Tosca

Synopsis
Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, seeks refuge in the private chapel of his sister, the Marchesa Attavanti, in the Church of S. Andrea.  The sacristan enters to return cleaned brushes to artist Mario Cavaradossi, who arrives to resume his painting of Mary Magdalen, which he has based on the Marchesa.  As he works, he compares his model’s fairness with the dark beauty of his beloved Tosca.  After the sacristan leaves, Angelotti reveals himself to the artist, explaining that he has run from the clutches of Scarpia, head of the Roman police.  The two hear Tosca outside, and Angelotti hides as Cavaradossi meets her.  She has heard voices, and recognizing the Marchesa in the face of Magdalen, becomes jealous.  Although preoccupied with Angelotti’s plight, the artist reassures her.  Her departure permits the two men to plan Angelotti’s escape.  Meanwhile, the sacristan brings news that Napoleon has been defeated at Marengo.  Scarpia and his agents, arriving to keep order, find traces of Angelotti’s visit.  Scarpia takes a fan belonging to the Marchesa and taunts the jealous Tosca when she returns.  Unable to disguise his passion for her, Scarpia has Tosca followed, for she could be the downfall of both Angelotti and the suspected liberal, Cavaradossi.

When attempts to find Angelotti fail, Cavaradossi is arrested and brought to Scarpia.  In the same palazzo, Tosca is performing for the queen, and her voice is heard during her lover’s interrogation.  The artist denies knowledge of Angelotti, as does Tosca when she arrives.  Her resolve crumbles, however, when Cavaradossi is tortured.  As the artist curses her betrayal, news arrives that Napoleon was in fact victorious.  Cavaradossi’s joy results in Scarpia’s sentencing him to be shot at dawn.  As her lover is taken away, Tosca is informed that she might save him by yielding to Scarpia.  She agrees but demands safe-conduct passes so that she and Cavaradossi will be free to leave Rome.  After arranging a mock execution, Scarpia approaches Tosca, who stabs him and flees.  Awaiting death, Cavaradossi recalls his love for Tosca, who hurries in to inform him of the plan.  Scarpia’s revenge reaches beyond the grave, however, for the execution proves to be real.  Tosca, then pursued for murder, leaps to her death.

notes on Tosca
When discussing verismo, or realism, in Italian opera, one of the first examples which spring to mind is Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca.  Perhaps audiences in the 1990s, so accustomed to violence in films and television, might fail to comprehend the contemporary reaction to this work, which shocked critics because of the brutality in its plot.  Nineteenth-century operagoers who had come to accept Gilda’s murder and Gioconda’s suicide must have been jolted by Floria Tosca, a woman who took justice into her own hands rather than become its victim.

Puccini became acquainted with the story in 1895 when he saw a production of Sardou’s play La Tosca in Florence.  Four years later, he wrote to his publisher, Ricordi, suggesting that he be given the rights to set the work, for “in this Tosca I see the opera that I need.”  Luigi Illica, one half of the librettist team with which Puccini’s name is most often associated, had already written a plot based on the play; poet Giuseppe Giacosa, the other half, was given the task of setting it into verse.  Dramatically, the two created a character who is clearly more complex and credible than her prototype.  She is at one and the same time worldly and spiritual, self-confident yet prey to jealous fears, weak when ensnared but bold enough to regain control of her destiny.  Sardou’s Tosca engaged Puccini’s theatrical nature; their Tosca inspired some of his most riveting music.

Tosca, set in the politically turbulent Rome of 1800, premiered in that city exactly one century later.  Despite the controversy surrounding it, the work has survived as one of the most celebrated operas in Puccini’s artistic legacy.

- Denise Gallo, Ph.D.
Dr. Gallo is the Music Specialist in the Music Division of The Library of Congress and an Adjunct Professor of Music History at The Catholic University of America.  Active in arts education, she is a frequent speaker and writer for The Washington Opera, The Baltimore Opera Company, Washington Concert Opera and Summer Opera.  Her scholarly activity is in nineteenth-century Italian opera studies.

Artists’ Bios

Dara Rahming*, Floria Tosca, Tosca
Bahamian-born soprano Dara Rahming has been gracing the concert and operatic stage for close to ten years.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Masters of Music from the University of Miami.  Soon after completing her education she sang her first contracted role in her native Bahamas, singing the role of Gina in the Bahamian Opera Our Boys composed by Cleophas Adderley.  Our Boys, commissioned by the Bahamian government, in 1998, for the celebration of the Bahamas 25th year of Independence was a first for the country and a great success. Since then Dara has performed with numerous opera companies in the United States and Europe.  She’s sung in over 250 performances with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and performed in the revival of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha and the revision of Dominick Argento’s Miss Havisham’s Fire with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.  In 2004 Dara sang the role of Medora in Verdi’s Il Corsaro, with the Sarasota Opera and went on to sing her first Tosca with the same company later that season.  The Sarasota Opera duly recognized her hard work by making her the recipient of the Daniel R. Mandelker and Marlene N. Harris Fund Grant. That summer she sang the role of Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bessat the Linz Landestheatre in Linz, Austria. Later that year, she performed the same role at the Bunkamura Orchestra Hall in Tokyo, Japan and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2005 Dara returned to Florida to sing the 1st Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflötewith Florida Grand Opera. The same year she made her Washington National Opera’s company debut singing, on separate nights, the roles of Lily and Serena in the company’s first ever production of Porgy and Bess. After witnessing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the massive flooding in the New Orleans area in the summer of 2005, Ms. Rahming decided to dedicate herself to the relief effort. In 2006, she along with friends began a Benefit Recital Series designed to raise money for her alma mater, Xavier University located in New Orleans. So far she has given two of these recitals with plans for more. This year, Ms. Rahming will be making debuts with three companies: singing the role of Bess with the Oakland East Bay Symphony in California and with the Union Avenue Opera in Missouri; and the title role in Tosca with Summer Opera.

Benjamin Warschawski, Mario Cavaradossi, Tosca
Benjamin Warschawski is recognized worldwide for his extraordinary talents in both operatic and cantorial realms. His ability to bring polished, classical style to his cantorial singing and rich, soulful emotion to the operatic stage has prompted many to dub him  “this generation’s Richard Tucker.”  The tenor has thrilled audiences worldwide in fifteen leading tenor roles including Alfredo in La Traviata, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Don Jose in Carmen, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and the title roles in both Werther and Edgar. He has graced such esteemed stages as New York City Opera, Sarasota Grand Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Delaware and Austin Lyric Opera.  Mr. Warschawski has performed with such legendary opera singers as Sherrill Milnes, James Morris, Jerome Hines, Aprile Millo, Dominic Cossa, Sharon Sweet, Brent Ellis, Pamela Armstrong, Mark Delavan, and William  Warfield, and he is a past winner of the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions.    In the 2006-2007 season, he performed two of the most splendid Italian operas of all time; Il Trovatore with Washington Summer Opera and Turandot with Boheme Opera New Jersey. Mr. Warschawski also returned to Sarasota Opera to sing the leading tenor role in Moniuszko’s Polish opera Halka; and will perform cantorial and operatic concerts in the Hamptons, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Richmond, Miami and Los Angeles.  As a cantor, Mr. Warschawski began his journey to the pulpit as a teenager, singing in the prestigious Beth T’filoh Choir in Baltimore. In 1997 he received the title of Reverend Cantor from the Cantorial Council of America at the Belz School of Music, Yeshiva University. That same year he assumed the pulpit at The Ner Tamid/Greenspring Valley Synagogue in Baltimore, a post he held for five years, followed by a two-year position at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida. Cantor Benjamin Warschawski has concertized extensively with virtually every major cantor and renowned Jewish singer singing today.  He currently holds the position of Chief Cantor at the prestigious Ezra Habonim/The Niles Township Congregation in Skokie, Illinois.  The tenor resides in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife, Chana and daughter, Adina.

Jason Stearns, Baron Scarpia, Tosca
Placido Domingo, along with Marta Domingo, James Morris, Regina Resnik and Mignon Dunn, awarded Jason Stearns First Prize in the first annual Chester Ludgin American Verdi Baritone Competition in May of 2005. His European debut was as Di Luna in a new production of Il trovatore with Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen in Spring, 2006. Recent engagements include Biterolf in Tannhäuser and the title role in Britten’s Noye’s Fludde with Los Angeles Opera under James Conlon, the High Priest in Samson et Dalila opposite Denyce Graves at Florida Grand Opera, and Lohengrin with the Leipzig Opera. Future engagements include the title role in Der fliegende Holländer at the Savonlinna Festival, Tonio in Pagliacci with Boston’s Chorus Pro Musica, Scarpia in Tosca with Summer Opera, and a return to Los Angeles Opera for roles in Jenufa and in Ullmann’s Der zebrochene Krug.  Since his retirement from the U.S. Army Chorale, Mr. Stearns has been building his repertoire in the second tier of opera houses in the United States, having already sung Rigoletto, Germont, Renato, Iago, Di Luna, Don Carlo in Ernani, and Macbeth, as well as Sharpless, Michele in Il tabarro, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Tonio in Pagliacci, and such bel canto rarities as Severo in Poliuto, Bertucci in Marino Falliero, and Enrico in Maria di Rohan.  Mr. Stearns has appeared with Washington Opera as Nikitisch in Boris Godunov, the King in Le Cid, the Herald in Otello, and Westmorland in Sly. He also has in his repertoire Don Carlo in La forza del destino and Amonasro in Aïda, and he prepared the title role in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer and Wotan in Das Rheingold with the late Thomas Stewart.  Concert repertoire includes the Bach Passions, Elijah, Requiem of Mozart and Brahms, L’Enfance du Christ, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. With the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., Mr. Stearns recorded the baritone solos in John Corigliano’s Of Rage and Rememberance, which won a Grammy Award in 1997. Other orchestras with which he has performed include the Rochester Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony.  With the U.S. Army Chorale, Mr. Stearns appeared often at the White House and at other diplomatic events, and was a featured soloist with the U.S. Army Band. Prior to his Army service, Mr. Stearns received his musical training at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Neil Ewachiw, Cesare Angelotti, Tosca

Kwang-Kyu Lee, A sacristan, Tosca
Mr. Lee is currently a DMA candidate in voice at The University of Maryland, where he also received his MM in Voice in 2002.  He earned his BM in Vocal Performance from The Han-Yang University in Korea.  He was awarded the NJ Opera Vocal Competition and third place in the LiederKranz Foundation Vocal Competition in 2005, grand prize in The Annapolis Opera Competition in 2002, and was a Regional winner for The Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2001.  Operatic repertoire includes Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Ferrando in Il Trovatore for Summer Opera in 2006; Sparafucile in Rigoletto for Summer Opera in 2005; Montano in Otello for Summer Opera in 2004; The Commendatore in Don Giovanni for Annapolis Opera; Colline in La Bohème for The Music Festival in St. Bartheleme in Caravian; and Betto in Gianni Schicchi for Opera International. Oratorio work includes the Bass soloist in the Hadyn Creation, the Dvorák Stabat Mater, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the Bach Magnificat and Handel's Messiah.

Adam Hall, Spoletta-a police agent, Tosca
Adam Hall, tenor, is a Masters student in the University of Maryland Opera Studio.  His roles there include Harlekin in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and El Remandado in Carmen.   He can be seen there in the fall as Jimmy in the new opera Later the Same Evening by John Musto.  This is Mr. Hall's fourth production with Summer Opera.   His previous roles were Borsa in Rigoletto, 2nd Priest & 1st Armored Man in The Magic Flute, and Ruiz in Il Trovatore.  He also sings regularly with The Washington National Opera and Baltimore Opera as well as soloing with many local groups, including Cantate Chamber Singers, Choralis, The Washington Chorus, and Chantry.

Zachary Nelson*, Mr. Dashwood, Little Women and Sciarrone, Tosca
Mr. Nelson is a Junior Vocal Performance Major on scholarship at The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Roles include: Cal in Marc Blitzstein's Regina, Don Alfonso in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, Ensemble in Andrew Simpson's world premiere opera The Furies, Achilla and Curio in Handel's Giulio Cesare, Antonio in Opera Bel Cantanti's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Martin in Candide. Prior to attending CUA, he was selected as a Maryland Distinguished Scholar for the Arts and chosen to sing at the recognition ceremony at The Johns Hopkins University. He studies with Sharon Christman

Jeffrey Spade, Stage Director, Tosca
Jeffrey Spade’s directing credits include a wide range of operatic repertoire, the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, musical theater, and dramatic works ranging from Greek tragedy and Shakespeare to twentieth century theater and original plays. He made his regional operatic directing debut at OperaDelaware in March 2003 with his production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado and returned to direct The Pirates of Penzance in spring 2006. He is a founding member of the Shaker Mountain Opera Festival in Pittsfield, MA since the inception of the festival in 2001. This festival gives emerging professional singers the opportunity to perform in fully staged operas with the Albany Symphony. At Shaker Mountain, he has directed Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Le Nozze di Figaro, L’Elisir d’amore, Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, La Boheme, and Lucia di Lammermoor. Prior to Shaker Mountain, Mr. Spade was the stage director for the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, where he directed The Barber of Seville, Madame Butterfly, The Old Maid and the Thief, and Trouble in Tahiti. Equally active in the field of education, Mr. Spade was the Artistic and Executive Director for the Summer Interlude Music Theater Program in New York City from 1996 – 2003. He currently serves as a mentor, consultant, and guest teacher for Waldorf School music and drama programs in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois where he is the Director of Music for the Chicago Waldorf School and the Arcturus Rudolf Steiner Education program.

Hajime Teri Murai, Conductor, Tosca
Hajime Teri Murai was appointed in 1991 as the Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Director of Orchestral Activities and serves as the Music Director of the Peabody Symphony and Concert Orchestras. This endowed position was established in the summer of 1990 as a result of a significant leadership gift to the Peabody Endowment Fund from the Blaustein-Rosenberg-Thalheimer Family Group in memory of Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg.  Mr. Murai has made guest conducting appearances with the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Florida Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Indiana Chamber Orchestra, the Diablo Music Festival, and the Summer Opera Theatre Company of Washington, D.C. He served on the faculty of the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, from 1976-1991, and was Music Director and Conductor of the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra from 1979-1991.  Mr. Murai has been awarded eleven ASCAP Awards for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music, including six awards with the Peabody Symphony and Concert Orchestras. In addition to premiering many new works, Mr. Murai gave the first performance in English of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No.13--Babi Yar (translation by Dr. Robert Evans). In 1987, he was a semi-finalist in the Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition.  Mr. Murai was born in San Francisco and began his conducting studies while attending Lowell High School. He received his BA and MA degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studied with Ronald Ondrejka. He attended the California Institute of the Arts to study with Gerhard Samuel, and has also worked with Richard Lert.

Donald Edmund Thomas, Lighting Designer, Tosca
Mr. Thomas has designed the lighting for Summer Opera productions for 15 seasons, including last season's The Magic Flute and Il Trovatore.   A 2003 recipient of the Vincent P. Walter Best Boy Award, his other designs for Summer Opera are Roberto Devereux (His first design in 1990), Dialogues of the Carmelites (1994), The Three Penny Opera (1996), Die Tote Stadt (1998), Ariadne Auf Naxos (2002), and Cendrillon and Rigoletto (2005).  Other recent productions include Carmen for Virginia Opera, Madama Butterfly for Palm Beach Opera, Romeo et Juliette for Atlanta Opera, Deathtrap and The Man of LaMancia for the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre in Palm Beach, and In The Mood for Olney Theatre Center for the Arts.  Upcoming design projects include the world premiere of Cyrano, a new opera based on the Edmond Rostand play, composed by David DiChiera, the General Director of Michigan Opera Theatre, and with libretto and stage direction by Bernard Uzan, to be presented at Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit in October, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia in February, 2008.  He will also be designing I Pagliacci for Seattle Opera, Carmen for Toledo Opera, and La Traviata for Palm Beach Opera.

* debut artist