Tosca

Giacomo Puccini's operas are renowned for their strong female roles or for featuring women in title roles: Manon Lescaut, Turandot, Madama Butterfly. However, Puccini gave us perhaps the greatest female role alongside Turandot with his Tosca!

Tosca, Giacomo Puccini's opera in three acts, tells the dramatic story of the singer Floria Tosca, her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi, and the cruel chief of police, Baron Scarpia, who is obsessed with Tosca. The plot is set in Rome in 1800 and delivers all the emotions possible on stage and in life: love, power, jealousy, and betrayal.

Act One
Mario Cavaradossi is working on a portrait of the Virgin Mary in a church when his friend Angelotti, a political prisoner, escapes and seeks refuge with him. Cavaradossi hides him but is soon interrupted by his jealous lover, Tosca, who grows suspicious. Scarpia, the chief of police, discovers clues to Angelotti’s presence and plans to arrest Cavaradossi while scheming to win Tosca for himself.

Act Two
Scarpia tortures Cavaradossi to extract Angelotti’s whereabouts and threatens to kill Tosca’s lover if she does not submit to him. Desperate, Tosca seemingly agrees but learns that Cavaradossi faces only a mock execution. In a dramatic turn, Tosca kills Scarpia and flees.

Act Three
Tosca meets Cavaradossi in prison and prepares him for the "mock execution," but Scarpia’s betrayal comes to light: the execution is real. Realizing the trap, Tosca, overwhelmed by despair as soldiers move to arrest her, throws herself to her death.

Tosca ends tragically and is a masterpiece full of intense emotions, powerfully portraying the conflict between love and power.

In case of bad weather, a semi-staged version will be performed in the Babenbergerhalle at Rathausplatz.

Program and cast

The cast for the performances of Tosca will be announced soon!

Musical Director: Francesco Cilluffo
Director: Leonard Prinsloo
Set Design: Hans Kudlich
Costumes: Karin Fritz
Chorus Master: Michael Schneider
Makeup: TBA
Lighting: TBA
Floria Tosca: TBA
Mario Cavaradossi: TBA
Baron Vitello Scarpia: TBA
Cesare Angelotti: TBA
Spoletta: TBA
Sciarrone: TBA
Sacristan: TBA
A Jailer: TBA
Shepherd Boy: TBA

Beethoven Philharmonie
operklosterneuburg Chorus
operklosterneuburg Extras