Tosca

[Albert Connolly]

Going to see Tosca was a very interesting experience. Up until Friday, I had never experienced anything like it because I was never really exposed to opera before. The production that went into the opera was fantastic. It amazed me every time that the scenery changed between intermissions. The way they were able to manipulate the stage like that was fascinating. Although I did not particularly enjoy the story, I was able to appreciate the artistic value of the opera. What did you guys think of it? Have you had previous experiences with opera?

[Anim Xhafa]

I saw i Pagliacci once when I was about 11 years old. It was difficult to appreciate opera at that age because of the stigma attached to it — many of my peers would consider it boring or “lame” — and because of the method of storytelling through song. However, seeing Tosca was quite different. I agree with your opinion on the method of storytelling. Never have I heard voices with such power as those on stage. Many times I was left looking around the room for anything connected to a microphone and promptly realizing that no such device was present. The orchestra was also phenomenal and complemented the story very well. The musical score was great all around. In terms of story, I found it interesting, but it was difficult to pay attention to both the stage and the translation on the screen in front of me. The ending however, with Cavaradossi’s death and Tosca’s grief, was very powerful in that it showed the culmination of her love for him.

[Joseph Shaker]

I saw Handel’s Messiah before which was a similar music style, but it was very different because it was no acting and only singing/ orchestrating.

Being in the hall itself was an incredible experience regardless of what the performers did. It had an amazing atmosphere.

I found the story of Tosca was a bit boring and predictable but it was greatly enhanced by the dramatic music. I think it was interesting how such a simple story became more powerful than most intricate or complex ones because of how it was composed.

I felt the story was a classical romantic one, everyone is definitively good or evil, and everything is over dramatic.

I really enjoyed that the opera was through composed, instead of being several distinct numbers, it all flowed together. My biggest critic (which is minor) is that many times the background music sounded quite similar. Puccini composed thematically rather than showing variety.

[Olivia Murphy]

I saw Carmen a few years back, and so I knew somewhat what to expect from Tosca. However, the shows were very different: the music style, the stage design I believe they were even written in different languages. It was fun comparing the two. Although I think Carmen was a little more exciting and I preferred the music, I was much better able to appreciate Tosca because of my maturation and I gained more from this experience.

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