• Friday, Nov 4, 2022 / 7:30 PM

Sparks are sure to fly as some of opera’s most electrifying artists light up Puccini’s classic thriller. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak, Angela Gheorghiu, and Liudmyla Monastyrska take on the title role of the desperate diva, opposite tenors Michael Fabiano, Roberto Alagna, and Yusif Eyvazov as the ardent painter-revolutionary Cavaradossi. Baritone John Lundgren makes his Met debut as the merciless Baron Scarpia, sharing the role with James Morris and Željko Lučić, who reprises his acclaimed portrayal. Carlo Rizzi and Domingo Hindoyan take the podium for David McVicar’s spectacular production. World premiere: Teatro Costanzi, Rome, 1900. Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Critics, for their part, have often had problems with Tosca’s rather grungy subject matter, the directness and intensity of its score, and the crowd-pleasing dramatic opportunities it provides for its lead roles. But these same aspects have made Tosca one of a handful of iconic works that seem to represent opera in the public imagination. Tosca’s popularity is further secured by a superb and exhilarating dramatic sweep, a driving score of abundant melody and theatrical shrewdness, and a career-defining title role.