Tosca – History of the Opera

Oxford International Opera will debut with a performance of Tosca this September. As is so often the case with opera, the history and characters offstage only add to the spectacle of the performance. With that in mind, read on for some context on how Giacomo Puccini’s fast-paced, tragic political thriller came to be.

Before there was Tosca, the opera, there was La Tosca, the play. Victorien Sardou, a French playwright, wrote the play in the late 19^th century, and it debuted on stage in Paris on 24 November 1887. That night, Sarah Bernhardt, a successful actress who had also starred in La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils and Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo, was the leading lady. La Tosca was a hit.

In addition to the thousands of performances in France, the production toured across Europe. In Italy, Giacomo Puccini, at a somewhat uncertain stage in his own career, saw the play and was quickly infatuated with the idea of turning it into an opera.

He got his wish, initially. The original deal between Puccini and Sardou collapsed in 1891 after Sardou fretted about assigning the adaptation to a composer whom he did not like, and Puccini took offence. This was only for a time, however; Puccini’s interest would arise again.

When the replacement composer, Alberto Franchetti, surrendered the rights in 1895, Puccini took the mantle again. Not long after, Puccini’s seminal work La bohème would debut, cementing the composer as a great talent.

Tosca, with all its passion, jealousy and power, would finally debut at the turn of the century, 1900. Roman dignitaries, Queen Margherita, the Italian Prime Minister, and a string of Puccini’s rivals were all in attendance at the Teatro Costanzi (now the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma).

As we know, 126 years later, Tosca would be an enduring success, performed all over the world. To find out what makes the story so enticing, read our characters and synopsis breakdown here.

Find tickets to the Oxford International Opera’s performance of Tosca here

Join the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra alongside international opera stars for the brand-new, fully-staged production of Oxford International Opera, where we will bring Puccini’s Tosca to the stage of the New Theatre in Oxford. Featuring internationally renowned opera singers such as Sir Bryn Terfel, Carmen Giannattasio and Saimir Pirgu, the Oxford Philharmonic will be the fourth protagonist and extra voice on the stage.

The Principal Donor of this production is the Laidlaw Opera Trust.