Librettist Giuseppe Giacosa thought there was too much plot (and subplots) but Puccini was determined to take Victorien Sardou’s stage play, “La Tosca,” and mold it into an opera. The opera has a depth not present in the composer’s other works. The grittiness of “ Tosca” is the apex of verismo, providing an unvarnished slice of life in an authoritarian regime at the turn of the 18th century. Unfortunately, the crowd on hand was light for such a well-known show, but it was a Tuesday evening when typically the hardcore fans settle into seats as opposed to date-night attendees, and judging by the raucous applause, the buffs were more than pleased.

Some opening nights can feel like a final dress with kinks in need of smoothing. The show had a rock star principal cast: Michael Fabiano as Cavaradossi, Aleksandra Kurzak as Floria Tosca, and Luca Salsi as Scarpia. The October 4, 2022, show was “Tosca’s” season premiere and performance number 944 of Puccini’s potboiler at the Met.

There was no mistaking the grittiness of Puccini’s fast-paced thriller at the Metropolitan Opera. Perhaps we’ve become inured to how dark and violent “Tosca” is with scenes of rape, murder, torture, and suicide. Directed by Alan Hicks and conducted by Valerio Galli.A “shabby little shocker.” That’s how musicologist Joseph Kerman described Puccini’s “Tosca.” Shabby? No. Argentinian tenor Marcelo Puente makes his San Diego Opera debut as Cavaradossi. Tosca welcomes the return of soprano Michelle Bradley in the title role, and Greer Grimsley in his signature role of Scarpia. Soaring and sensuous, filled with such beautiful arias as Tosca’s “Vissi d’arte”, Cavaradossi’s “Recondita armonia” and the powerful choral piece “Te Deum”, Tosca has some of opera’s most beloved music, and one of opera’s most gripping plots. But Tosca has a plan of her own, all of which unfolds with tragic consequences from which no one can escape. After arresting Cavaradossi for harboring Angelotti, Scarpia plays with Tosca’s emotions, promising to free Cavaradossi if Tosca will succumb to Scarpia’s desires. Tosca is in love with Cavaradossi, an artist and sympathizer of Angelotti. Scarpia, the chief of police, wants only two things: to recapture the escaped prisoner Angelotti and to seduce Tosca, an opera singer of incredible voice and beauty. Tosca is Giacomo Puccini’s gripping drama filled with torture, treachery, lust, execution, and suicide.

Tosca opera in the park