician to share with us several very satisfying last words!
Pacific Opera Victoria’s upcoming production of Tosca will be our fourth: the first ran from February
17th to 26th, 1983 (in the McPherson Playhouse), and therefore took place almost exactly 30 years ago.
In the printed program for this production I found the following message from our respected and
beloved Maestro and Artistic Director, Timothy Vernon:
Good taste, Auden remarked, excludes with regret. There is still the odd snob who finds in
Puccini’s very success and enormous popularity sufficient cause to denigrate his achievement, and
8
who when challenged to justify this unthinking reflex, drivels on for a moment about banality, potboilers, cardboard, before sputtering in a shrug and snort. Certainly, I rejoin, if your professed idea
of music begins with the Missa solemnis and ends with the Late Quartets, your visits to the opera
house will be few indeed, and good riddance.
Now Puccini’s characters, it must be said, live only when the curtain is up. (Think by contrast of
Mozart’s Susanna, who when once we’ve seen her, steps off the stage or page and lives forever in
mind and heart.) Neither is the light he sheds on their natures and fates the unerring shaft of
Verdi’s tragic view, cutting to the quick. Puccini’s operas are firmly fixed in time and place – not
for him Wagner’s epic sweep and cosmic struggle, his supreme and sublime pinnacles of
illumination. But in his well-defined sphere, Puccini is a great master: every page of Bohème,
Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot, Schicchi reveals a surety, a meticulous, specific command of technique,
and exact sense of nuance, of the single colour, modulation, often the single note to make brim the
eye, to tug the gut. For it is emotion, pure, eruptive, spontaneous, that is his element.
And it is in this element the snob feels least comfortable. Let me adapt another favorite Auden mot
to sum up my own position: the person who dislikes Puccini may, for all I know, possess some
admirable quality, but I do not wish ever to see him again.
Thus Maestro Vernon’s evident distaste for the twin vacuums of pretentiousness and snobbery is
exceeded by his deep love for the genuine artist and the art itself. Maestro Giuseppe (Joey) Pietraroia,
who will conduct our upcoming production of Tosca, brought to my attention the writing of Luigi
Ricci (1893-1981), an accompanist and vocal coach who worked for several years as assistant to Puccini
and who published an invaluable account of this experience.
The most important lesson – frequently reiterated – in Ricci’s book is also the simplest possible advice
when working with any composer: do what the score tells you. And Puccini’s scores, including Tosca,
are filled with very precise details concerning dynamics, articulation, tempo, rubato, just about
everything. On too many recordings of Puccini’s operas these details are virtually ignored, and others
added, yet when observed the composer’s markings they immeasurably to the opera’s power. We will
all do our best to ensure that you hear these details and experience them in their proper dramatic
context.
Robert Holliston
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Listening to Tosca
The following musical excerpts are all available at http://www.pov.bc.ca/tosca.html
Or you may watch them directly on Youtube (links below)
In the first act of Victorien Sardou’s play La Tosca, on which the opera is based, Tosca’s lover
Cavaradossi gives the following account of our heroine’s background and character:
As an artist she is incomparable … but as a woman … ah, the woman! This exquisite creature was
picked up in the fields, as a little savage, tending goats. The Benedictines of Verona took her in,
out of charity, and barely taught her to read and to pray. But she is one of those women who can
quickly guess whatever they do not know. The convent organist was her first music teacher, and she
profited so well from his lessons that at the age of sixteen she had already become something of a
local celebrity. People would come to hear her sing on holidays, and Cimarosa,1 brought there by a
friend, took it into his head to win her away from God. The monks, however, were unwilling to
yield her to the devil. It was a fine struggle. Cimarosa contrived conspiracies and the convent
resorted to intrigues. All Rome took sides … so much so that the late pope had to intervene. He
had the girl brought before him and, after hearing her sing, patted her on the cheek, saying: “Go
your way, my child! You will move every heart as you have moved mine. You will make people shed
gentle tears … and this, too, is a way of praying to God!” Four years later she made a triumphant
debut in Paisiello’s2 Nina and since then she has sung in Milan, in Naples, in Venice … wherever
she sings, they want no one but Tosca. Our affair began right here at the Argentina3 where she is
singing at present. It was one of those meetings where two people feel they belong to each other on
first sight … I know of only one fault she has: it is an insane jealousy that cannot help but disturb
our happiness. Of course there is also her excessive religious devotion, but love and religion do get
along fairly well.
Later, in the same conversation, Cavaradossi gives his reasons for not wanting Tosca to know of his
plans to help the escaped political prisoner, Angelotti:
However little risk there may be in telling her, there is even less in saying nothing, and right away
we eliminate questions, worries, nervousness … especially her ill humor on seeing me protect a
criminal such as you. For, as far as she is concerned – with her royalist tendencies – you will be
nothing better than that! Above all consider that she is devout, and that the confessional is a most
dangerous guardian of secrets … Besides, the only truly discreet woman is one who knows nothing!
Tosca’s insane jealousy – rather more than her devoutness – is abundantly evident in the first act, and
Cavaradossi’s well-reasoned decision not to involve her is understandable. But it has unfortunate
consequences. Baron Scarpia is able to take advantage of Tosca’s two main weaknesses: her jealousy
and her love for Mario. In the second act he forces her to listen to the anguished moans of her lover as
he is being tortured in the next room; inevitably and quickly she reveals the hiding place of Angelotti
and thereby proves Cavaradossi’s complicity in his escape. The only way Tosca can save her lover’s life
is to submit to Scarpia’s lust. “Listen to the marching soldiers,” he tells her, “they are accompanying
the workers who are about to erect the gallows where your lover will be hanged in a very few hours.”
It is at this point that Tosca, driven to despair, embarks upon the eloquent lament known in Italy as
“La Preghiera di Tosca” but elsewhere simply by its first words: “Vissi d’arte.” This aria consists of a
mere thirty-seven measures and interrupts the plot rather than moving the action forward, but it is
crucial to the opera because it allows us – at last – to feel a measure of sympathy for a heroine who has,
up until now, been portrayed as flighty, silly, and unreasonable.
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I have lived for art and for love, and I did not harm a living soul!
Secretly I relieved many miseries …
Always with sincere faith. my prayers arose in church.
Always with sincere faith, I gave flowers for the altars.
In this hour of sorrow, why, Lord, am I rewarded like this?
I gave jewels to adorn the mantle of the Madonna,
and I gave my singing to the stars and the heavens,
which, because of my singing, smiled more beautifully …
In this hour of suffering, why, Lord, ah …
why do you reward me like this.
One of the most celebrated of twentieth-century Toscas was Maria Callas (1923-1977); it was with this
role, in a production at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden directed and designed for her by
Franco Zefferelli, that Callas ended her opera career in 1965. By this time many critics and opera lovers
were discussing openly the diva’s vocal decline, and details of her private life were keeping tabloid
journalists busy. Fortunately for posterity, a concert given in Paris in December, 1958, concluded with
the opera’s second act, featuring the unique partnership of Callas and the baritone Tito Gobbi (19131984). For me, the greatness of this performance – in dramatic immediacy, overwhelming musicality,
ferocious concentration and (yes!) sheer vocal splendor – makes discussion of minor blemishes utterly
irrelevant. All of this film is available on YouTube, but I’m including here only the performance of
“Vissi d’arte”4:
http://youtu.be/Tfk643sy6JU
Another film of Callas in the role, again with Gobbi as Scarpia, was made in London in 1964:
http://youtu.be/NLR3lSrqlww
For sheer vocal beauty and warmth – allied to musicality, intelligence, and great personal magnetism –
it’s hard to equal, let alone surpass, the wonderful Leontyne Price (b. 1927), seen here in concert:
http://youtu.be/oVQxIhgunhw
For a more recent embodiment of the role (Covent Garden, July 2011) here is Angela Gheorghiu (b.
1965):
http://youtu.be/GhV2vHeLC_E
Finally, from Maria Callas’ 1964 performance, here pathos gives way to desperate ferocity in the
murder scene. The dramatic intensity of Callas' performance is absolutely thrilling.
http://youtu.be/Ujwdfdc5ic0
The other popular aria from Tosca is Cavaradossi’s soliloquy “E lucevan le stelle,” sung in Act Three.
Now a political prisoner condemned to die in one hour, Mario has bribed the jailer so that he can
write one last time to Tosca. In this aria, he contemplates the woman he loves and the life that he now
has to give up just as he’s learned to appreciate its value:
The stars were shining, And the earth was scented.
The gate of the garden creaked And a footstep touched the sand...
Fragrant, she entered And fell into my arms.
Oh, sweet kisses and languorous caresses,
While feverishly I stripped the beautiful form of its veils!
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Forever, my dream of love has vanished.
That moment has fled, and I die in desperation.
And I die in desperation! And I never before loved life so much, Loved life so much!
The main melody of the aria is first heard in the clarinet; the singer’s first line is sung to a series of
repeated notes. This is a familiar Puccini pattern, employed also in “Che gelida manina” in La Bohème.
One of the 20th century’s greatest tenors, Franco Corelli (1921-2003) excelled in the role of
Cavaradossi, recording it with both Maria Callas and Birgit Nilsson. Here is a performance from 1956.
http://youtu.be/yXdyBi5oASc?t=45s
A later Corelli performance, in colour but missing the opening solo clarinet line:
http://youtu.be/Zzb9uwfgD1w
Puccini considered casting the young and rapidly-rising tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) as
Cavaradossi but decided to go with an older, more experienced artist, Emilio de Marchi (1861-1917).
Of course Caruso became one of the greatest singers and most famous celebrities of his day and was
the first bona fide recording star. This recording, made on November 6, 1909, is not Caruso’s first of
this aria, but the earlier one, made in October 1903, was accompanied only by piano:
http://youtu.be/ed72VvnnpBU
To conclude with a video that I stumbled across while surfing YouTube, we have what was for me a
very pleasant surprise. It seems impossible that a tenor could achieve great and lasting renown – and be
cited as an influence by such important younger artists as José Carreras and Placidò Domingo – having
learned and appeared in only a couple of operatic roles, but such is the strange fate of Mario Lanza
(1921-1959). A few legitimate live performances garnered Lanza the praise of conductor Serge
Koussevitsky and critic Claudia Cassidy. The great soprano Licia Albanese (b. 1913), who appeared
with Lanza on film in an excerpt from Verdi’s Otello, said:
I had heard all sorts of stories about Mario. That his voice was too small for the stage, that he
couldn't learn a score, that he couldn't sustain a full opera; in fact, that he couldn't even sing a
full aria, that his recordings were made by splicing together various portions of an aria. None of it
is true! He had the most beautiful lirico spinto voice. It was a gorgeous, beautiful, powerful voice. I
should know because I sang with so many tenors. He had everything that one needs. The voice,
the temperament, perfect diction. . . . Vocally he was very secure. All he needed was coaching.
Everything was so easy for him. He was fantastic!
Although Lanza, still in his twenties, was beginning to receive serious offers from major opera houses,
by 1949 he was engulfed in the Hollywood star-making machinery, and his subsequent erratic
performance record and litany of personal troubles are too well-known and sad to relate here.
However, if he didn’t actually play Cavaradossi on stage, he did record the character’s famous aria, and
I hope you will find it as thrilling a revelation as I did (there is also a televised performance from 1954
on YouTube but it is handicapped by poor sound quality):
http://youtu.be/50afi2Q4a5Y
From the beginning of Tosca we hear short themes or motives that associate themselves with different
characters, activities, and emotions. It is by the neat interweaving and development of these
fragmentary tunes that Puccini keeps the musical continuity of his melodramatic commentary going.
Some of these, such as the anxious, rhythmically syncopated figure representing Angelotti, and the
12
sprightly, fussy little tune that so perfectly captures the Sacristan, appear only briefly and occasionally;
others, such as the passionate music of Tosca and Cavaradossi’s Act One love duet, will play a big part
later in the opera.
It is perhaps unfortunate that Scarpia is given no aria commensurate with “Vissi d’arte.” In the words
of Patrick “Spike” Hughes (1908-1987): “No villain of an opera surely ever had less memorable music
to sing than Scarpia; on the other hand, no villain ever had such an effectively simple and dominating
theme [as the three-chord motive that opens the work] for us to remember him by.”
If Scarpia does not have an aria, his character dominates the entire drama by way of a motive that is
not so much a melody as three ominous chords, played fortissimo at the very beginning by virtually the
entire orchestra:
Puccini’s decision to begin the opera with this motive gives us, in the words of Spike Hughes, “one of
the most superbly arresting beginnings of an opera to be found in the entire repertoire. It represents
not only Scarpia’s evil but his voracious appetite for absolute power. This theme will continue to
dominate the opera even after Scarpia’s death at the end of Act Two.
With Pacific Opera Victoria's April 2013 production of Tosca, David John Pike makes his debut in the
role of Scarpia – not to mention his POV debut and his Canadian mainstage opera debut. Mr. Pike
has worked with one of the greatest Scarpias ever – Sherrill Milnes. Here is Sherrill Milnes as Scarpia
in a 1976 production of Tosca, conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, directed by Gianfranco De Bosio. This
is the great Te Deum scene that ends Act I. As the choir sings the Te Deum, Scarpia reflects on his plan
to execute Cavaradossi and possess Tosca: Tosca you make me forget God! The act ends with a powerful
restatement of the Scarpia motive.
http://youtu.be/8T8cBrnvAos
1
Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801), celebrated Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school. His most celebrated masterpiece is
Il matrimonio segreto
2
Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816), also a celebrated Neapolitan opera composer, Paisiello wrote an estimated 94 operas, including a
setting of Beaumarchais’ The Barber of Seville
3
One of the oldest opera houses in Rome, the Argentina was inaugurated in 1732. It also features in Alexander Dumas’ novel The
Count of Monte Cristo
4
I apologize in advance for the advertisements that now plague YouTube, and only hope you will find your patience rewarded
Robert Holliston
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The Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Shortly before he died, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini wrote to a friend: "Almighty
God touched me with his little finger and said to me: 'Write for the theatre. Remember, only for the theatre.' And I
have obeyed that supreme commandment". Having accepted divine will, Puccini composed some of the most
popular operas ever written, earned a few millions, gambled most of the money away at the poker table, satisfied
his appetite for loose women, boats and fast cars and, most of all, exterminated the population of wild geese around
his villa at Torre del Lago.
This in a nutshell is the life of Puccini, who defined himself as "a mighty hunter of wild birds, opera librettos and
beautiful women", and who said "Just think! If I hadn't happened to take up music I would never have managed to
do anything in this world!"
Opera Italiana
Puccini’s Youth
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was
born in the Tuscan town of Lucca on December 22, 1858, the
fifth child and first son of Michele and Albina Puccini. He was
named in honour of several of his ancestors, who had been
distinguished musicians and composers, each of them holding the
posts of organist of the Cathedral of San Martino and Maestro di
Cappella of the Republic of Lucca, and each a respected composer.
The Puccini musical dynasty began with young Giacomo’s great
great grandfather, another Giacomo Puccini (1712 to 1781), and
was carried on by his son, Antonio Benedetto Maria Puccini (1747
to 1832), his son, Domenico Vincenzo Maria Puccini (1772 to
1815), and his son, Michele (1813 to 1864), young Giacomo’s
father.
When young Giacomo was still a child, his father Michele died,
leaving behind his pregnant 34-year-old wife Albina and seven
children from 16 months to 12 years of age. In a striking example
of job security, two of Michele’s positions (choirmaster and
Giacomo Puccini
organist at the Church of San Martino and teacher at the Collegio
Ponziano) were reserved for his son and heir, six-year-old Giacomo. It was fully expected that Giacomo
would follow in his father’s footsteps. Mamma Puccini struggled to raise and educate all of her
children, in particular young Giacomo. Although he was destined to be a musician, Mamma wanted
him to have a good basic education first; she would say sagely, puro musico, puro asino (pure musician, pure
jackass). However, young Giacomo was an inattentive student. One of his teachers reported, He comes
to school only to wear out the seat of his pants. It took him five years to scrape through the four-year
elementary school curriculum.
He began his music studies with his mother’s brother, Fortunato Magi, a stern and forbidding man,
who, not without reason, considered the young scamp lazy, disrespectful, and untalented. Albina
Puccini soon found a new teacher, Carlo Angeloni, who taught harmony and composition at the
Istituto Musicale Pacini. Angeloni had been a student of Michele Puccini's, was a composer himself,
and loved opera. Angeloni also introduced young Giacomo to what would be a life-long hobby for him
–hunting. The two established quite a rapport, both musically and on the local waterfowl marshes.
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By the age of 14 Giacomo was earning a bit of money playing organ in a number of the town's
churches. He would shock the congregations by slipping folksongs and hits from the latest operas (such
as Verdi’s Rigoletto) into his improvisations. He had other ways of using his musical talent to earn
income. He took on a pupil. He played piano in the local taverns, nearby resorts, and, it was
rumoured, a brothel. He stole organ pipes and sold them to support his smoking habit – playing
around the notes of the missing pipes in order to hide the theft.
Puccini was familiar with opera; his composer ancestors had all written operas; his teacher composed
operas and introduced him to the works of Verdi. Then in 1876 he and some friends walked over a
dozen miles to Pisa to see the first local production of Verdi’s Aïda. He was so blown away by the
performance that he decided to take up writing operas. Many years later he said, When I heard Aïda in
Pisa, I felt that a musical window had opened for me.
He continued his musical studies in Lucca, composing mostly church music, until in 1880, with the
help of a loan from his mother’s cousin Nicolao Cerù and a bursary from Queen Margherita of Italy,
he was able to move to Milan, the cultural capital of Italy, to study composition at the Milan
Conservatory of Music. One of his teachers was the highly regarded Italian violinist and composer
Antonio Bazzini, whose only opera Turanda, had flopped at Milan’s La Scala opera house in 1867.
Turanda was based on a play by Carlo Gozzi, which would later inspire Puccini’s last opera, Turandot.
Another professor, who became Puccini’s mentor, was Amilcare Ponchielli, best known as the
composer of the opera La Gioconda.
During his three years at the Milan Conservatory, Puccini lived the life of a student, continually broke,
asking Mamma for money and good olive oil, eluding creditors, outwitting landlords, going to the
opera, – in short, living an impoverished artistic life not unlike that evoked in his later opera La
Bohème.
His roommates included his younger brother Michele and the young Pietro Mascagni, who would
make his name as a composer of 15 operas, the best known being Cavalleria rusticana. Puccini and
Mascagni were to remain friends and rivals for many years; their wives did little to help the friendship.
In 1921 Puccini’s wife Elvira would be so outraged by a rumour that Mascagni would be appointed a
senator before her far more deserving husband that she threatened to renounce her Italian citizenship
and emigrate.
The Early Operas
In 1883, with the encouragement of Ponchielli, who even found him a librettist, Puccini entered a
competition for a one-act opera. The opera, Le Villi, was based on the legend of the Willis, the ghosts
of girls who, having died of broken hearts, exact revenge on their faithless lovers by forcing them to
dance until they die of exhaustion. Perhaps the most famous retelling of this legend was the 1841
ballet Giselle.
Le Villi not only did not win the competition, it wasn’t even given an honourable mention, although
Ponchielli himself was one of the judges. It has been suggested that Puccini’s score, which he submitted
right at the deadline, was so illegible the judges didn’t consider it.
However, Puccini’s librettist, Ferdinando Fontana, put great effort into getting the opera performed
and was able to secure the support of Arrigo Boito, an influential critic, composer of the opera
Mefistofele, and the librettist for La Gioconda and later for Verdi’s final operas, Otello and Falstaff. Boito
helped collect enough money to stage Le Villi at the Teatro dal Verne, Milan on May 31, 1884, to an
enthusiastic reception from audience and critics alike.
15
Marco Sala wrote in L’Italia, Puccini’s opera is, in our opinion, a small, precious masterpiece from beginning to
end. Antonio Gramolo of Il corriere della sera concurred:
The virtues we encounter in Le Villi reveal in Puccini an imagination singularly inclined to melody. In his
music there is freshness of fantasy, there are phrases that touch the heart because they must have come from
the heart, and there is craftsmanship so elegant and refined that from time to time we seem to have before us
not a young student but a Bizet or a Massenet … In short we believe that in Puccini we may have the
composer for whom Italy has been waiting for a long time.
And, from Filippo Filippi of La Perseveranza came this: Puccini reaches the stars … Poor competition panel,
that threw the opera into a corner like a rag!
Even Verdi took notice. The grand old man of Italian Opera, then in his 70s, wrote to a friend,
I have heard the composer Puccini well spoken of. … He follows modern trends, which is natural, but remains
attached to melody, which is above passing fashion.
Puccini also came to the attention of Giulio Ricordi, head of the powerful
publishing house Casa Ricordi. Ricordi published the score and within days of
the premiere offered Puccini a contract to expand Le Villi to two acts and to
write a second opera, which would premiere at Milan’s great opera house, La
Scala. This contract meant Puccini now had a small but regular income. More
important, it was the beginning of a lifelong association. Ricordi became
Puccini’s publisher – and far more. He acted as Puccini’s business manager, his
mentor, his father-figure and friend; he weighed in with advice and
encouragement and helped resolve the multiple disputes between Puccini and
his librettists.
Giulio Ricordi
In the summer of 1884 Puccini’s mother, who had been the bedrock of his life, died after a long
illness.
Around that time, Puccini had fallen in love with a certain Elvira Gemignani, a married woman and
the mother of two children. Elvira left her husband and moved in with Puccini, creating a major
scandal in Lucca and among Puccini’s family and adding to his financial pressures for, despite the
small income from Ricordi, he was not well off. Elvira brought with her the elder of her two children,
her daughter Fosca. In 1886 Elvira gave birth to Giacomo’s son, Antonio. The couple was not married
until 1904, after the death of Elvira's first husband.
Theirs was a tumultuous relationship, as stormy as any opera plot. Puccini was not a model husband;
over the years he had countless affairs with other women. He called himself a mighty hunter of wild fowl,
operatic librettos and attractive women. Elvira was uninterested in the arts, didn’t enjoy Puccini’s hunting
and card-playing friends, and grew less beautiful and more jealous and suspicious over the years. She
eavesdropped on Giacomo, went through his clothes, checked his mail. She even resorted to hunger
strikes and to physical attacks on Giacomo and at least one of the women with whom he was involved.
Puccini's second opera, Edgar, was poorly received at its 1889 premiere at La Scala. Subsequent
revisions did not make it the success that Puccini, Ricordi (and Ricordi’s shareholders) had hoped.
Ricordi continued to support Puccini and blamed much of the failure of Edgar on the libretto by
Fontana. Ricordi stood up against the demands of his shareholders that Puccini’s retainer be dropped,
and he encouraged Puccini to write another opera.
Despite the modest allowance from Ricordi, which was an advance against future royalties, Puccini was
barely scraping by, especially now that he was supporting Elvira, her daughter, and their son Antonio.
16
He was also frequently ill and still in debt to Nicolao Cerù, who was asking for repayment of the loan
he had given Puccini for his studies in Milan.
In 1890 Puccini wrote in desperation to his younger brother, Michele, who had moved to Argentina:
If you can find work for me, I will come there. … And send me some money. … I have few hopes here.
In a later letter to Michele he said, With disaster right around the corner, it’s a miracle if I can get to the end
of the month. … And in September I have to move. …They have thrown me out of here for playing the piano at
night. … If you are doing well where you are, I will come there too.
In the end he did not go. Michele died of yellow fever in Rio de Janeiro in 1891.
Meanwhile, with Ricordi’s encouragement and expert stick-handling of a succession of librettists, work
proceeded on Puccini’s next opera, Manon Lescaut. As the premiere approached, Puccini, now 34, knew
this opera was probably his last chance to be successful and to escape the poverty in which he was
living. If Manon Lescaut failed, he would have to go back to making a living as what he called a third-rate
organist.
Manon Lescaut: Puccini’s First Hit
During the three years it took him to write Manon Lescaut, Puccini went through librettist after
librettist. The task of writing the libretto involved some seven people, including the composer himself
and his publisher Giulio Ricordi. The librettists included Ruggero Leoncavallo, who would soon make
his name as the composer and librettist of Pagliacci and who would feud with Puccini over the right to
compose La Bohème. Puccini was not satisfied with Leoncavallo’s efforts on Manon Lescaut, and
decided to ask the well known playwright Marco Praga to take on the libretto for Manon Lescaut.
Praga brought in a friend Domenico Oliva, but Puccini demanded so many changes that Praga
withrew. Oliva hung on a little longer, but eventually, he too wearied of Puccini’s frequent demands
for changes.
Now Giulio Ricordi recommended the poet and playwright Giuseppe Giacosa, and Giacosa called in a
more experienced librettist, Luigi Illica, for additional help. Together they reworked the libretto, and,
with contributions from Leoncavallo and Ricordi – not to mention Puccini himself – the work was
finally completed.
With so many hands in the final libretto of Manon Lescaut, the decision was made to put no one’s
name on the final score except that of the composer.
Giacosa, Illica, and Puccini went on to form what has been called the most successful
composer/librettist team of Puccini's career. Ricordi called them the Trinity. Illica and Giacosa worked
on three of Puccini’s subsequent operas, La Bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. This is not to say that
Illica and Giacosa didn’t find Puccini as maddening to work with as Praga and Oliva had. They were
frequently at loggerheads with Puccini, and Ricordi often had to act as peacemaker.
Manon Lescaut had its first performance on February 1, 1893, at the Teatro Regio, in Turin. It was an
enormous hit, and the reviews were enthusiastic.
In the Gazzetta Piemontese Giuseppe Depanis wrote approvingly of
the robust opera of a young Italian maestro, one who has done honour to his name and to his country. Art has
no boundaries, to be sure. None the less, national pride is legitimate: Last night was a good night for art and
for Italy.
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Manon Lescaut quickly traveled throughout Italy and beyond. By the end of 1893 it had been seen in
Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, St. Petersburg, Madrid, and Hamburg. The following year saw
productions in Lisbon, Budapest, Prague, Montevideo, Philadelphia, and Mexico.
The opera made Puccini’s reputation, and he went on to fulfill its promise with a series of masterpieces
that are among the most enduring in the repertoire.
The Successful Composer
The stupendous success of Manon Lescaut meant Puccini could begin to live well. He could travel. He
could buy the house he had rented in Torre del Lago since 1891. He was also able to buy back the
house in which he was born, a sentimental gesture only, as he did not live there.
Meanwhile there was the question of Puccini’s next opera. Shortly before the premiere of Manon
Lescaut, Puccini began considering an opera based on the story Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henry
Murger. The fact that this idea was ever transformed into the great opera La Bohème is a minor
miracle, given the personalities of its creators, gadfly Puccini, and frustrated librettists Illica and
Giacosa, not to mention a very public spat between Puccini and his old friend and rival Leoncavallo
over the rights to the opera.
In March, 1893, Puccini and Ruggero Leoncavallo, who had helped with the libretto of Manon Lescaut,
met in a café. Puccini stunned Leoncavallo by announcing that he was writing La Bohème. But
Leoncavallo was also composing a La Bohème, using the very libretto he had offered Puccini on a
previous occasion — which Puccini had turned down at the time! They quarrelled. Each went to the
press to proclaim his moral superiority, and the race was on.
The two La Bohèmes eventually premiered in successive years (Puccini’s first, in
1896). Although Leoncavallo’s version was quite well received, it was
eventually overshadowed by the enormous success of Puccini’s work.
Despite the rivalry with Leoncavallo, Puccini took quite a while to get down to
serious work on La Bohème. He started in early 1893, but then turned his
attention to the excitement of buying a bicycle, which he named Mary, and to
the challenges of learning to ride. Hunting season was also a distraction.
Puccini’s publisher, Giulio Ricordi wrote: Puccini, Let not your passion for birds
seduce you away from music. Therefore, an eye on the gunsight, but your thoughts on
Bohème!
In August 1893 Puccini invited librettist Luigi Illica to join him at his home,
assuring him that he really was working on La Bohème; however, his charming
invitation focused more on the delights of country life:
I am struggling with our characters. I am working, and having a good time. I’m killing
vast numbers of birds while I wait to leave for Brescia, where [the soprano, Emma]
Zilli will amaze everyone with her verve … and kill off Manon before her time! … In my
house there are soft beds, chickens, geese, ducks, lambs, fleas, tables, chairs, guns,
paintings, statues, shoes, velocipedes, pianos, sewing machines, clocks, a map of Paris,
good oil, fish, three different qualities of wine (we don’t drink water), cigars, hammocks,
wife [not strictly accurate: Puccini and Elvira would not marry for 20 more
years], children, dogs, cats, rum, coffee, different kinds of pasta, a can of rotten sardines,
peaches, figs, two outhouses, a eucalyptus, a well in the house, a broom, all for you
(except the wife). Come.
Luigi Illica
Giuseppe Giacosa
18
Puccini was also busy travelling to oversee various productions of Manon Lescaut and working on an
opera called La Lupa, which he eventually abandoned. His mercurial flitting from project to project
maddened both Ricordi (for whom time was money) and his hapless librettists.
The librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, were the dream team brought in by Ricordi to rescue
Puccini’s first great hit Manon Lescaut, after Puccini had torn through three other librettists. Although
Giacosa, Illica, and Puccini were the most successful composer/librettist team of Puccini's career, their
relationship was stormy, for Puccini was maddening to work with and impossible to satisfy.
Much of the credit for La Bohème’s existence must go to Ricordi, that master of shuttle diplomacy, who
soothed Puccini’s string of browbeaten librettists and refused to accept their regular resignations.
After one of the tiffs during work on La Bohème, Ricordi wrote Puccini to say,
[Illica is] very annoyed with you. He has almost decided to have nothing further to do with la Bohème. He
complains of having wasted much time and effort only to find himself used, cast aside, taken up again and
shoved away like a dog … I succeeded in making Illica go back to work … But he insists that I tell you that he
is going on with his work solely out of regard for me!!
At one point, Illica wrote To work for Puccini means to go through a living hell. Not even Job could withstand
his whims and his sudden volte-faces. I cannot keep up with his constant acrobatics.
In fall of 1893 Giacosa wrote Ricordi to say he was withdrawing from the project, leaving Illica to deal
with Puccini alone; Ricordi refused to accept his resignation.
Giacoso too found Puccini a bear to work for, writing to Ricordi in June 1895:
I’m tired to death of this constant reworking, touching up, adding, correcting, cutting, pasting together again,
pumping it up on the right, and paring it down on the left ... I have already redone this blessed libretto three
times, from start to finish, three times, and certain sections I have done four or five times ... Will it really be
finished? Or do I have to start again at the beginning?
After three years of work, they did finally finish La Bohème (nearly). Puccini made a few more changes
after the 1896 premiere!
La Bohème is today considered one of Puccini’s best works, as well as one of the most popular and
romantic operas ever composed. However, it was not very well received when it premiered at Turin in
1896. Nor were the operas that followed immediately successful, although most are now among the
most popular in the operatic repertoire.
Despite their stormy working relationship with Puccini, Illica and Giacosa stuck it out with the
composer, creating the libretti for his next two operas, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. Puccini remained as
fickle and demanding as ever; the librettists threatened to quit from time to time; and the exasperated
Ricordi continued to play peacemaker.
Tosca was a subject Puccini had been toying with since 1889, just after the premiere of Edgar. Based on
a play which Victorien Sardou had written in 1887 for the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, Tosca is
full of sex, violence, torture, suicide, politics, and religion. It is perhaps not surprising that audiences
liked it, while critics deplored the sexuality, violence, and brutality.
While Puccini was in London for the Covent Garden premiere of Tosca, he saw a play called Madame
Butterfly by American writer David Belasco. Although he understood very little of the English dialogue,
he was moved by the plight of the geisha and the exotic atmosphere of the play and rushed backstage to
beg for permission to use the play for his next opera. Belasco later wrote, I agreed at once and told him he
19
could do anything he liked with the play, and make any sort of contract, because it was impossible to discuss
arrangements with an impulsive Italian who has tears in his eyes and both his arms round your neck.
Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in February, 1904. Despite very high hopes and Puccini’s belief
that it was his best and most advanced opera, the first performance was a fiasco marked by hisses,
catcalls, and rude comments from the audience. The reaction may have been engineered by jealous
rivals of Puccini. In any event, Puccini withdrew the opera after that single performance, revised it, and
unveiled the new version three months later in Brescia. It was a triumph. Ever since, the touching and
gloriously melodic tragedy of the geisha who loved an American naval officer has been one of the most
beloved of operas.
While he was working on Madama Butterfly,
Puccini was also dealing with health problems and
upheavals in his personal life.
He enjoyed fast cars and boats and the good life. In
February 1903 he was in an auto accident — his
second in less than a year. This time he nearly
died. He had seriously injured his leg and endured
a long, painful recovery, during the course of
which he was also diagnosed with diabetes. At the
time Puccini had been involved in a passionate
affair with a woman known only as Corinna.
Puccini in 1902 with his first car, a De Dion–Bouton.
However, Elvira’s husband died the day after
Puccini’s car accident. Elvira put pressure on Puccini to dump Corinna and marry her; the Puccini
family and Ricordi were also urging him to marry Elvira. After Corinna threatened legal action,
Puccini settled out of court. As part of the settlement he had to marry Elvira, and in January, 1904,
Puccini finally married the mother of his 17-year-old son.
Domestic bliss did not ensue. Elvira’s jealousy over the years had all too often been well founded. In
1908 she accused Puccini of having an affair with Doria Manfredi, a servant girl who had started
working for them after Puccini’s car crash and had lasted longer than most servants in the tempestuous
Puccini household. Elvira fired Doria but continued to accuse and threaten her and talk insultingly to
Doria’s mother and relatives. Eventually the girl, swearing she was innocent, committed suicide. After
an autopsy proved her innocent, her family sued Elvira, and Elvira was sentenced to five months’
imprisonment. After an appeal, Puccini and the family settled out of court. Although the Puccini
marriage nearly broke up over this tragedy, the couple eventually reconciled – although Puccini
persisted in his philandering and Elvira in her jealous scenes.
Given Puccini’s health problems and the turmoil of the Doria Manfredi tragedy, it was not surprising
that six years elapsed between Madama Butterfly and the premiere of Puccini’s next opera which was
also based on a play by David Belasco. Puccini first saw Belasco’s The Girl of the Golden West in 1907 in
New York, where he was attending a Puccini festival at the Metropolitan Opera. The story of miners in
the California gold rush intrigued Puccini. Puccini’s long-time librettist, Giuseppe Giacosa, had died
the previous year, and Puccini turned to a new librettist, Italian-American Carlo Zangarini. As was
usual with Puccini’s librettos, work did not proceed smoothly. When Zangarini had not completed the
libretto as quickly as Puccini wanted, he brought in a co-librettist, a young poet and journalist named
Guelfo Civinini. La Fanciulla del West, starring Enrico Caruso, finally premiered at the Metropolitan
Opera in New York in December 1910, with Arturo Toscanini as conductor.
20
In 1912 Giulio Ricordi, who had been instrumental to Puccini’s career and profoundly important as a
friend and professional manager, died. Casa Ricordi was now in the hands of Tito Ricordi, who did
not get along well with Puccini. Puccini’s next opera was published by Ricordi’s rival Sonzogno. La
Rondine, the story of a love affair between a courtesan and a younger man, is more like a Viennese
operetta than Puccini’s other works. Although its music is charming, it is considered one of his less
successful works.
La Rondine was followed by a trilogy of one-act operas, Il trittico. The three operas are Il tabarro, a
tragic tale of adultery and murder, Suor Angelica, the story of a nun who has had an illegitimate child,
and Gianni Schicchi, a comedy of fraud and young love, which has proved the most popular of the
three.
Puccini then started work on his last opera, Turandot, based on a 1762 play by Carlo Gozzi. It is the
gripping story of a cruel Chinese princess whose suitors must answer three riddles or be put to death,
of a prince who falls in love with her, and a slave girl who loves the prince and dies to save him.
On November 29, 1924, before he could finish the opera, Puccini died in Brussels of throat cancer —
a result of a lifetime of heavy smoking. After a large funeral in Brussels, his body was taken to Milan
for a national funeral. Mussolini, who had become Prime Minister of Italy in 1922, announced his
death in the Italian Parliament. Arturo Toscanini conducted the Requiem from Act 3 of Edgar.
Puccini was buried at the Toscanini family tomb in Milan; two years later his remains were moved to
his beloved home at Torre del Lago.
Turandot, considered by many his greatest opera, was completed by Franco Alfano and premiered in
April, 1926, at La Scala. At the point where Puccini’s score ended, Toscanini, the conductor, stopped
the performance, saying, The Opera finishes here for at this point the Maestro died. It was not until the
second performance of Turandot that the version completed by Alfano was played.
Puccini’s twelve operas include some of the greatest masterpieces in the repertoire. Their rich melodies,
complex and compelling characters, and passionate emotions made them very popular – and Puccini
very rich. He had a gift for creating works that were deeply theatrical, wondrously musical, and full of
passion. His librettos contain painstakingly detailed stage directions, which go beyond descriptions of
the setting and delve into the psychology of the characters. While his obsession for creating the perfect
libretto and the perfect dramatic experience caused havoc for his librettists, the characters, particularly
his heroines, continue to enthrall audiences. His great gift for melodic invention has also ensured his
works a lasting place in the repertoire.
Maureen Woodall
21
Interview with the Director
Amiel Gladstone is a director and playwright whose work has been
produced throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe. A founding
member of Victoria’s Theatre SKAM, Amiel has directed for many
leading Canadian companies, including the Belfry, Touchstone,
Caravan Farm Theatres and the National Arts Centre. We are
delighted that he is making his Pacific Opera Victoria debut with our
upcoming production of Tosca.
You've had an extremely varied career in theater as a creator,
director and performer - have you always been drawn to
music as well?
Yes. Some of my closest friends are musicians. Many of the plays that I've directed have included live
music in them. I feel it's an intrinsic part of the live experience. Like many people I feel a bit jealous of
musicians too – their ability to jam with each other. I love the clear open emotion of it.
What led you to the wacky world of opera? Were you taken to see operas as a child or youth?
A few years back Vancouver Opera asked me if I wanted some training as a Stage Director. They felt
that my theatre directing could be applicable to opera. I spent a few years training there, assistant
directing a couple of shows, directing the touring productions for children and taking masterclasses.
Subsequently I directed Lucia di Lammermoor there. My grandfather was an opera singer and he and my
grandmother taught singing for years in Toronto, so it is in my blood a little. But my watching
experience has been much more in the musical theatre world.
Music theatre must present certain challenges to a director simply because some of the material is
sung rather than spoken – these challenges are heightened in opera because of foreign languages and
strictly instrumental passages. How have you enjoyed dealing with them?
Yes, although you've managed to ask me about the hardest part – the foreign language. The language of
music is much more emotive and intuitive. Working on something that's entirely in Italian, it can be
hard to wrap my brain around it. But the challenges are what make me embrace it – I like how it twists
my brain around and keeps me on my toes.
Is this your first go at Tosca? What is there about the story and characters that excites you? (Other
than the fact that all three principals die before the last curtain...)
My first Tosca. I love the intrigue at play. The power dynamic. How the love between Tosca and
Cavaradossi is complicated. I like that Scarpia is appealing and repellent at the same time. I like that it
can feel like an intimate drama between three main players and a huge story all at the same time. I
guess it's the contradictions that I like.
I really enjoyed visiting your website and reading your views about operatic – and Shakespearean –
productions today. Can you divulge anything about your plans for Tosca, or do we have to wait
until opening night?
Christina and I have talked a lot about the heart of the drama and focused on the characters as much
as possible. We've looked at many different versions of Rome and the actual spaces and come up with a
highly theatricalized version that is beautiful and ugly. I want to create a production that appeals to
purists, but with enough surprises to keep us wondering what's coming next. Again – reveling in the
contradictions.
22
Interview with the Villain
Baritone David John Pike is making his Pacific Opera Victoria
debut and singing his first Scarpia in our upcoming production of
Tosca. Robert Holliston interviews Mr. Pike.
You are working overseas a lot these days - what led you to settle in
Luxembourg?
Business originally brought me to Luxembourg and love has kept me
there. I am a reformed Chartered Accountant, and was originally
sent to Luxembourg to run a small practice. Soon after my arrival I
met Josiane, a winegrower's daughter, on the banks of the Moselle,
and have since "gone native". We live right on the German border
overlooking the vineyards and the river, but at the same time are a couple of hours' drive away from
any number of major European cities, and an hour's flight from all the capitals. My only complaint is
that it's too far from Canada - although, you know these days, it often seems easier and cheaper for me
to get to Canada from Europe than it is to fly across Canada!
Scarpia is generally considered a fairly dramatic role - how are you enjoying its challenges? Would
you consider it totally different from, say, Marcello, or more of an extension?
Yes, "fairly dramatic" is one way of describing it. Otherwise stated, it is a bloody big sing, and the
character is downright evil, so that can also be draining. But in short (and this is in no way a reflection
of inherent evilness in David!) I'm loving Scarpia. Of course, the role was daunting at first, but soon it
came "into my voice," and what I love about it is that it sits in a comfortable range somehow, even
though it's fairly high - Puccini was clever in writing in a "preserving style" for my Fach, I guess! In
contrast, good old Marcello is just a swell guy, whether from Mimí's, Rudolfo's or the other guys'
perspectives. I like singing a Marcello or Schaunard because of the jovial camaraderie and later the
empathetic love and care they demonstrate for both leads. In vocal terms, I like your idea of "extension"
as Scarpia is vocally somehow a "bigger" Marcello, as the range is similar and of course those delicious
Puccini lines are there. The other practical challenge is that Scarpia is on stage the whole of Act 2
(directly after the huge Te Deum scene) with little chance for a "singer moment" in the wings. Old
Marcello has some big lines, but he gets to put his feet up in between!
How are you looking forward to playing this remarkably villainous character?
I'm very much looking forward to it. My aim is to offer a slightly more "elegant" (and therefore perhaps
even more threatening?) Scarpia, with a bit of contrast so he isn’t just constantly barking orders.
Perhaps he does have a moment or two where he really does feel something for Tosca apart from the
obvious ... or does he? Maybe he's simply misunderstood? In any case, the score has some moments
when a real legato and bit of seduction can take the place of the otherwise barking, harsh,
commanding, psychopathic, misogynistic murdering rapist!
Is there a particular Scarpia from the past that has inspired you?
Where to start? Of course, George London's elegant Scarpia and noble sound is inspiring, and Cornell
McNeil's enormous impression is an obvious reference. Bryn Terfel's recent interpretation in the 2011
Royal Opera House production was simply outstanding, particularly his acting. I've also heard a superb
recording of Gerald Finley's Tre sbirri... in English, which is superb. I've been very fortunate to work
with one of the greatest Scarpias ever in Sherrill Milnes, who has generously taught me a great deal
23
about the role and how to sing it. He's therefore my closest source of inspiration, and probably my
model in many respects, both vocally and stylistically.
Yes, I understood from your website that you’d been working with Sherrill Milnes. Obviously, we'd
all love to hear anything about this great experience!
Well, I could go on and on about this. First, I have to say that it has been an enormous honor and
privilege working with one of the greatest baritones of his time. On my first encounter with Sherrill in
Joan Dornemann's program at Virginia Tech in 2011, I was naturally a bit star-struck during my initial
coaching session. Within 10 minutes, though, Sherrill's genuine and down-to-earth character put me
completely at ease. Working with him is simply some of the most productive and inspiring coaching
I've had. Of course, all the stories from his career are fascinating to hear – he’s seen it all, done it all,
with all the greats of his time – and there's usually a very practical "moral of the story" to take on board.
What makes time with Sherrill so useful, though, is the frankness and straightforward way in which he
is able to explain the character and the completely singer-oriented practical advice he offers on
"corners" in a score. He'll say something like, “isn't there a rest there? Well, use it – take a moment and
swallow a couple of times," or, “just move through that arpeggio, don't milk it – they want the E
natural, not what's before it.” He knows the practicalities of the craft and “tricks of the trade” and the
realities of being in situ, however apparently banal – from how to deal with conductors and directors
with diplomacy (is there any other way?) to details of dramatic moves that he's accumulated over the
years of singing Scarpia with star-studded casts around the world, to how to apparently “eat” on stage
before that next entry. One of Sherrill's charms is that his language can be appropriately
colorful (especially amongst the guys!) so you're usually left in no doubt as to what Scarpia is thinking!
The man loves the business, and clearly loves working with young singers. While he doesn't hesitate to
tell you if he doesn't think something is right, his style is gentle and encouraging and you always come
away richer.
Finally, among the Puccini and Verdi roles are there any that you'd especially like to add to your
repertoire during the next few years?
Somehow I've missed Sharpless thus far, which would be a great sing – he’s a swell guy too, although he
too doesn't get an aria – it’s a hard life for Puccini baritones! On the Verdi front, there is a huge range
of possibilities, but to name a few: I would expect to do a Germont (La traviata) fairly soon, an
Amonasro (Aïda) would be good, Ford (Falstaff) is optimal, and of course Rodrigo in Don Carlos is
another wonderful character, but there are plenty more...
24
Resources and Links
Tosca
http://www.opera-guide.ch/opera.php?id=286&uilang=en
Libretto of the opera in Italian and English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vinp9O9RH6s
San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Enjoy an introduction to Puccini's shabby little shocker as Nick
Reveles talks about Tosca.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca
Wikipedia article on the opera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tosca
Wikipedia article on the play by Victorien Sardou
http://www.toscasprism.com/
Links to La Tosca, the play by Victorien Sardou, translated by Deborah Burton. Each act is in a separate
pdf file, accessible at bottom right of the web page.
http://www.sdopera.com/Operapaedia/Tosca
Overview of Tosca by San Diego Opera, including a synopsis of Sardou’s play and of the opera, discussion
of the music, the historic Battle of Marengo, and the sites in Rome where the opera takes place.
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-jinx-iness-tosca-operas-favorite-mishaps-magnet-7001172.html
The Jinx-iness of Tosca: Opera's Favorite Mishaps-Magnet: With stabbing, shooting, and a final suicidal
leap off the battlements of the Castel Sant' Angelo, staging Tosca is a prescription for operatic mishaps.
Here are a few stories of operatic accidents associated with productions of Tosca.
Tosca’s Rome
http://www.roh.org.uk/news/roman-holiday-on-the-trail-of-tosca
On the Trail of Tosca in Rome: The buildings mentioned in Tosca can still be seen in Rome today. Here
are photos and descriptions of the action of the opera that takes place in each setting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Andrea_della_Valle
Wikipedia article on the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Andrea_della_Valle_%28Rome%29
Pictures of the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, the setting for Act 1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Farnese
Wikipedia article on the Palazzo Farnese, the setting for Act 2. In the opera it is Scarpia’s home. Today it is
the French Embassy.
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/castle_st_angelo/castel_st_angelo.htm
Article on Castel St. Angelo, the setting for Act 3. Click on the small pictures for 360 degree panoramic
views (Run them at full screen for that you-are-there feeling!
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant%27Angelo_%28Rome%29
Pictures of Castel St. Angelo, the setting for Act 3
http://www.pov.bc.ca/tosca.html
Pacific Opera Victoria’s web pages on Tosca: for videos, artist bios, musical selections, and more.
25
University of Victoria Resources
Discovering Tosca and Puccini: Resources at the University of Victoria Library
If you would like to view the score of Tosca, hear a recording or read more about the opera or about the life
of Puccini, then the University of Victoria Library has the resources you need. The library’s extensive score
collection has both the full score and the vocal score, along with recordings of Tosca, including
performances with Leontyne Price, Maria Callas, and Kiri Te Kanawa. The library also has a copy of the
libretto to Tosca and a book about the opera itself.
Selected books about Puccini and his music include:
Letters of Giacomo Puccini / translated and edited by Ena Makin (ML410 P89A23)
Giacomo Puccini: the Man, His Life, His Work / Richard Specht (ML410 P89S61)
Giacomo Puccini / Wolfgang Marggraf (ML410 P89M26 1979)
Puccini: a Biography / Mary Jane Phillips-Matz (ML410 P89P52)
The Puccini Companion / edited by William Weaver and Simonetta Puccini. (ML410 P89P833)
For a good short and concise article about Puccini, check the Grove Dictionary of Music which is located in
the Music Reference Area. It is also available online but this version can only be used in the library.
For more information on any of these resources or on anything music related please come by the library or
ask the music librarian, Bill Blair at [email protected] or 250-472-5025.
Bill Blair, Music Librarian, University of Victoria Libraries
26
Student Activities
Exploring Plot and Character
Create a character sketch for one of the characters (for example, Tosca, Cavaradossi, Scarpia, Angelotti).
Questions you might ask about the character include:
What can be assumed about this person?
What is the character’s relationship with the other characters?
Why does the character make the choices he or she does?
Include evidence from the opera to support your claim. Keep in mind the music sung by your character.
Do the emotions conveyed through the music fit the character sketches?
Create a journal from the point of view of the character selected. Write a journal of the events of the
opera from that character’s point of view. Write in the first person, and include only information that
the character would know.
After the Opera
Draw a picture of your favourite scene in the opera.
What is happening in this scene?
What characters are depicted?
Create an opera design.
Design and draw a stage set for a scene in Tosca. Decide whether to use the historical locations chosen
by Puccini or to create your own set. If you use the historical locations, see the links in the Tosca’s Rome
section to inspire you.
Design and draw costumes for the characters in the scene.
Write a review of the opera.
What did you think about the sets, props and costumes?
Would you have done something differently? Why?
What were you expecting? Did it live up to your expectations?
Talk about the singers. Describe their characters. Describe their voices.
Who was your favourite character?
What was your favourite visual moment in the opera?
What was your favourite musical moment in the opera?
Study guide by Robert Holliston and Maureen Woodall
Pacific Opera Victoria
27

POV Tosca Guide - Pacific Opera Victoria

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