Tosca reflection

Today was Clare's birthday, and before a grand late breakfast/Brunch together, for which Owain joined us, I dashed down to town to tax the car, renew my ISA account, and purchase a new printer for Clare, as a surprise birthday present (the garden shed she wants is still a work in progress). Her printer gave up the ghost yesterday unexpectedly. The model I wanted was out of stock at John Lewis, Clas Ohlsen and Curry's - all snapped up by students in Freshers' week I was told apologetically - but thankfully Staples still had some, and at the right price, with a free ream of paper thrown in. Too big to wrap up, so I unpacked and installed it ready for use.

End of the afternoon the four of us went down the the Millennium Centre for an early supper at the busy 'Ffresh' restaurant there, and then the evening's performance of Puccini's Tosca. This must be the third or four time we've seen the WNO production since it was launched over ten years ago. Tosca was played exhilaratingly by American soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams. Her lover Calvardossi played with energy by Glyn Hughes. Claudio Otelli was disappointingly introverted in his presentation of the evil Scarpia, but all in all it was a marvellous performance. And it made me think.

Tosca's aria Vissi d'arte is a prayer of lament declaring how she lives for art and for love, is devout and sincere in exercising her religious piety. So why has God rewarded her with evil misfortune? She doesn't seem aware that what's happening to her is a result of her own passionate impulses. Her tendency toward jealousy and her fiery temper have been exploited by the spymaster, who understands human weaknesses all too well. He too purports to be a champion of Roman religion and the status quo, while in secret he is a lecherous abuser of women. In a fit of outrage as he is about to rape her, she kills him, and there is no way out for her or her lover but death. As she jumps from the battlements of the Castel Sant Angelo, her last words are "Scarpia, we shall meet this day in heaven." It's always sounded a bit odd to me. 

That she should mention the name of her abuser and not her beloved is odd enough, but heaven? Shouldn't this pious lady have known better? Was she ignorant of the consequences of suicide in Catholic belief? Or, that Hell is the destination for mortal sinners like Scarpia and herself? Is it an expression of irony in the face of despair? Or colloquial Italian for 'afterlife' which hasn't survived in translation? I'd love to know. Or is this the librettist's portrayal of someone who lives by their feelings, who prefers to think as little as possible, having a piety that is uninformed by reasoned faith.

Calvarodossi, cursed by Scarpia for being a libertarian expresses his Enlightenment passion for freedom, and is betrayed to death not just by the villany of Scarpia, but in effect also by Tosca who discloses the secret of her lover's aid to a fugitive because she cannot stand to hear him being tortured. For all her success as a performing artist, she is spiritually immature, and probably ignorant. Calvarodossi, may not seem deeply religious, but he puts his life in the line because nothing is more important to him than love and freedom.

The message? Beware of piety, not backed by disciplined thought and understanding. It can lead to tragedy.