I was reminded Wednesday of the stunning glory of Italian opera; in particular, of the genius of Giacomo Puccini.
I’m not going to go so far as to say that his plots really
hold a lot of water all the time, but the music—bellissima!
A case in point for both would be Tosca, whose title
character is a woman who’s completely undone by jealousy, complicated by the
(literally) rapacious lust of the local police chief. Along the way to the end
of Act III, there’s more blood than a vampire reunion, or an official
portrait of the sitting king of Britain.
Well, but also along the way there’s the aria “Vissi d’arte”
(“I lived for arte”). And that’s what I’m giving you today.
Let’s hear Maria Callas singing it.
©2024 Bas Bleu
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