Tosca
SC 69, 1900 (UA), endgültige Fassung 1924
Love, violence, intrigue, and death. High drama, realistically portrayed and set to deeply emotional music: this is the stuff of which Puccini’s Tosca is made.
The critical edition from Carus-Verlag sets new standards by combining the great expertise and practical experience of Italian musicologist and opera conductor Andreas Gies. The edition is based on a score from 1924, the last to be published during Puccini’s lifetime. Still frequently used today, it contains numerous additions and a smoothing out of articulation and dynamic markings that became established in previous performance traditions. These are often not attributable to Puccini himself.
This is where Andreas Gies comes in with his edition: Based on an extensive comparison of sources, Andreas Gies has restored the differentiated, original readings that were evidently close to the composer’s heart. In many cases, Gies has made use of the autograph score, which clearly reflects Puccini’s ideas. One vital element is the careful dynamic gradation of the individual instruments, helping to achieve better tonal balance and transparency. This edition restores subtleties that became lost over the years, letting us hear diverse musical effects once again.
The editor explains all of his decisions in the critical report to the score. The performance material is impressive in its readability, clarity, and practicality. Also available are a director’s book based on the vocal score, a rehearsal scenario, and a libretto in three languages.
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Composer
Giacomo Puccini
| 1858-1924Giacomo Puccini came from a dynasty of church musicians who worked in the Tuscan city of Lucca. His Messa a 4 con orchestra, premiered there in 1880, seemed to point him toward a career in the same direction, but directly after this, he went to Milan Conservatoire with the aim of becoming an opera composer. His only independent orchestral works were written there as student works – the Preludio sinfonico (1882) and Capriccio sinfonico (1883), as well as some of his 16 complete surviving songs for voice and piano (Canti), which he composed, with frequent references to his operas, almost throughout his career. He achieved a breakthrough as an opera composer with Manon Lescaut (1893); between 1893 and 1904 he composed La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, which remain his most frequently-performed works today. In recent years there has been a growing realisation that Puccini's entire output requires reappraisal. And so, he has increasingly come to be understood as a musician searching for a way forward into the modern age. Personal details
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Editor
Andreas Gies
| 1993Andreas Gies, born in Italy to Italian and German parents, studied flute, piano, composition, singing, and conducting at conservatories in Castelfranco V., Venice, and Milan. He holds a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees and attended masterclasses with renowned conductors like M. Beltrami and D. Gatti. Gies has been assistant conductor at theaters such as La Fenice di Venezia and Regio di Torino. In 2019, he won the “Premio Nazionale delle Arti” and conducted the “La Verdi” orchestra of Milan. His conducting debut was in 2016 at the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg. He has conducted premieres and performances in Milan, Nice, Novara, and Sofia.
As a composer, Gies has won several competitions and his works have been performed by major orchestras in the USA and Italy. He also produces critical editions of lesser-known Italian operas, collaborating with musicologist C. Orselli. His compositions include pieces for chamber groups, orchestras, and chamber operas.
Personal details
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Songwriter / Librettist
Luigi Illica
| 1857-1919
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Songwriter / Librettist
Giacomo Giacosa
| 1847-1906
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