Tosca

  • 2012/2013 Season
  • Giacomo Puccini : Tosca
    Opera in 3 Acts
    Sung in Italian with Japanese Supertitles
  • OPERA HOUSE



  • PERFORMANCES

    2012
    Nov.1114172023
    SunWedSatTueFri
    2:00
    *    		2:00
         		2:00
         		7:00
    *    		2:00
    *

Artistic Director Otaka Tadaaki has stressed the importance of incorporating popular standards of the opera canon into the season lineup. We are thus proud to present a repeat production of Antonello Madau Diaz's Tosca. Diaz's production represents the quintessence of Italian opera in the orthodox style. With its Te Deum scene performed by a large chorus as a finale to the first act, and its magnificent stage settings, Tosca is one of those popular works of the NNTT repertory that deserves to be brought back for a repeat run once every few years. The storyline is a simple one with universal appeal. The dramatic elements of love, hatred, and an evil chief of police are presented one after another in quick succession. At just under three hours, the opera is by no means too long. And with arias such as "Vissi d'arte"/ I lived for art, I lived for love" and "E lucevan le stelle / When the stars were brightly shining", the opera shows what a master composer of melody Puccini was. "If Puccini were alive today, he might have been a greater hitmaker than even the great film composer John Williams," says Otaka Tadaaki, in a comment that speaks to the ability of this work to capture people's hearts. The role of Tosca will be sung by Norma Fantini, a performer who has become a fixture at the NNTT since her appearance in our production of Aida (NNTT 10th Anniversary Special Production) a few years back. The role of Cavaradossi will be sung by heldentenor Simon O'Neill, a New Zealander who is fast gaining global recognition. South Korean Seng-Hyoun Ko will sing the role of Scarpia. Numajiri Ryusuke will conduct, making this truly an international effort. Puccini's operas are some of the most dramatic of the canon, and we hope to see audiences come out in big numbers. In the hands of different performers, repertory works such as this can take on new dimensions, which means audiences can enjoy them as a fresh experience each time.

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