TOSCA

About the show

Directing a Puccini opera for the first time, Kasper Holten explores the relationship between art and politics in this gripping political thriller—tense, powerful, and filled with dramatic music. The painter Cavaradossi is working on a depiction of Mary Magdalene in a Roman church. His painting is modern and unconventional, provoking the conservative and narrow-minded Chief of Police, Scarpia. Kasper Holten’s staging highlights art’s ability to challenge authority, while also revealing how those in power manipulate art to reinforce their dominance. At the heart of the conflict stands the opera singer Floria Tosca, who realizes too late that, as an artist, she is being exploited by a ruthless regime. At the same time, Tosca is a compelling love triangle, in which Tosca and Cavaradossi find their lives and love torn apart by Scarpia, who will stop at nothing to possess the beautiful singer. Set designer Philipp Fürhofer, himself an acclaimed painter, places paintings at the centre of the production, using the advanced stage technology at the Opera House to create striking contrasts between the polished façade and the grim reality of Scarpia’s dungeon. The stunning costumes, rich in colour and intricate detail, are designed by Anja Vang Kragh for this new staging of Puccini’s masterpiece.