Classical music: This Saturday’s “Live From the Met in HD” features a new and controversial production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Here is some background plus a review

By Jacob Stockinger

This Saturday starting at 11:55 a.m., “Live From the Met in HD” will broadcast the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of the popular and classic opera about love and politics, “Tosca” by Puccini.

In Madison, the production will be screened at the Point Cinemas on the far west side and the Marcus Palace Cinemas on the east side in Sun Prairie.

(The recorded encore presentation at both cinemas is next week,  on Wednesday, Jan. 31., at 1 and 6:30 p.m.)

Running time is 3 hours 35 minutes including two intermissions.

Admission is $22, $18 for seniors.

The opera will be sung in Italian with supertitles and subtitles in English, German, Spanish and Italian.

The production — previewed below by the director Sir David McVicar — has been a history of controversy, especially given various cast changes and cancellations.

For this performance, the leads are soprano  Sonya Yoncheva as Tosca (singing the aria “Vissi d’arte” in the YouTube video at the bottom), tenor Vittorio Grigolo as Cavaradossi and baritone Zeljko Lucic as Scarpia.

Here is a link to background provided by the Met:

http://www.metopera.org/Season/2017-18-Season/tosca-puccini-tickets/

Here is a link to a synopsis and cast notes:

http://www.metopera.org/metoperafiles/season/2017-18/operas/tosca/Tosca_HDsynopsis_Global_dates.pdf

The New York Times published a big preview and background story:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/arts/music/tosca-met-opera-james-levine.html

And here is a review, also from The New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/arts/music/tosca-metropolitan-opera.html

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Posted in Classical music
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