Oh, and let’s not forget the size of the stage, cast, and theatre, as well as if you are seeing it on TV, in a theater on HD, or live (including where you are sitting). The nature and quality of the singing and above all the acting can vary so widely. But the setting, the costumes, and the lighting can be so different. The director-producer can take some liberties with them, but except for some extreme nuts he/she is limited to shifting an aria from one act to another or imposing a few cuts. After all, the same music and the same words are written down. I am amazed at how different one Tosca can be from another. But he is the one to whom things happen, and dramatically he is a distant third to the villain, Scarpia.

Musically – and the music alone is enough to justify the opera – musically Cavaradossi, the hero, is a close second in importance. In all other operas that I know of, the heroine has things done to her the drama and appeal of the plot are centered on how she copes.

And yet, Tosca is not like any other opera.

Tosca opera san jose