Dutch National Opera

Tosca

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

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Dates

12 April - 8 May

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Auditorium

Running time

2:20, incl. 1 intermission

Tickets

From €29

Bloodcurdling opera noir

The life of the temperamental singer Floria Tosca is a jumble of love, lust and political intrigue. When her lover is imprisoned by the sadistic chief of police Scarpia, Tosca takes fate into her own hands with horrifying consequences. Conductor Lorenzo Viotti and director Barrie Kosky launch a three-year Puccini cycle with their take on this classic opera.

Bloodcurdling opera noir

Tosca is high-voltage music theatre abounding in chaos and danger from the opening bars. With this melodrama, written in 1900 in a provocative, bold and cinematic style, Puccini and his music stormed into the 20th century.

Free of sentimentality

Directing Tosca is a great pleasure for the Australian-German director Barrie Kosky — it was the first opera he fell deeply in love with as a boy. Under his direction, the darker sides of the opera come to the fore. Don’t expect any glamorous Roman churches, rustling velvet or sparkling pearl necklaces. Kosky concentrates solely on the psychological drama and its bloody ending. Chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti, who is a keen Puccini enthusiast, delivers a musically ‘sugar-free’ Tosca. He shakes off the traditions of interpretation and approaches the score with a fresh outlook. Viotti leads ‘his’ Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chorus of Dutch National Opera and prominent soloists.

Following her sensational Salome in 2017, Swedish soprano Malin Byström returns to DNO to perform the title role in Tosca. The Mexican-American tenor Joshua Guerrero, a specialist in the Italian repertoire, guarantees a fiery interpretation of the passionate artist Mario Cavaradossi, and Armenian baritone Gevorg Hakobyan promises to deliver an energetic, yet terrifying Scarpia.

Performance information

Libretto Giuseppe Giacoso and Luigi Illica, after Victorien Sardou’s La Tosca
Musical directionLorenzo Viotti
Stage directionBarrie Kosky
Set designRufus Didwiszus
CostumesKlaus Bruns
Lighting design Franck Evin

Floria Tosca Malin Byström
Mario Cavaradossi Joshua Guerrero
Il barone Scarpia Gevorg Hakobyan

Orchestra Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Chorus
Chorus of Dutch National Opera
Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor

Melodrama in three acts (1900)
Sung in Italian

Read the interview with director Barrie Kosky here.

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Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

For over 35 years, The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra have been Dutch National Opera's primary orchestral partners. The orchestra is regarded as one of the best opera orchestras in the world. In September 2021, Lorenzo Viotti became the chief conductor of both the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera.

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

In addition to its opera tasks, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is a regular performer in The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The orchestra works with internationally renowned guest conductors and soloists, as well as representatives of a new generation of top musicians. The orchestra makes classical music accessible to everyone who is open to it: not only on the big stages, but also in community centres, schools and hospitals. In this way, the orchestra provides the finest and best music experience for both classical connoisseurs and new listeners.

With its hospitable home auditorium, the NedPhO Dome in Amsterdam's 'Indische buurt', the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is right at the heart of society. Every year, the Orchestra organizes around two hundred activities for music education, neighbourhood participation and talent development.

Introduction

Almost every performance at Dutch National Opera & Ballet is preceded by an introduction, with background information that can deepen your theater visit. The introductions are in Dutch and admission is free by showing a valid ticket.

Time: 45 minutes before the start of each performance
Location: Odeonzaal; entrance between the even and odd cloakrooms