Raimondi, Domingo, Malfitano - Tosca Act 2 - Scarpia's Death

[Pamp02]

ma...non ci prendiamo in giro: la Malfiano è TERRIFICANTE! ma chi ce l'ha messa??? non trasmette nulla, anzi disturba!

[xTheElderScrollsIVx]

6:27 best scene of tosca!

[OperaMystery80]

The kiss was totally inappropriate and weird. I don't believe that Tosca was attracted to Scarpia. In the opera, the characters are clearly defined as good or evil. Scarpia is evil. Tosca repeatedly calls him "demone" which means demon or monstruo "Monster". She doesn't want him to touch her ever "non tocarmi" and she says "I hate you" "t'odio, t'odio". Come on now, get real, Scarpia shoud be sung like the evil monster he is. Malfitano sings this so badly. She doesn't have the voice for this

[MrMrmike5]

Oh he was still breathing! stab him a few more times!

[Snowss]

I dont like scarpia too devilish and "bad"...is not real. Bad people in reality dont behave like devil, with an horrible face trying to scare everybody...on the contrary, the behave like angels...;-)

[AnryK2690]

When we are watching this film we shouldn't judge it very strictly - it is a live film. And singers are concentrated mainly on singing.

I prefer 2001 film by Benoit Jaquot. With Gheorghiu-Alagna-Raimondi and Pappano conducting. Very high level musically and very good as acting. There Scarpia is an evil old terrifying bastard and Gheorghiu is far better than Malfitano in every single way. Though it lacks domingo. Well, every Tosca lacks Domingo... :D

[MastersoftheOpera]

I don't like that kiss 3:42 - 4:04. Tosca clearly enjoyed it and it's very un-Puccini and wrong. Raimondi sings a good Scarpia - nasty and lustful. He is devilishly handsome but he's too Don Giovanni-ish. Still, he's doing better than Malfitano who cannot sing Tosca. Her voice is not suited for it. She squeaks and sounds too light for the heavy/dramatic role. Domingo is always in great form. This movie was ruined with the crazy camera movements and shifting angles. It's atrocious!

[AnryK2690]

@MastersoftheOpera It's all about that handsome Scarpia. I don't like it either but once Zeffirelli said (when he was interviewed about his Gobbi-Callas staging in 1964 in London) - Tosca didn't want to bed with Scarpia, because she was afraid of liking it. I don't think Gobbi was weak-sounding. He wasn't the best baritone voice ever, but was "singing actor" and "acting singer" - he changed his voice for the role.

I know that Karajan-Taddei recording. Their Te Deum is my favourite.

[AnryK2690]

Perhaps the most evil Scarpia was Tito Gobbi. His manners, sight and singing "radiated the evil" as a worthy listener once commented. Raimondi is a very real Scarpia - a powerful man, who sometimes uses this power for "personal needs", like lust. But he is so handsome and aristocratic, that you don't have pity so much for Cavaradossis like Domingo or Alagna. And no two Scarpia roles by Raimondi are alike. Each time - new Scarpia. He is truly great adorable opera star.

[MastersoftheOpera]

@AnryK2690. The most evil Scarpia was George London and Giuseppe Taddei. They are infinitely scarier and monstrous, especially Taddei in the '62 Karajan recording with Leontyne Price. Also Dieskau has sung a very nasty Scarpia. Gobbi is for me too weak sounding. He is sly and subtle but I prefer real monsters for Scarpia. Raimondi here is more seductive than evil. He's just like Don Giovanni.

[benanescas]

poi ovviamente sui gusti non si discute eh non ho detto che come lo fa lui è brutto, ma francamente continuo a preferire in questo ruolo, sia vocalmente che a livello interpretativo, i vari Gobbi, Milnes, London, Ramey, McNeil...

[clydesight]

Very nice! Excellent performance, riveting! Thanks for the video!

[benanescas]

ma perchè scarpia dovrebbe essere uno psicopatico? Non potrebbe essere un normale barone che sfrutta la sua carica e il suo potere per ottenere denaro e sesso?

Non capisco perchè Raimondi continua a presentare Scarpia come una specie di psicopatico ossessionato...

[Snowss]

its true: Scarpia is really a good man, he just kills everybody and wants to rape a woman because he was in a bad mood that day :-)

[benanescas]

non ho detto che è una brava persona :) ho detto che è un sanguinario figlio di... buona donna. E' semplicemente malvagio, Raimondi sembra però volergli dare a tutti i costi una specie di ossessione tutta particolare per Tosca.

Io credo semplicemente che Scarpia sia abituato a far mettere dentro i mariti delle belle donne e costringere queste ultime a darsi a lui in cambio della libertà dei primi. Quindi Tosca dovrebbe essere una delle tante...

[blichilde]

@benanescas Ovviamente, ciascuno pensa di Scarpia ciò che vuole, ma a me non pare che consideri Tosca una delle tante. Ascolta bene le parole del 'Te Deum' : 'tra le mie braccia illanguidir d'amor' sembra proprio alludere a un interesse per Tosca che va al di là del mero possesso. Addirittura, mi pare che la sua ossessione per Tosca in un certo senso lo riscatti. Un malvagio non banale, insomma, con una dose di ambiguità che rende il personaggio vivo, non solo strumentale alla trama.

[ranigema]

@blichilde ti avevo detta che con la tua aria saccente mi fai ridere?

raimondi é un macellaio,ha una bruttissima voce e urla come un ubriaco!

la bellezza nella voce é un mistero per lui,purtroppo tu non hai la minima idea che cosa vuol dire la parola lirica!

ascoltare non vuol dire'sentire' e sopratutto conoscere!

puoi scrivere quello che vuoi cara,per me sei una ignorante!

raimondi é un pessimo prodotto italiano,urla,grida con la sua bruttissima voce!l'eleganza é nemica N1 á raimondi! ciao.

[Snowss]

Well, I love Raimondi´s Scarpia for just one reason: psychopaths, serial killers, rapits...they´re not evil person in "normal live". They are polite, normal people, nice, handsome...and thats why they can be offenders when they take the "dark side". Raimondi shows how can a psycho be a soft and polite man, and in the same time, an atractive sadistic bastard. The other scarpias are always singing like demons all the time...

[francesca7564]

BBBRRRR.... Eloge de la perversion ...

[Snowss]

I love Scarpiaaaaaaaaa!

[Apollogranforte]

Domingo is magnificent as Mario in this production, but I found both Amalfitano and Raimondi substandard.

I guess I am still expecting a Callas or a Gobbi to appear as Floria and Scarpia....

[blichilde]

Before criticizing one must be able to read. Amalfitano???

[Apollogranforte]

Whatever...Haven't you ever mispronounced or mispelled a word or a name?

The fact remains that I still find them not up to Domingo's standard.

Matter of fact, when I first saw the performance, on the day of the broadcast some 20 years ago, when Raimondi first appeared on the screen, I thought he was a church attendant instead of the feared police chief.

But that is just me.

[ElisabettaVS]

I love Raimondi's Scarpia! He is one of my favourites along with Gobbi and others. ^^ At first, I thought that Malfitano was a miscast, but I start to like her, now, that I listen very often to this production. I love it! ^^This film is great.

[Apollogranforte]

I guess that is the reason for which the French us the phrase "Vive la Difference". And a great saying it is!

Using another well used cliche, It would be rather boring if we all liked the same thing.

But is guess I cannot imagine a better trio of Tosca singers improving on the characters created by Callas, di Stefano and Gobbi, although they did have some vocal problems.

All this is only my point of view of course and I respect everyone else's opinion.

[ElisabettaVS]

Absolutely. Callas, di Stefano and Gobbi certainly didn't had perfect voices. Not at all. But they were special. And they had a character, were full of passion, especially Gobbi and Callas. Either you love Callas, or you don't like her. Same with Gobbi. Most people agree on the fact, that he's a great actor, but that his voice is not very good. But I love his voice! It is so... full of differences, so special. I guess, that you listen often to the de Sabato recording with Callas and Gobbi? :)

[Apollogranforte]

I sure do love the Victor de Sabata recording.

And you're so right about the quality of their voices. In his biography "My Life", Gobbi tells of an orchestral player who approached him and said: I do not particularly like your voice Tito, but when you sing I forget to play. A great compliment to the Italian baritone's interpretation and musicality.

And of course he was a great actor: I saw him in 1969 when he came to Australia for a season of Falstaff, and he was magnificent...cont.

[Apollogranforte]

...although vocally he was past his peak.

I wrote to him in Rome after that, and he replied to me with a short note and a lovely autographed photograph.

Now of course, the three of them are no longer with us.

I wish I could believe that they are making beautiful music on the other side, but alas I am a non believer!

Ah well...I still have their recording!

[blichilde]

Well, a French friend of mine told me that the phrase "vive la difference" is about the difference between men and women -:) . So, it's a way of saying "vive l'amour".

Maybe she was kidding :)

[Apollogranforte]

I believe you are right . The saying does refer to the difference between men and women, and maybe, just maybe, I should have said Viva la differenza.

But deep down what does it matter? We all like various things and that helps to make the world go around.

The great common denominator is that we all love opera: That is good enough for me.

W V.E.R.D.I and Puccini, and Wagner, and Mascagni, and Bizet and, and... and....

:-)

[blichilde]

Oh yes, it's a great thing that we have a lot of good music and a lot of good singers, for everyone's tastes!

[Miker007]

i worked on james bond quantum of solace.

tosca was a part of the bond movie.

on bregenz seastage: tosca opera!

wonderful time at the lake constance, austria,

[DirectrixM]

Oh, and the title is a spoiler!

[ElisabettaVS]

haha, if you know the opera, you know that he's going to die ;))

[DirectrixM]

Is this opera completely uploaded here?

I don't know which video follows which.

---

La ópera está completa aquí?

No sé cuál video sigue de cuál.

[gabysil]

Wow! ¡Qué beso!!! Tosca casi se desmaya, yo creo que Malfitano se habrá equivocado mucho con tal de ensayar varias veces la escena...jajaja!!

[operafilia24]

¡Ese es el mejor beso en toda la historia de la opera!

Hasta el tapete le movio a la Tosca, (a lo mejor hasta a la Malfitano) seguro que ni siquiera Mario Cavaradossi la besó nunca así.

Me pregunto: ¿cuantas veces habrán tenido que ensayar esta escena? ;)

[JUAN7008]

Ese beso esta fuera de libreto completamente. Le quitò la fuerza a " Questo è il bacio di Tosca" que estupidos la verdad. yo no entiendo porque no se aferran al libreto y punto

[Snowss]

Pues porque quedó bastante impactante, jaaaaa, pobre juanito, escandalizado porque a Tosca le guste Scarpia...

[jamal9rule]

Vi prego, qualcuno mi dice il nome dell'attrice che interpreta Tosca?!! vi prego, messaggiatemi sulla posta!!!

Someone knows the name of the actress? Please, send me a message if you know!!!

[Arashi110]

Catherine Malfitano.

[Snowss]

Tosca killed Scarpia because she liked him a lot (look at this kiss, hmmmmm)...Better not have nothing naugthy to tell her clean and noble boy friend, Mario Cavaradossi, hehhehe.

I love Scarpiaaaaaaaaa

[LeonoraPasiniani]

I too, thats why I don,t understand Tosca!

[Arashi110]

She doesn't look disgusted at all in the first part of the scene. Or is it just me?

[blichilde]

would you be disgusted ;) ?

[Arashi110]

Well, let's see... The guy tortured my boyfriend, violently interrogated me, led me to tears (more than once) and now is blackmailing me to get me into his bed. Also, he loves me to distraction, oozes attractive sensuality and has the hunky looks of Ruggero Raimondi. Hmmm. Guess it depends on whether you're into light BDSM or not. %D

[blichilde]

Excuse me ,but what does  BDSM mean?I don't understand.

[Arashi110]

Sadomasochism. :)

[blichilde]

LOL

[LeonoraPasiniani]

Perche?

[blichilde]

LOL

[blichilde]

LOL

[cantanteporsiempre]

lol, that¨s right.

[blichilde]

But the kiss...was a REAL,not simulated kiss? When they are singing live???

[Snowss]

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss­sssssss

[Snowss]

yes, this is Tosca in the places and in the times of tosca.

[LeonoraPasiniani]

I have this question too. In my school opera is very popular, and i with my friends sing Tosca. I said my Scarpia:" I really will kill you, my dear friend, if you want to kiss me like Raimondi kissed Malfitano in film.

[blichilde]

Obviously,your friend who plays Scarpia doesn't attract you :))

[LeonoraPasiniani]

When you on stage, you should be reserved sometimes, I suppose. And thats why: we performed " I Masnadieri"( Verdi) and i sang Amalia. During duet Francesco-Amalia my heroine takes away dagger to Francesco. When I did it, i almost began fight. And my friend said me after performance: " You should be more calm, Liza" But it as for me only.

[LeonoraPasiniani]

May be.

[nephelai]

non sopporto le Tosche della Dessì e specialmente della Gheorghiu...in quanto attrici dovrebbe prendere lezioni...se guardate la Tosca con Raimondi e Alagna, vedrete la Gheorghiu che di punto in bianco si contorce senza motivo e fa gesti del tutto fuori luogo

[nephelai]

questa Tosca (come per altro suggerisce il libretto) risulta attratta da Scarpia...e quando lui la bacia violentemente lei sembra gradire il gesto (la Caballè, per esempio, addirittura si toglieva collana e gioielli per "prepararsi" alla notte d'amore e tendeva le mani a Scarpia in segno di abbandono)...al contrario, la Callas respingeva qualsiasi sfioro.

[nephelai]

La vocalità della Malfitano lascia un pò a desiderare (alcuni passaggi risulatno aspri e gutturali), ma come attrice credo sia tra le migliori Tosche che io abbia mai visto (insieme alla Callas e alla Caballè)

[nephelai]

Il ruolo di Scarpia calza perfettamente a Ruggero Raimondi che un allestimento dopo l'altro ci regala sempre nuovi ritratti di questo personaggio tanto crudele (ma allo stesso tempo tanto affascinante...credo che ogni donna ne sia attratta in realtà).

[sbrooks187]

@nephelai Sono d'accordo.

[SVENSKSOPRAN]

many things are very well timed with the music...she doesnt seem overly revengeful or sick in this version

I prefer Raimondi in the version with Gheorghiu though..

[LaBelleHelene]

Ooh poor Tosca... I'm

[LaBelleHelene]

completely broken...

They're perfect!

[jclmiami23]

loved,, I love malfitano, she has a great temperament, maybe because of that she went ahead and started singing roles a little heavy for her, but she did AWESOME in this Tosca.

[lucpebo]

wonderful perfomences!

malfitano is a excelent actress e raimondi is a fantastic scarpia!

bravo for both!