The Real Tosca: without Trampoline

David McVicar directs Tosca in New York (*****) [cinema]

Lise Davidsen as Tosca © Marty Sohl / Met Opera

Tosca is perhaps the most Wagnerian of Puccini’s operas: he uses character-specific recurring motifs, and the orchestra has its own “personality.” Add to that Puccini’s fascination with the new medium of film, and there are several reasons for the work's popularity. Additionally, there’s the classical unity…