Tale of intrigue and love in classic opera

Baritone Ambrogio Maestri will play the role of Scarpia. He has portrayed that character many times, such as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

"I am very happy to be an Italian appearing in an Italian opera in China. Though I have performed at many theaters in Europe and the United States, this is the first time that I will perform at the NCPA," Maestri said.

Chinese tenors Han Peng and Wang Cong will also play the role of Cavaradossi and baritone Zhang Yang will also play Scarpia, making the production a joint effort between Italian and Chinese performers.

The China NCPA Orchestra and China NCPA Chorus will perform under the baton of conductor Xu Zhong, who is the director of Shanghai Opera House.

The presentation of Tosca has been a cooperative effort of the NCPA, Shanghai Opera House and Shaanxi Opera House, according to Zhao Tiechun, vice-president of the NCPA. The opera was streamed online in December 2022 by the NCPA as part of the celebration of the venue's 15th birthday and was viewed over 20 million times.

From Feb 24 to 26, the opera premiered at Shanghai Opera House, and in July, it will be presented at Shaanxi Opera House in Xi'an.

"Our collaborations with art institutions from home and abroad have never stopped, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. We started to prepare for Tosca over three years ago," Zhao said. "Collaborations between multiple art institutions are very important and have become a new trend for Chinese artists. We share resources and make the best use of them. It also benefits the audiences of different parts of the country."