All American Hydroponics

Author: Adam Singleton

London is well known for its vibrant arts scene and its year-round packed musical programme. From Camden’s Roundhouse to the world famous Royal Albert Hall, the UK’s capital is overflowing with eclectic musical venues that attract concert-goers from all corners of the globe. But amongst the giants of London’s summer musical fixtures looms one well-known regular: the world-famous Puccini opera, Tosca.

Tosca has been played at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden every year since 1964, when Italian director Franco Zeffirelli famously adapted the opera for Maria Callas, a Greek-American soprano who is often referred to as the best-known opera singer of the post World War II period. In 2006, however, Tosca at the Garden (as it is now popularly known) received a revamp from the Almeida Theatre’s Jonathan Kent - a bold move, given that Zeffirelli’s version had been used for forty-two years.

The story of Tosca is set amidst the backdrop of revolutionary Rome in 1800, and sees Scarpia, a police chief, seeking an escaped prisoner called Angelotti. Scarpia arrests the artist Cavaradossi, whom he is certain has helped Angelotti escape, but also brings into the mix Cavaradossi’s girlfriend - Tosca - who he thinks may have been an accomplice.

Scandalously, Scarpia agrees to save Cavaradossi’s life if Tosca allows him to have his way with her. However, the tragic ending comes when Tosca, convinced that Scarpia has let Cavaradossi go, stabs the police chief before finding out that her lover has in fact been shot, and ultimately flings herself from the Castello d’Angelo’s ramparts as Rome’s police pursue her.

Puccini based Tosca upon a drama by French playwright Victorien Sardou and since its premier in Rome in 1900, it has become one of the world’s most performed operas. Maria Callas, the original Tosca of Tosca at the Garden, is seen by many opera fans to have made the role her own and it’s possible to find footage of her powerful performance as the tragic heroine on YouTube today.

Jonathan Kent’s new production of Tosca sees Puccini’s “shabby little shocker” with a whole new cast, including Finnish National Opera director Mikko Franck making his conducting debut. With a mix of established operatic talent and new voices taking part, this year’s Tosca at the Garden is sure to be a success.

Moreover, with flights to London leaving most international airports daily, taking a trip to Britain’s capital to see this momentous production of Tosca won’t be hard if you’re not a British resident. And with the Garden’s 2007 season continuing with revivals of Rigoletto, Cosi fan tutte and all three of Wagner’s Ring cycles, there’s much more to come from London’s centre of operatic art.