How far would you go to save the person you love? That’s the dramatic question that drives Tosca, Puccini’s classic that opens the Calgary Opera’s 2026-27 season Friday night at the Jubilee Auditorium. It’s a political thriller set in 1800 Rome, where an opera singer named Floria Tosca is faced with a nightmare scenario when her lover, a painter and political idealist named Mario is arrested and tortured by the chief of police, Baron Scarpia, forcing Floria to do whatever she can -- or must -- to save Mario. “Tosca asks what remains when every illusion falls away,” says stage director Joshua Borths, in a media release. “It’s a story where beauty exists alongside brutality, and love is tested against power at every turn.” “What makes this opera timeless,” he adds, “is that, despite all of its darkness, Puccini leaves us believing that art, love, and hope are stronger than fear - even if it costs everything we have.” Puccini was a superstar composer -- the Taylor Swift of the opera world at a time when opera was the musical genre of the moment -- and Tosca one of his greatest hits, which it remains in the 21st century, as one of the most popular operas ever composed. “This is one of the most emotionally gripping operas ever written,” says Jonathan Brandani, Calgary Opera’s artistic director and conductor of this production -- and who was born in Lucca, in Tuscany, where Puccini was born in 1858. “Puccini masterfully blends romance, suspense, and breathtaking music into a story that keeps audiences captivated from beginning to end, where every moment is emotionally charged. “The lush orchestral writing and breathtaking melodies will take the listeners by hand into an unparalleled emotional journey which will leave them inspired and craving more.” The role of Tosca will be sung by Maria Natale, making her Calgary Opera debut. The role of Mario Cavaradossi will be sung by David Esteban. Tosca opens Friday night at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. For more about the Calgary Opera, go here.
