Puccini
Tosca
A stellar cast brings Puccini’s spellbinding opera to life, seizing every opportunity to thrill the audience. Luciano Pavarotti is Cavaradossi, the painter and political revolutionary in love with the beautiful and famous singer Tosca (the riveting Shirley Verrett). Rome’s diabolical chief of police, Baron Scarpia (Cornell MacNeil), wants Tosca for himself—but he underestimates the fury of a woman in love. With torture, murder, and a suicide in its final moments, Tosca packs more dramatic punches than most other operas—and this classic telecast captures them all. James Conlon conducts in a production by the incomparable Tito Gobbi, one of the great Scarpias of the 20th century.
Full SynopsisPerformance Info
Performance Date
Dec 19, 1978
Composer
Giacomo Puccini
Librettist
Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
Run Time
2 HRS 04 MIN
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
DVD release by Virgin Classics / The Metropolitan Opera