UNITEL and CLASSICA present

Giacomo PUCCINI

from the

ARENA DI VERONA Fiorenza Cedolins Marcelo Álvarez Ruggero Raimondi

ARENA DI VERONA It‘s an event that draws many thousands of music lovers to Verona every summer: the opera season at the ancient Roman Arena. One of the highlights of the 2006 season was the TOSCA riveting production of Puccini‘s “Tosca“ by Argentine direc- tor Hugo de Ana. Nearly 15,000 spectators regularly filled Music by the amphitheater for the performances of the Puccini favorite Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa with a stellar cast – Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcelo Álvarez and Conducted by Ruggero Raimondi – under the baton of Daniel Oren. Chorus Chorus of the Arena di Verona This recording captures the magical atmosphere of Verona‘s Chorus Master Marco Faelli Arena: the balmy night air, the starry sky, the grandiose Chorus Coro di voci bianche “A.Li.Ve” pageant of sumptuous sets and costumes, the awe-inspiring Chorus Master Paolo Facincani effects of light and sound – including guns and cannons in Orchestra Orchestra of the Arena di Verona this production marked by a stylized realism. At the center Floria Tosca Fiorenza Cedolins of De Ana‘s stage concept is a giant replica of the head of Mario Cavaradossi Marcelo Álvarez the “Angelo di Castello“, an 18th-century bronze statue of the Scarpia Ruggero Raimondi archangel Michael holding a sword. After being restored, it Angelotti Marco Spotti was recently returned to its place atop the Castel Sant‘Angelo Sagrestano Fabio Previati in , where the third act of the opera takes place. “An Spoletta Enrico Facini altogether perfect staging, with the director exploiting to the Sciarrone Giuliano Pelizon fullest the vast space of the amphitheater and designing gran- Un carceriere Angelo Nardinocchi diose scenes and magnificent costumes,“ wrote Italian daily Un pastorello Ottavia Dorrucci Corriere della Sera. Directed by Hugo de Ana Amidst the surreal procession of bishops, the great wave of soldiers marching across the stage, and the cannons booming Length 117' in the background, which symbolize the ever-present horror of the war, Fiorenza Cedolins holds her own as a powerful A production of Unitel yet supremely feminine Tosca. Argentine tenor Marcelo Álva- in co-production with RAI Trade, TDK and Classica rez, one of the top tenors of his generation, interprets Tosca‘s in co-operation with the Fondazione Arena di Verona lover, the artist Cavaradossi, with melting lyricism and fierce shot in HDTV 1080 passion. And as the villainous police chief Scarpia, the great Cat. no. A00008617 Ruggero Raimondi brings a diabolical intensity to the mel- low inflections of his baritone voice. Daniel Oren leads the orchestra and chorus of the Arena di Verona with verve and a powerful presence. All rights reserved • credits not contractual • Different territories Photos: © Arena di Verona