Welcome teachers and students to Opera Online! A special welcome to Kenya W, Shantelle S, Tony L, Chebria B, Tammi O, Glori C, Dominique T, Linnette B, Antonee M, and Kiana J from Lankenau High School! This week we will take a look at Act II of Tosca and see how Tosca relates to current world events.
Video clips of the week!!
The first clip comes from the 1992 real time production of Tosca (Student Handbook pg 25 to pg 28). This scene is actually filmed in on of the appartments of the Farnese Palace. Fun fact about the production: since the opera was filmed at the specific historical landmarks there was no place to put the orchestra without it being seen on camera! The opera singers were outfitted with tiny, radio transmitters plugged in their ears, which enabled them to hear the orchestra playing the accompaniments in the studio as the singers actually sang live in their respective locations.
The second clip is Scarpia's murder scene from the 2001 production of Tosca (Student handbook, pg 30 1st column, Scarpia- "And which road do you prefer" to end of Act). This production features Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca and Ruggero Raimondi as Scarpia (the same Scarpia as the real time production).
The third clip is a comical musical synopsis of the entire second Act of Tosca.
1992 real time production the torture scene (English Subtitles)
Act II Finale (No subtitles)
Angela Gheorghiu and Ruggero Raimondi
Act II review (Note: the subtitles are not exact translations)
Website of the Week!
In Discord and democracy: What we can learn about Cairo from Puccini's 'Tosca' writer Philip Kennicott compares Tosca with the recent Eygptian revolution (This article was writen January 31, 2011).Join us for a Taste of Opera!
If you want to learn more about Puccini's Tosca and his other operas, join us for a Taste of Opera! Taste of Opera will be held on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 2:00-3:00pm as part of the PAFA Presents series. Join our education director, Michael Bolton, as he explores Puccini's classic arias for tenors. PAFA is located at Broad and Cherry Streets in Philadelphia and after the event you can explore the PAFA's art galleries for free!
Opera on the Air:
On Saturday, April 2 at 1 PM radio station WRTI will be broadcasting The Metropolitan Opera production of Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold (sung in German). The first of Wagner's Ring Cycle, the epic story begins on the banks of the Rhine, where three maidens guard the sacred river's magical gold. The cunning dwarf Alberich, angered by the Rhinemaidens' scorn, steals the precious metal and forges a ring that gives its bearer unimaginable power. The struggle for its possession drives this fantastic drama, in which the stakes--control of the entire world--could not be higher. The performance is conducted by Fabio Luisi and features mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, baritone Bryn Terfel as Wotan, bass-baritone Eric Owens as Alberich, and soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer as Freia.
On Sunday, April 3 at 12 PM PBS Channel 39 will be broadcasting the MetHD production of Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos. The production of Verdi’s grand opera, in which love, war, politics, and religion intertwine against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition, stars tenor Roberto Alagna as the conflicted title character; soprano Marina Poplavskaya as Elisabeth de Valois; mezzo-soprano Anna Smirnova as the scheming Princess Eboli; bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as the tormented tyrant Philip II; baritone Simon Keenlyside as the heroic Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa; and bass Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor.
Until next week!!
Comments
I don't think this is an ethical practice because it is/should be a common right to not be tortured, instead persuasion should be used and it is illegal to kill someone so physically hurting someone is close enough, especially when you hurt someone as much as in "Tosca", and when you hurt someone in the US, you have to pay that person the money for hospital bills
No I believe that ethical or not torture should NEVER be used. If I were in this situation in the army would just try to be kind to the person if necessary.
I believe that torture is an unethical technique. You should not hurt someone to get information. I believe that jail is more ethical and you can better acquire information better this way.
In my opinion, it really depends. Sometimes police need to torture a criminal to get information to save a victim's life. But, sometimes it gets way out of hand. As I said before, it depends on the situation.
No. I think that torture is one the worst ways to inquire information. To me, torture is not an ethical practice because it involves pain and suffereing. Nobody should have to go through this.
However, torture can be good in a few ways. It forces the 'bad guy' to give information about a possible threat and save many lives.
Otherwise, torture is unecessary pain, and the information can be inquired in many other ways.
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Nope. It is illegal for citizens to torture (good) but for some reason, the militery/ government still can (bad) it is a completely unethical form of getting information, because it incudes inflicting pain in such large amounts as to make the victim to go insane, or almost (and sometimes) die.
I think torture is not ethical. Torture was used because it was effective, not ethical. I think now with all of our modern inventions it would be better not to use torture. It is very painful and some sorts of torture can make you crazy or kill you. Torture is not ethical because you will always know that you are hurting another person.
I think torture is not ethical. Torture was used because it was effective, not ethical. I think now with all of our modern inventions it would be better not to use torture. It is very painful and some sorts of torture can make you crazy or kill you. Torture is not ethical because you will always know that you are hurting another person.
Yes, because Scarpia was probably going to kill Tosca or something.
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I think Torture is ethical, because Torture is usually used when a person is not willing to break using other treatments. Torture is usually only used when the person affected has some information that is very important to the person causing the Torture, if the Tortured person didn't want to go through the Torture then he could just tell the information and get away. With out Torture, people with information on something important like where bomb is or when an assult squad will attack a nearby village, I think that then Torture would be nessesary, because if someone would be willing to go through all that trouble then i dought just asking them would show results, you need to inflict pain or as they say "No Pain, No Gain".
I do not think this is an ethical practice because sometimes torture is sprung on the person against his/her will. If the person needs information, they should never torture their victim because certain tortures can kill a person.
No because it is forcing somebody to do something or tell something that they do not want to tell. This destroys free speech. The USA did sign a petition outlawing torture but their definition is different from most nations.The US uses weapons such as stun belts to gain information from detainees but they do not consider this torture.
I believe that torture is not an ethical practice because when torturing someone one is not only causing what is sometimes fatal harm to them, they are, in a form, invading their privacy. People who torture are also going against Amendment number 8, protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Hospital bills would also have to be paid for any physical harm done to another person.
I think it was right for Tosca to kill Scarpia because Scarpia could have killed her, or tortured her.
Pucinni closes the door so Tosca could not see, and might of thought he was enduring more pain. He also just says alot of things to make her want to tell him more, because she would give in if she thought Cavoradossi was in to much pain.
No because Scarpia did notactually kill Cavaradossi, he just tortured him. Tosca probably should have just hit Scarpia with the back of the knife a few times so his head would realy hurt.
I do not think so because when you hurt someone, rage and fury overpowers them and your chance of getting information out of them is almost impossible. If you want them to confess, try to be nice or calm and if you hurt them, why would they do something nice to you?
Personally, I don't think torture is a good way to recieve information. If someone wants to say what they something, it should be their choice on what they say. No one should be forced to say something they don't want to.
One of the rights that was taken away from Cavaradossi is that normaly you can't torture anyone but since Cavaradossi was a prisoner they could do what they wanted to him
I don't think it was morally right for Tosca to kill Scarpia, because I believe that killing is never morally right. However, since it seemed that Scarpia was going to kill Cavaradossi, Tosca may not've had a choice as to whether or not to kill Scarpia. So, though I believe it not to be morally right, in this situation, I feel conflicted as to whether it was okay or not.
It was not necessarily morally right or ethical for Tosca to kill Scarpia, but, if I was in charge of Tosca’s consequence, I would make it far less harsh then if she killed him under different circumstances. This is because Tosca stabbed Scarpia for self defense. Also, killing him was probably the best option she had: He was chasing her around the room screaming, “MINE! MINE!” like some kind of crazed maniac; if Tosca allowed Scarpia to get her, he could tie her up so she could never get out of his reach (or something); if she jumped out of the window, she would probably die, and Scarpia would hold Cavaradossi as a, “Pawn.” To kill Scarpia would get him, metaphorically, off of her shoulders, save Cavaradossi from death, and reunite the two.
Although it may have not been the most moral act ever made, Tosca can’t really be blamed for using a quick method of self-defense to protect herself, her lover, and Rome from a bad person.
(Well, I can’t say that I used a small amount of space, but . . . at least I didn’t do all 5 prompts!)
Morally..... yes, because in doing so, Tosca saved the lives of many others as Scarpia was liable to kill more than Angelotti and Cavaridossi. Of course it would have been much better if Tosca had the ability to be rid of Scarpia without killing him but with the power of the empire behind him, that was almost impossible.
Torture is still used today as a technique for acquiring information. In your opinion, is this an ethical practice? Why or why not?
Torture should not be allowed because I think that it is wrong to do it. It is wrong to hurt someone physically. I could not torture someone. So it would be wrong of me to ask someone else to do the torturing for me. Also I would not like to be tortured and I bet that no one else likes to be tortured. If you do not like to be tortured than do not do it to others. It is the Golden Rule, (if you do not like to be tortured than torture no one else). Finally a lot of countries of the world have signed a contract about things not allowed in war (the Geneva Conventions). One prohibits the torture of soldiers. So torture is disapproved of in many other countries.
I believe that torture is not an ethical practice because it is wrong to hurt someone just to obtain information. No one has the right to suffer just in force to give information unless they have committed some sort of crime or wrongdoing. There are other ways to inquire information from someone then to hurt them.
No!!! I surelly don't think that you shuld beat anybody to get information out of them. Unless there is a situation with a criminal and the police need to get information out of them to save a hostage's/victim's life.
In my opinion torture is not ethical because "groups" just torture to get information out of people. But in some ways it may be important, for instance if a bad guy spy or somebody come in the country and spies on the government and somebody catches them the government may torture the person so the spy gives information on why they have come.
In my opinion torture is not ethical because "groups" just torture to get information out of people. But in some ways it may be important, for instance if a bad guy spy or somebody come in the country and spies on the government and somebody catches them the government may torture the person so the spy gives information on why they have come.
It was morally right for Tosca to kill Scarpia. She was in about as much pain as Cavaradossi, and she didn't have very many options. That's my opinion. If someone was highly religious they would think it would not be morally right. As Jesus said "Turn the other cheek."
I don't think that torture is an ethical practice. You can get information without torturing someone. Now isn't it a right not to be tortured or you have to pay a fine an you go to jail?
I think that it was morally right for Tosca to kill Scaripa because he tourtured Cavaradossi, her love, and she deserved her vengance for that.
I do not think this is an ethical practice because there should be a right that says torture can not be used. There is no need to torture someone in order to get information. I say that being put in jail is much better than being tortured.
I think torture isn't completely unethical. I mean I think you should try to use other options first and if all else fails, ALL else, torture depending on the crime or information they know is not completely unethical. But it's not the right thing to do.
I do not think that torture is a give way of getting information. I think it in unethical , inhumane, unnecessary, and that no one deserves that kind of punishment. I think that instead of torture, people should reveal information when they are ready to and by choice. I am kind of wondering why we are still using torture to solve our problems because it is so violent, and when we have dropped other medieval, violent practices.:)
I think Tosca was right for killing Scarpia, because she was defending herself and her lover. If she had not done what she did, Scarpia would betray her and Cavaradossi and hurt her.
I think it was morally right for Tosca to kill Scarpia because he was going to kill someone who helped an innocent person to hide from certain death. Also, Tosca was defending herself, and trying not to be forced into a marriage with someone she hated.
I think that he heightens it by the making the character Scarpia explain exactly what is happening to cavaradossi, making the music very loud and sometimes fast, and making the characters on stage sing very loudly and dramatically so that you know that there is something wrong and that Scarpia is arguing with Tosca.
Torture is still used today as a technique for acquiring information. In your opinion, is this an ethical practice? Why or why not?
No because if you need to get information then do more investigating but no one should be physically injured.
I think it was foolish because Scarpia was a mean person and he would have killed Cavaradossi even if Tosca did't of killed him.
In my opinion, torture is not an ethical practice. People do not have to be tortured just because they did something like hide someone.
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I think it was not morally right for Tosca to kill Scarpia even though he is cruel. No human being should ever hurt another unless there is no other way. She had a choice. She not is a murderer.
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I think it was not morally right for Tosca to kill Scarpia even though he is cruel. No human being should ever hurt another unless there is no other way. She had a choice. She now is a murderer.
In my opinion, Torture is not an ethical practice because people should not have to be hurt to just get information. Killing someone is illegal, and hurting people can kill, so I think that torture should be illegal. I think persuasion should be enough just to get some information.
I think it is ethical in some situations, unethical in others. If you want to know what someone had for dinner last night it is unethical. If you want to know who was in charge of a terrorist plot by all means be my guest. My big opposition to torture is that it isn't reliable, the person being tortured could just tell you what you wanted to hear (not always the truth) so it would stop.. for the moment at least.
Yes it was morally right for her to kill Scarpia because he tortured Mario in order to get his way. He also was not a good religious leader and killed people because he was trying to get his way. She was justified in killing Scarpia in order to save herself and her lover. She also was freeing people from his tyranny.
Yes i do think that this is a ethical play part because they torture him by killing with the cannon ball shot and by torturing Tosca by killing cavaradossi in front of her.
I think torture is a bad way to acquire information. If you tortured everyone for information, it could give you a very bad reputation like it seemed to do for Scarpia. n