Act II of Puccini's Opera 'Tosca'
Cast
Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Conducted by CARLO SABAJNO
The grimly tragic story of Tosca, founded on Sardou's drama, is one of Rome in the days of the first Napoleonic Wars. Cavaradossi, an artist in love with Tosca, a celebrated singer, has befriended Angelotti, a revolutionary, and has got into the toils of Scarpia, Chief of Police.
When the second act begins, Cavaradossi is in prison, and Scarpia has summoned Tosca to tell her so. When she comes, he opens a door through which she can hear the agonised screams of her lover under torture. If Tosca will reveal the secret of Angelotti's hiding place, so he tells her, the torture shall cease. Tosca tells him and then Scarpia, having learned what he wished to know, announces that Cavaradossi will be shot. Only if Tosca will yield herself to him, can her lover's life be saved, and the execution turned into a mock one with blank cartridges instead of ball. She demands a passport for herself and Cavaradossi to leave in safety, and when Scarpia has written it, he steps forward to take her in his arms. She stabs him, and, setting a crucifix beside his body, hastens to set her lover free.