Tosca Visual Guide by Madison Opera

Tosca Giacomo Puccini Sung in Italian

Visual companion to Wisconsin Public Radio’s broadcast of Madison Opera’s production May 17, 2014 at 1pm Production photography by James Gill

Tosca by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa based on the play by Victorien Sardou Premiered January 14, 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Italy Fifth production at Madison Opera Sung in Italian with English supertitles

Characters in order of vocal appearance Cesare Angelotti A Sacristan Mario Cavaradossi Floria Tosca Baron Scarpia Spoletta Sciarrone A Shepherd A Jailer

Ryan Kuster* Nikolas Wenzel* Scott Piper Melody Moore Nmon Ford Scott Brunscheen*+ Kenneth Stavert* Nathaniel Johnson* Greg Walters +

Conductor

* Madison Opera debut Madison Opera Studio Artist

John DeMain

Stage Director

A. Scott Parry

Chorus Master

Anthony Cao

Costume Designers Lighting Designer Wig and Make-up Designer

Andrew Marlay and Heidi Zamora John Frautschy Jan Ross

The performance will last approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, including two intermissions. Scenery is provided courtesy of Seattle Opera. Costumes executed by Seattle Opera Costume Shop.

THE STORY OF THE OPERA Rome, June 17, 1800. ACT I — The Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, rushes into the church of Sant’ Andrea della Valle to hide in the Attavanti chapel. As he vanishes, a Sacristan enters, praying at the sound of the Angelus. Mario Cavaradossi enters to work on his portrait of Mary Magdalene - inspired by the Marchesa Attavanti (Angelotti’s sister), whom he has seen but does not know. Taking out a miniature of the singer Floria Tosca, he compares her raven beauty with that of the blonde Magdalene. The Sacristan grumbles disapproval and leaves. Angelotti ventures out and is recognized by his friend and fellow liberal Mario, who gives him food and hurries him back into the chapel as Tosca is heard calling outside. Forever suspicious, she jealously questions him, then prays, and reminds him of their rendezvous that evening at his villa. Suddenly recognizing the Marchesa Attavanti in the painting, she explodes with renewed suspicions, but he reassures her. When she has gone, Mario summons Angelotti from the chapel; a cannon signals that the police have discovered the escape, so the two flee to Mario’s villa. Meanwhile, the Sacristan returns with choirboys who are to sing in a Te Deum that day. Their excitement is silenced by the entrance of Baron Scarpia, chief of the secret police, in search of Angelotti. When Tosca comes back to her lover, Scarpia shows her a fan with the Attavanti crest, which he has just found. Thinking Mario faithless, Tosca tearfully vows vengeance and leaves as the church fills with worshipers. Scarpia, sending his men to follow her to Angelotti, schemes to get the diva in his power. INTERMISSION ACT II — The Palazzo Farnese Scarpia anticipates the sadistic pleasure of bending Tosca to his will. The spy Spoletta arrives, not having found Angelotti; to placate the baron he brings in Mario, who is interrogated while Tosca is heard singing a cantata at a royal gala downstairs. She enters just as her lover is being taken to an adjoining room: his arrogant silence is to be broken under torture. Unnerved by Scarpia’s questioning and the sound of Mario’s screams, she reveals Angelotti’s hiding place. Mario is carried in; realizing what has happened, he turns on Tosca, but the officer Sciarrone rushes in to announce that Napoleon has won the Battle of Marengo, a defeat for Scarpia’s side. Mario shouts his defiance of tyranny and is dragged to prison. Scarpia, resuming his supper, suggests that Tosca yield herself to him in exchange for her lover’s life. Fighting off his embraces, she protests her fate to God, having dedicated her life to art and love. Scarpia again insists, but Spoletta interrupts: faced with capture, Angelotti has killed himself. Tosca, forced to give in or lose her lover, agrees to Scarpia’s proposition. The baron orders a mock execution for the prisoner, after which he is to be freed; Spoletta leaves. No sooner has Scarpia written a safe-conduct for the lovers than Tosca snatches a knife from the table and kills him. Wrenching the document from his stiffening fingers and placing candles at his head and a crucifix on his chest, she slips from the room. INTERMISSION ACT III — The Roof of the Castel Sant’Angelo The voice of a shepherd is heard as church bells toll the dawn. Mario awaits execution at the Castel Sant’Angelo; he bribes the jailer to convey a farewell note to Tosca. Writing it, overcome with memories of love, he gives way to despair. Suddenly Tosca runs in, filled with the story of her recent adventures. Mario caresses the hands that committed murder for his sake, and the two hail their future. As the firing squad appears, the diva coaches Mario on how to fake his death convincingly; the soldiers fire and depart. Tosca urges Mario to hurry, but when he fails to move, she discovers that Scarpia’s treachery has transcended the grave: the bullets were real. When Spoletta rushes in to arrest Tosca for Scarpia’s murder, she cries to Scarpia to meet her before God, then leaps to her death. - Courtesy of Opera News

PRODUCTION PERSONNEL Production Manager.........................................................................................................................................................................................................Kenneth Ferencek Technical Director............................................................................................................................................................................................................................Billy Larimore Production Stage Manager............................................................................................................................................................................................................Jill Krynicki Assistant Stage Managers............................................................................................................................................................Sean Corcoran, Kate Goodall Rehearsal Pianist..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................Scott Gendel Chorus Pianist..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Joy Bauman Costume Supervisor..................................................................................................................................................................................................Karen Brown-Larimore Costume Crew.......................................................................Virginia Bessert, Brenna Farmer, Laurie Everitt, Janine Wardale, Sharon White Wig and Make-up Designer................................................................................................................................................................................................................Jan Ross Wig and Make-up Crew.....................................................................................................................Leslie Frank-Taylor, Fran Nahabedian, Liz Rathke Properties Master.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................Jennifer Childers Properties Coordinator...............................................................................................................................................................................................................Susan Rathke Properties Crew....................................................................................................................................................Katherine Dutcher, Elaine Staley, Jane Taves Supertitles Cue Master....................................................................................................................................................................................................................Aileen Wall Scenic Decorator....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Liz Rathke Preview Artists............................................................................................................................................................................................................Kirstin Ihde, Jessie Lyons Master Carpenter..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Greg Silver Assistant Lighting Designer...........................................................................................................................................................................................................Betsy Lynch Overture Hall Technical Director...............................................................................................................................................................................Steve Schroeder House Carpenter...............................................................................................................................................................................................................David Gerschbach Head Electrician................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Gary Cleven Theater Technicians..................................................................................................................................Davin Pickell, Jim Schaefer, Frank Schneeberger Production Stage Crew..............................................................................................................................................Members of IATSE 251

251

Photographer.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................James Gil Videographer............................................................................................................................................................................................Jim Hoffmann, Video Memories

MADISON OPERA CHORUS Anthony Cao, Chorus Master SOPRANO

Jill Carlson Heidi Compuesto Karen Juliano Margaret Kay Maureen Kind Jessie Lyons+ Lynn Morgan

Connie Nelson Julie Ottum Alannah Spencer Lorie Wagner

Shelly Bitner Katie Butitta Lavonne Dettmers Alice Green Mary Hartkopf Natalie Hatch

Dale Kaufman Beth Morgan Laura Muller Erin Selbee Ellen Wojtak

BASS/BARITONE

TENOR

George Abbott III Jason Atkins Patrick Chounet Robert Goderich Steve Harrison Michael Hoke

MEZZO-SOPRANO

Paul Maurer Scott Seyforth Tom Stone Dan Turek Fred Younger

Andy Ball Robert Dinndorf David Flanders Rick Henslin Stan Hill Paul Kellerman

David Lawver Brian Schultz Glen Sifred John Unertl Greg Walters +

Madison Opera Studio Artist

MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

John DeMain, Music Director VIOLIN I Suzanne Beiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Concertmaster Leanne Kelso League Olga Pomolova Alice Bartsch Eleanor Bartsch Beth Larson Deanndra Deblack Jon Vriesacker Laura Burns Tim Kamps VIOLIN II Xavier Deblack Wendy Buehl Rachel Hauser Erica Cross Rolf Wulfsberg Olga Draguieva Valerie Sanders Ka Ming Tan VIOLA Christopher Dozoryst Katrin Talbot Diedre Buckley Renata Hornik Elisabeth Ellenwood Jen Paulson

CELLO Karl Lavine Karen Cornelius Jordan Allen Lindsey Crabb Lisa Bressler Margaret Townsend BASS Carl Davick Steve Kasprzak August Jirovec Brian Melk FLUTE Stephanie Jutt Elizabeth Marshall Linda Pereksta PICCOLO Linda Pereksta OBOE Andrea Gross Hixon Jennifer Morgan Holly Bobula

CLARINET Joseph Morris Nancy Mackenzie BASS CLARINET Gregory Smith BASSOON Cynthia Cameron-Fix Amanda Szczys CONTRABASSOON Carol Rosing HORN Linda Kimball Ricardo Almeida Michael Szczys William Muir

TUBA Joshua Biere HARP Karen Beth Atz KEYBOARD Scott Gendel TIMPANI John Jutsum PERCUSSION Geoffrey Brady Tom Ross Todd Hammes

TRUMPET John Aley Dave Cooper Rob Rohlfing TROMBONE Joyce Messer Benjamin Skroch Mark Hoelscher

ENGLISH HORN Jennifer Morgan

MADISON YOUTH CHOIRS Michael Ross, Artistic and Executive Director Nicole Sparacino, Managing Director Ben Auby Bruno Crump Miles Faber Liam Forrest

Finn Frakes Simon Johnson Eli Kuzma Johannes Laurila

Lynn Hembel, Margaret Jenks, Lisa Kjentvet, Lisa Shimon, Marcia Russell, Margaret Stansfield, Randal Swiggum, Conductors Matias Laurila Logan Mosling Ray Ponty Henrick Siemering

Ethan Staver Noel Tautges Stuart Thomason Lukas Wehlitz

SUPERNUMERARIES Gary A. Bennett Thomas Berthelon-Lathrop Michael Bickel Steve Harvancik

Brad Kahn Steve Powell Bryan Royston R.J. Salke

Alan Sanderfoot Andrew Turner Johnny Unertl

Madison Opera | Tosca |Act I

Interm

The intermissions for the WP discussions hosted by WPR Tosca discussion features M General Director Kathryn S

Madison Opera | Tosca |Act II

mission

PR broadcast include R’s Lori Skelton. The Madison Opera’s Smith.

Madison Opera | Tosca |Act II

Interm

The intermissions for the WP discussions hosted by WPR Tosca discussion features M General Director Kathryn S

Madison Opera | Tosca |Act II

mission

PR broadcast include R’s Lori Skelton. The Madison Opera’s Smith.

Madison Opera | Tosca |Act III

pera

Fidel i o

aged P St

Madiso

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miere re

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pera emiere Pr

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