Tosca

For many viewers, Margarethe Wallmann's Tosca production is a particularly successful and atmospheric production. It is the oldest directorial work in the Haus am Ring (premiere in 1958) - but the magic of this traditional production remains unbroken. The love story of Cavaradossi and Tosca and the political plot are impressively interwoven in vivid and effective images, while the stage space and costumes by Nicola Benois testify to a visual language that is as clear as it is impressive. For generations of Viennese opera-goers, Wallmann's production is the quintessential Tosca production. The production is given an additional attraction by the impressive number of well-known artistic personalities who have appeared before Viennese audiences in memorable performances under precisely this direction, in precisely these sets and in precisely these costumes.

 

In this opera, Giacomo Puccini played off the spheres of art and politics against each other and created a masterpiece of dramatically gripping music, but also enchanting beauty. Arias such as "E lucevan le stelle" and "Vissi d'arte" are not only among the most famous moments of the work, but have also become icons of opera history.

 

Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, first performed in Rome in 1900, is based on the play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou, a notorious colportage play at the time, which Sarah Bernardt successfully performed in the title role. Puccini's opera takes place on two very specific days: on June 17, 1800, a Tuesday, and at dawn on the following Wednesday. The three locations of Tosca - the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese and Castel Sant'Angelo - are actually existing buildings in Rome. The composer is also said to have listened to the bells at the beginning of the third act in the city: he obtained physical-acoustic information about the sound of the bells before starting the composition.