Dutch opera: Tosca

Tosca is a gripping opera that is packed with chaos and danger from its opening bars. With this melodrama, written in 1900 in a provocative, bold and cinematic style, Puccini didn't just herald the 20th century - he took it by storm. Director Barrie Kosky is extremely pleased to be directing Tosca - it was the first opera he fell deeply in love with as a boy. Under his direction, the darker sides of the opera come to the fore. Far from glamorous Roman churches, rustling velvet or sparkling pearl necklaces. Kosky concentrates solely on the psychological drama. Lorenzo Viotti, who is a keen Puccini enthusiast, delivers a musically ‘sugar-free’ Tosca. He shakes off traditional interpretations of the score, approaching it with a fresh perspective.