In this lecture, soprano Becca Marriott will examine one of the most iconic and misinterpreted heroines of the opera tradition: Tosca, the titular character from the opera by Giacomo Puccini. The lecture explores what drives her character and how the best-loved (and hated) divas of the past 125 years have created and interpreted her.
Referencing Puccini’s letters, Sardou’s tragic play and the opera’s historic context as well as the performances of singers such as Callas and Darclèe (for whom the role was created) and some of our more ‘love or hate’ contemporary divas. Becca will explore how the diva created by divas changes with every new realisation of her operatic life. She is joined by Natalie Burch on piano.
