Tosca finds Puccini at his scintillating best, blending passages of heightened lyricism into a texture that squeezes the last drop of angst from a tense and sometimes terrifying dramatic scheme.

In this production, American soprano Deborah Voigt personifies the great Roman diva Floria Tosca, caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse with the sinister police chief, Scarpia. As in 2006, Bryn Terfel will bring vocal brilliance and physical menace to the character of Scarpia, with Italian tenor Marcello Giordani taking the role of the painter Cavaradossi, Tosca’s lover and another of Scarpia’s victims.

When they were first seen in 2006, Paul Brown’s Tosca sets were deemed to have struck the perfect balance between a realistic depiction of Rome in 1800 and an evocation of the dark and disturbing atmosphere that haunts Puccini’s score. This follows the constant surprises and reverses of the plot with unerring precision.

Tosca is the final production in the Royal Opera’s Summer 2009 season.

Learn more about London operas within the West End.