“La Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini (эссе № 2)

[Colorafuria]

тоже по-английски

“La Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini
“Tosca” is one of my favorite operas and one of the most popular operas on worlds’ stages. Because it’s short (only 2 all 1,5 hours)). If look at the time of Wagner’s operas… you’ll feel, what this one is short. So, I write to you a clean truth. And the one of the strongest sides of this musical masterpiece – dynamic and exciting plot and characters’ stories.
On this peace of paper I couldn’t describe all the perpetuities of those passions in kindergarten
You can find short synopsis in Google)))
Main character, Floria Tosca, is typical blonde girl, although she is dark-haired and black-gothic-eyed with a milky white face (what a poetry, hm)). That’s because I (and not only I) have a question: “HOW he could choose a “hamster”-tenor Mario Cavaradossi if she is loved by the real man, an ironical police chief Vitellio Scarpia?” And add to that magnificent deep baritone of Scarpia – that’s opera, so music means extremely many. Hamster… oh, sorry, Cavaradossi, is a painter who, what a pity, felled to politic and he haves what he haves. He is a mommy’s sonny (of course, not always, but often – Cavaradossi can be different, it’s a role), and his “mom” is Tosca in this situation. It’s not very pleasant looking, because it’s man who must protect woman, not inversely.
But Scarpia (of course, depending on playing, interpretation of role and singing) just does his work. Or maybe not. In official version Scarpia is main evil, brutal and not humanistic monster… no, I said wrong way. It’s official stereotype. But Scarpias can be very different. Some of them practically and theoretically refuse to doing Bad_Things, some – enjoy those Things. There are even Good_Scarpias, who really love Tosca and want marry her – not only “use” for different needs.
Tosca often also love Scarpia, but it causes of interpretation and character of soprano. If soprano is a “walking scandal and catastrophe mixed in one person” – she’s ideal variant for baron Scarpia, and he is the same – for her. Ideal pairing.
Best “classic” Tosca is Maria Callas, “amorous in Scarpia” – Magda Olivero, Raina Kabaivanska, Renata Tebaldi and others, “lyric-furia” – Angela Gheorghiu, Kiri Te Kanava, Mirella Freni.
Best Scarpias… This character is so many-sided, and everyone likes different side. Best “bad Scarpia” is Tito Gobbi, best “good Scarpia” – Ettore Bastianini and Samuel Ramey.
Cavaradossi also can be a man, not only a poor hamster. He may become a really hero, if play rightly. One of the best Cavaradossi-heroes are Jose Carreras and Jonas Kaufmann, although the most heartfelt Cavaradossi-hamster is Roberto Alagna.
“Tosca” is really genial opera, and not only I think so!

@темы: English forever, Опера!