2008: Tosca

8 August 2008 - Synopsis

Cesare Angelotti, a political prisoner, has escaped. He is looking for a key that the Countess Attavanti has hidden for him, together with some female clothing as a disguise.

The Verger, accompanied by some children, is looking for the painter Mario Cavaradossi. He is engaged in painting a fresco of Mary Magdalen, and is at the moment working on her eye which he has based on the Countess Attavanti‘s eye without realising that she is Angelotti‘s sister. He captures the children‘s attention with his passion for art, and for the beauty of this eye, which he compares with the diffferent but equally beautiful eyes of his beloved Floria Tosca. The verger fears he has a bad influence on the children and hurries them away.

Angelotti recognises Cavaradossi as a political ally, and Mario immediately offers him assistance and gives him some food in a basket. The two men are interrupted by Tosca, and Angelotti is obliged to hide once more.

The suspicious Diva believes Mario was with another woman, and her jealousy is further inflamed when she notices that the eye he is painting belongs to the Countess Attavanti. Mario is eventually able to convince the famous singer that he really loves her, and the loving couple, happy in their naive and unrealistic artistic world, lose themselves in romatic fervour.

Mario cannot resist Tosca‘s passion, although he is well aware that Angelotti is in hiding and that his position becomes more dangerous by the minute. Finally Tosca leaves, exacting a promise that Cavaradossi will repaint the eye black, like hers. Mario leads Angelotti away to his villa just as the canon announces that his escape has been discovered.

The Verger orders the children to prepare for the Te Deum, but in the midst of their undisciplined chaos the Police Chief Scarpia suddenly appears – a figure whose ruthless and violent methods spread fear and anxiety. He instantly understands the situation, recognises the woman in the painting, and draws connections between the sister and the painter as accomplices of the escaped prisoner. When Tosca suddenly returns to make peace with Cavaradossi, Scarpia further inflames her jealousy by pretending to have discovered the Attavanti‘s fan among Mario‘s painting utensils. Tosca believes her suspicions to have been justified and leaves in a fury for Mario‘s villa, followed by Scarpia‘s attentive sleuths. Scarpia glories in the Te Deum as the celebration of his power.

Scarpia‘s henchmen have taken Mario prisoner, as they were unable to find Angelotti at the villa At Scarpia‘s bidding, Tosca is also there. Mario is tortured, but denies all knowledge of Angelotti. Tosca, however, cannot bear his cries of pain and betrays Angelotti‘s hiding place.

Mario is furious, but upon hearing the news of a defeat for the forces that support Scarpia, cannot resist breaking out in triumph. Scarpia has him taken away to prison, and makes it clear to Tosca that the only way to save Mario‘s life is to give herself to him. Tosca agrees, but first demands from him a safe passage for them both, which Scarpia duly signs, leaving her to believe that Cavardossi will be the victim of a fake execution, after which they can make their escape. Scarpia believes he is now at liberty to rape her, but in the last moment Tosca stabs him to death and flees.

Tosca shows Mario the safe passage, and for one last time the pair lose themselves in their romantic dream of love. Tosca is sure of his rescue, but when she realises that he has actually been executed, she hurls herself to her own death.

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