Pacific Symphony's Sound Wave – Puccini’s “Tosca” offers a thrill-ride of grand tragedy and knock-out voices

Opera’s most tempestuous tale of love, deception and political intrigue—“Tosca”—comes alive as Pacific Symphony performs Puccini’s passionate and beautiful music in its full glory for the orchestra’s second semi-staged opera production. The Symphony once again takes the music out of the pit and onto the stage to reveal the composer’s brilliant orchestration, which paints the scenery and emotion behind the tragic tale. The production stars a cast of world-renowned opera singers, Pacific Chorale and the Southern California Children’s Chorus. 

Set amid the chaos of revolution during the Napoleonic wars of 1800 Rome, the story follows a glamorous singer, a victim of her own jealousy, in a willful battle with the cunning chief of police to save her lover, a painter, who is captured and sentenced to death for hiding his rebel friend. Sung in Italian with English supertitles, “Tosca” takes place Thursday, Feb. 21; Saturday, Feb. 23; and Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall; a preview talk with Alan Chapman begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$112; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 876-2385 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org. 

“As with ‘La Bohéme,’ I wanted to choose an opera that has an amazing orchestral score, and ‘Tosca’ certainly has that,” says Music Director Carl St.Clair. “The drama and absolute tragedy of the opera are so well depicted and illustrated in the orchestral score that not only do you have incredible arias, duets, ensembles and choral scenes, but you also have an orchestra right on stage bringing it all alive. Puccini’s score captures the drama, the seriousness and the various content of this wonderful opera.” 

Directed by Eric Einhorn, who has been praised by The Austin Chronicle as “a rising star in the opera world” and by Opera Newsfor his “keen eye for detail and character insight,” this semi-staged production includes acting, staging and suggested props and costumes. Lighting designer Kathy Pryzgoda, scenic designer Julia Noulin-Mérat and digital media designer Paul DiPierro transform the concert hall in a unique way for this production. The set design includes a 90-foot screen with projected scenes of the three acts: the church of Sant’ Andrea della Valle, the Farnese Palace and the prison Castel Sant’ Angelo.