The Israeli Opera’s 40th Season Concludes on a High Note: Giacomo Puccini’s "Tosca"

A wonderful production on the Israeli Opera stage of the opera 'Tosca' – a fascinating and spine-tingling performance. A multi-sensory experience with magnificent singing.

More than 120 years after it was written, "Tosca" continues to amaze audiences worldwide, thanks to its rare combination of sweeping drama, relentless political tension, and hypnotic music. At its center stands a love story caught in the jaws of an oppressive regime: an escaped political prisoner, a brutal secret police, interrogations, torture, the exploitation of power, and a ruthless pursuit of anyone who dares to oppose the government.

The Israeli Opera will conclude its 40th season with one of the most beloved and performed works in the operatic repertoire: "Tosca", by Giacomo Puccini, in a thrilling new original production directed by Ido Ricklin and conducted by Maestro Dan Ettinger – the Artistic Director of the Israeli Opera. Together with set designer Harald Falco, costume designer Ola Shevtsov, and lighting designer Nadav Barnea, they have created an intriguing contemporary production: a timeless classic set in a world of cameras, surveillance, and social media.

The plot, set in Rome in 1800, follows the painter Mario Cavaradossi, who helps a political prisoner escape and finds himself at the center of a deadly struggle against Baron Scarpia, the head of the secret police and one of the most complex and threatening villains ever written for the opera. Standing between them is Floria Tosca – a revered opera singer and a woman in love, forced to choose between her love, her conscience, and her survival.

Puccini constructed "Tosca" as a cinematic thriller long before the invention of modern cinema. Each scene heightens the tension, every decision brings the characters closer to disaster, and the music drives the drama forward relentlessly until the tragic and unforgettable finale. Alongside the gripping story, the work features two of the most famous arias in opera history: "Vissi d'arte" ("I lived for art") by Tosca and "E lucevan le stelle" ("And the stars shone") by Cavaradossi.

The new original production moves the story into a reality recognizable in our times: a world dominated by security cameras, surveillance screens, unlimited governmental power, and a culture of constant public exposure.

According to director Ido Ricklin, the goal of the production is not to forcibly "update" Puccini, but to create for a modern audience the same emotional intensity that the audience experienced at the premiere over 120 years ago. "It is a classic not because it is old, but because in every generation it manages to say something urgent and relevant," says Ricklin. "I tried to ask what impact Puccini sought to create on the audience, and how that can be generated today."

In the new production, Tosca and Cavaradossi are presented as successful artists, seemingly detached from the political reality around them until it breaks into their lives and forces them to confront a world of violence, oppression, and the loss of liberty. Scarpia, on the other hand, is not a 19th-century aristocratic baron, but a chillingly gray power official operating a modern and remarkably familiar control mechanism. According to Ricklin, precisely because the story is not set in one specific country or period, it manages to evoke a disturbing sense of proximity for the viewers: "I wanted the audience to feel that it could happen anywhere – and that maybe it is already happening."

A fitting conclusion to a historic season:

The production of "Tosca" marks the end of the Israeli Opera’s 40th season: a festive season celebrating four decades of operatic creation in Israel. The choice of Puccini's masterpiece to end the season highlights the Israeli Opera's ongoing commitment to blending beloved classics with contemporary and relevant artistic interpretation.

"Tosca" offers a powerful theatrical and musical experience: a turbulent journey of love, passion, power, betrayal, and revenge, proving once again why it is considered one of the greatest and most moving operas ever written.

An international cast of soloists will lead the production:

Conductor Rotem Nir will also conduct one of the performances on July 30th. In the role of Tosca, soprano soloists Elena Mikhailenko and Anna Nechaeva will perform; in the role of Cavaradossi, tenors Alexei Dolgov and Eduardo Aladrén will sing; in the role of Baron Scarpia, baritones Mikołaj Zalasiński and Ionut Pascu will appear. Israeli baritones Oded Reich and Yair Polishook will perform the role of Angelotti, bass singers Yuri Kissin and Yoav Ayalon the role of the Sacristan, tenors Anthony Webb and Adi Ezra the role of Spoletta, Pnini Leon Grubner (bass) and Kiril Odintsov (baritone) the roles of Sciarrone/The Jailer, and soprano Tal Ganor the role of the Shepherd Boy.

The production features Israeli and international soloists together with the Israeli Opera Chorus conducted by Itay Berckovitch, the Moran Children's Choir, and the Opera Orchestra – The Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion.

Performance Language: Italian

Duration: Approximately two and a half hours (including intermission)

Subtitles: Hebrew and English

Performance Dates:

Friday, July 17 at 13:00

Sunday, July 19 at 19:00 *Gala Evening

Monday, July 20 at 20:00

Tuesday, July 21 at 20:00

Thursday, July 23 at 20:00

Friday, July 24 at 13:00

Saturday, July 25 at 20:30

Sunday, July 26 at 18:00

Tuesday, July 28 at 20:00

Wednesday, July 29 at 18:00

Thursday, July 30 at 20:00

Ticket Prices: 210 - 490 NIS

For more details and ticket purchases on the Opera website:

https://www.israel-opera.co.il/show/tosca/

Or at the Israeli Opera box office at 03-6927777

The Shlomo Lahat (Cheech) Opera House
Address: 19 Shaul HaMelech, Tel Aviv
Phone: 03-6927700

(Photo: Yossi Zwecker)