Vancouver Opera Presents Tosca
byVancouver Opera presents Tosca from October 26th until November 3rd, opening its 2013-2014 season with Puccini’s last great 19th century opera. Featuring lavish sets and costumes, a magnificent chorus of more than 50 voices, and with 60 players in the orchestra pit, Tosca is a thrill for the senses.
In Rome in 1800, the cruel chief of police, Baron Scarpia, is consumed with desire for Floria Tosca, the city’s most celebrated singer. Using terror, extortion, and fraud, Scarpia threatens Tosca and imprisons her revolutionary lover, Mario Cavaradossi. Before Scarpia can have his way with Tosca, she plunges a knife into his heart. In the opera’s harrowing climax, the lovers are reunited, only to be betrayed, from the grave, by the evil Scarpia.
Set in a time of political and religious upheaval, Puccini’s masterful drama paints three unforgettable portraits: the fiery, pure-hearted Tosca; the passionate political idealist Mario; and the deeply depraved Scarpia. Puccini’s score is filled with soaring melody, authentic Roman atmosphere, and spellbinding tension.
Tosca has everything a really great melodrama should have: sex, politics, and religion—a jealous diva; an artist willing to die to oppose tyranny; a depraved baron hiding a lust for dominance behind a mask of piety; love, jealousy, subterfuge, spies, violence, attempted rape, murder and betrayal. Add to that several of Puccini’s greatest arias and the luscious orchestration and it’s easy to see why Tosca has been one of the most frequently staged works in the operatic repertoire. Whoever said the opera was boring had certainly never been!
Opening night is Saturday, October 26, 2013, with subsequent performances Thursday, October 31; Friday, November 1; Saturday, November 2 at 7:30pm and a matinee performance on Sunday, November 3 at 2:00pm. All performances are at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets are available exclusively through the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre online or by telephone at (604) 683-0222.
Vancouver Opera extends a special treat to Halloween night audiences. All patrons who attend the Thursday, October 31st performance of Tosca in costume will receive $10 in “Opera Bucks”, which may be used toward the purchase of a single ticket for any remaining 2013-2014 Vancouver Opera performance.
I have a pair of tickets to give away to Tosca as well, here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, October 21, 2013. The winner will receive a pair of tickets to Tosca on Friday, November 1, 2013 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Vancouver Opera 2013-2014 Season
Tickets for Vancouver Opera’s 2013-2014 season are now on sale. The season includes Tosca (opening October 26th), Albert Herring (opening November 30th), Don Giovanni (opens March 1st), and Don Carlo (opens May 3rd). Follow on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their upcoming performances.
If you haven’t yet experienced the opera, I highly encourage you to do so. Ever since my first “Blogger Night at the Opera” (with Eugene Onegin in 2008) my appreciation has grown. The talent, voices, emotion, orchestra, and stunning sets that the Vancouver Opera manages to produce will blow you away.
Update The winner is Julian!
77 Comments — Comments Are Closed
I’d love to win these tickets
What a great night out!
Sounds like fun!
Looks fabulous.
Hey! Great activity!
I would love, love, love to see this. Thanks
I never saw any opera in english (i am a frenchi from france – europe) i’d love to see one in Vancouver 🙂
Thanks !
Anne
Would love to see an opera show for my first time!
I would just love this!
Awesome
Baller.
Tosca!
It’s been a few years since I’ve been to the Vancouver Opera. Tosca would be fun.
This would be a wonderful experience! thanks 🙂
That would be a great night out! (my fingers are crossed!)
take me!
I would love tickets to Tosca. I love watching operas.
What a lovely opportunity…hoping for a win!
I love watching Italian operas.
This would be a fun night out!
I would love to win, and take my god daughter who has just discovered opera…
Would love these tickets so I can surprise my husband who is studying music at Cap U. He is dying to go but we cant afford it at the moment. 🙂
Oh yes please! It’s time to expand my love for theatre.
I have only been to one Opera years ago, would be thrilled to win these
I would love to win these tickets!
Would love to go to Tosca!
Sounds like a lovely evening !!!
I LOVE Puccini.. I did a degree in classical voice, but I never get to go to the opera these days. This would be such a nice win.
would love to take my daughter!
Would love to go!
i love the Opera!
All the stars are aligned! I am off work that day, and my husband actually said to me yesterday that he wished he could go to the Opera! I really hope I can win this for my sweetheart!
would love to take my date here
It would be a pleasure to go!
I’ve never been to the opera – would love to experience this.
I have never been to the opera before and this sounds like it would be an amazing experience! Thanks!
I would love to go to the opera
I would love to take my mom who will be in town!
This will be a perfect night out for us.
This sounds like a tantalizing production
I would so enjoy this!
My favourite opera !
would love to go to the Opera!
Sounds like a great play!
Would love to take my Mom 🙂 !
Would love to go!
What a great prize! 🙂
It would be a blast to watch! I LOVE operas!
this would be a wonderful production!
I would treat my dad!
I’d love to win these.
I would love to see Tosca. I enjoy listening & going to an opera.
I would love to see Tosca with my daughter. We both enjoy listening & going to an opera.
I would love to learn more about operas.
Wow – never been to an opera. Would love to give it a try!
Would be so fun to see an opera show for my first time!
I would LOVE to have my own Blogger night at the opera!
Would love to see Tosca!
O dolci baccio languide carezze…
Would love to take my dad!
This would be a great cultural treat for Vancity Girlfriends!
Great date night for me and my guy!
Tos-da tickets dis way!
I’d love to win.
yes please, haven’t been to the opera for quite some time
I have never seen an Opera in person, but I have been to the movie theatre to see the Met “live”. I would take my sister, who has never been either.
I would love, love, love to win these tickets. We had Seasons ticketsd about 10 years ago and was thrilled by every performance. I even got my husband on board. thanks.
I love opera! Pick me please!
Please pick me. I have never been to the opera!
Would love to see this production.
Can’t imagine a better Fall eve in Van.
Sounds good.
I’ve wanted to take my bf to an opera to show him how fabulous they are!
It will lovely to be able to watch the opera from an orchestra seat!
Would love to take my new husband!
I haven’t been to the opera in a few years and miss it! I would love to see this one especially.
Sounds great to go to this opera!
Would love to take my 17 year old daughter.