Sunday, March 21, 2010

e lucevan le stelle

a prison, once




Act III | Cavaradossi is brought in to Castel Sant'Angelo for execution, and bribes the jailer to deliver a farewell letter to Tosca. Left alone, he sings of his memories of life and his love for her.
Tosca arrives, and tells him about Scarpia’s killing and that the execution will be a fake. The soldiers fire, Tosca compliments Cavaradossi for his theatrical death, but Cavaradossi is really dead–Scarpia has tricked them.
Guards rush to arrest Tosca for Scarpia’s murder, but she eludes them by jumping from the parapet to the Tiber and her death.

I love opera.



Placido Domingo as Cavaradossi in the 1992 production performed in the exact settings depicted in the libretto, and in real time. 
The orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, was a few miles away.






13 comments:

  1. Oh, you are melting my heart. And Recondita armonia and the Te Deum - (Va' Tosca, nel tuo cuor s'annida Scarpia) - and Vissi d'arte and the glorious area you present here (I love Domingo but I am transfixed by Pavarotti singing it) and is there a badder Scarpia than Sherrill Milnes? I am an opera fanatic. It is fashionable these days to turn up your nose at Puccini but Tosca is a finalist for my favorite one. I can't push Don Giovanni and Otello off the podium.

    I've visited Rome only briefly. When I first crossed the Tiber on this bridge and saw Castel Sant'Angelo it send chills down my spine. Thanks for the post.

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  2. Lola (may I call you Lola?), I am overwhelmed. We have so much in common, I even lost my usual humorous style of writing:-))). Thank you for sharing and now I am your dedicated reader.
    And it is great idea to embed opera with Roma photos, double pleasure. All the best to you and to your little sun.

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  3. To see the bridge makes me remember that the building of the bridge was paid for after it had shown its ability as bridge for 49 years - it was a strong construction, it still do what bridges shall do. Nice to see the photo.

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  4. Great post! Love the photo and the video of Placido Domingo! ... amazing.

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  5. Eleonora.. what a great post..
    I love your photograph and the performance of Placido Domingo is amazing..
    Thank you for sharing
    Have a nice day.. Costas

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  6. wow! dramatic, indeed. ;-)

    very nice photo. i'm glad it's no longer a prison. ;-)

    paz

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  7. el castillo de San Angelo...fantastico, seguro que ya lo sabes, pero desde su interior se pueden hacer unas preciosas del Tiber...me encanta esta zona...un abrazo.

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  8. Such a beautiful place to be a former prison! The lighting is very warm and nice.

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  9. I'm so happy so many of you share my passion for il bel canto!

    Bob, It was a hard pick between Placido and Luciano, but the Roman setting was so apt for this little post! Maria Callas is my all-time idol, her unique voice can't leave my eyes dry. Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte and Bohème are my faves.

    Irina, thank you so so much for these sweet words and the ones you left on the other blog too!

    Jørgen, those angels on that bridge are a constant reminder of Bramante's talent too!

    Cobalt Violet, glad you enjoyed the double feature!

    Costas, thank you so much for your enthusiasm.

    Paz, it was beautiful then too! Weird.

    Catarina, La Mole, la chiamiamo qui a Roma–offre panorami mozzafiato!

    notaphotographer... can you believe these crazy Romans, making a fortress out of a former tomb?

    Ciao!

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  10. Thank you for this great post and for the interesting comments you received.
    I love opera either, my favorite Cavaradossi is still Franco Corelli but I absolutely agree on Maria Callas.
    My favorite opera is Les pêcheurs de perles but I love most of Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini and Verdi.

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  11. As soon as «Louis» saw the title, he thought of the Domingo rendition - he scrolled down and there it is!
    Nice touch!

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  12. «Louis» could have gone to YouTube, but came back here to hear Domingo again!

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  13. What a wonderful evening photo combined with a great YouTube clip! Bravo! Encore!
    Grazie - ciao bella

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Thank you for visiting Roma Every Day. Your feedback is always hugely appreciated, though it is no longer possible for me to reply individually to your comments in the post thread.

For any questions, please feel free to send me an email.

Grazie!
~Eleonora

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