To this day, many sophisticated music lovers dismiss Puccini as a panderer or even a hack. But his supreme craftsmanship is the best refutation of this position. So dedicated was he to creating just the right effect for “Tosca” that he came before dawn one morning to the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome and faithfully recorded the actual pitches of all of the church bells that can be heard there throughout the early hours, including those of the Basilica of Saint Peter’s.
Maria Guleghina as Tosca (Photo: www.mariaguleghina.com)
The Bells of Castel Sant'Angelo
BY FRED KIRSHNIT [NY Sun 23 Mar 05]
To this day, many sophisticated music lovers dismiss Puccini as a panderer or even a hack. But his supreme craftsmanship is the best refutation of this position. So dedicated was he to creating just the right effect for "Tosca" that he came before dawn one morning to the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome and faithfully recorded the actual pitches of all of the church bells that can be heard there throughout the early hours, including those of the Basilica of Saint Peter's.
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Salvatore Licitra as Cavaradossi
Last-Minute Hero Revisits the Scene of His Triumph
By ANTHONY TOMMASINI [NY Times, 23 Mar 05]
Originally, the Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra's performance in Puccini's "Tosca" at the Metropolitan Opera on Monday night was to have been his Met debut. Being a behemoth international company, the Met must make casting plans years in advance and this performance had long been on the books.