@sfopera

Your home is destroyed. Your father murdered. And your oppressor has come to inspect his spoils — you among them, captive, along with your fellow warriors. No vengeance is too great, no cost too high, to satisfy the hatred you feel right now. The fate of Italy lies in the balance in this weekend's streaming special "Attila," the Giuseppe Verdi masterpiece featuring Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto in the title role. Soprano Ana Lucrecia García stars as Odabella, the warrior who seems to betray her friends and befriend her enemy, in the pursuit of the perfect revenge. But not all is at it seems. Charge into battle with Diego Torre, Quinn Kelsey and stage legend Samuel Ramey when this historical epic streams for free all weekend long, starting Saturday, October 17, at 10 a.m. Pacific.

To put it lightly: Writer George Bernard Shaw was not a fan of the stage play “La Tosca” that would later inspire one of the great operas of all time. In fact, Shaw was hardly a fan of any of the works “La Tosca” writer Victorien Sardou wrote. Too little thought, too much contrivance, Shaw wrote. He even coined a word in Sardou’s honor: Sardoodledom. In Shaw’s vernacular, it was shorthand for pointless melodrama. And it remains in the dictionary today. “Such an empty-headed ghost of a shocker,” Shaw quipped of “Tosca.” He added, “Oh, if it had but been an opera!” By 1900, composer Giacomo Puccini would make that a reality. One of Sardou’s lasting legacies — unfortunately — would be the advice, “Torture the women,” as a quick-and-easy plot device. It endured well into the 20th century, with suspense director Alfred Hitchcock famously saying, “I always believe in following the advice of the playwright Sardou. He said ‘Torture the women!’” How did Puccini adapt Sardou’s “shocker” for the opera stage? Find out yourself: We’re streaming Puccini’s “Tosca” all weekend long for free on our website!

It is a time of unrest, of anger at the police violence unfolding around them. This is “Tosca,” set in Rome on the eve of a Napoleonic takeover.⁣ ⁣ But the stage is a mirror for society, then as now. “Tosca’s” premiere was rocked by the revolutionary spirit taking hold in Italy at the time. Riots had broken out across the country, following the dissolution of Italy’s parliament and its crumbling economy.⁣ ⁣ And yet, the country’s elite had gathered on January 14, 1900, to see one of its greatest composers reveal his latest masterpiece. Queen Margherita of Savoy would be there. So would the prime minister. It seemed a tempting target for the anarchists threatening violence.⁣ ⁣ Rumors swirled that night that an assassination plot was brewing, involving a bomb planted beneath the queen’s box. The police reportedly instructed conductor Leopoldo Mugnone to start playing the national anthem, should the evening end in disruption.⁣ ⁣ But fears of violence proved only to be fears: The evening, by and large, went off without a hitch.⁣ ⁣ Get into the revolutionary spirit — see “Tosca,” streaming for free on our website this weekend only!

"The incredible, unbearable sense of terror that that has — it just gives me goosebumps even today." Director Jose Maria Condemi opens up about the moment in "Tosca's" second act that sends chills down his spine, no matter how often he hears it. Condemi's production of "Tosca," starring Lianna Haroutounian and Brian Jagde, headlines the opening weekend of our free fall streaming series, airing now through midnight Sunday on our website. Got a favorite, spine-tingling moment of your own? Share it below! 👇

Police corruption. Justice perverted. And a leader consumed with lust and power. Right now, we're kicking off our free fall streaming series with a timeless classic — "Tosca," Giacomo Puccini's portrait of two artists pitted against a tyrant. Head to our website now to be among the first to enjoy this weekend's streaming event, starring Lianna Haroutounian in her role debut as Tosca, her first-ever performance on our stage. Baritone Mark Delavan portrays the ultimate opera villain Scarpia, a police chief willing to bend the law to his own desires — even if that means staining his hands with blood. And tenor Brian Jagde delivers a shattering performance as Mario Cavaradossi, the painter whom Tosca loves — and loses. Descend into a vision of Rome on the brink of rebellion with "Tosca," streaming now until Sunday at midnight, free on our website.

Is this the reward for a life of piety? The screams of her lover? A firing squad outside? And the only path to freedom being to strike a deal with the devil — a corrupt official with hate in his heart and rape on his mind? Lianna Haroutounian (@liannaharoutounian) delivers a heartbreaking rendition of "Tosca's" most celebrated aria, "Vissi d'arte" — a plea to God not to abandon her, not after a life filled with love, art and piety. Catch this Puccini masterpiece free on our website for one weekend only, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Saturday as part of our streaming series.

If only you knew the power of the dark side... Welcome, villains one and all, to this Sunday's new Opera Aficionado event, about the dastardly evil-doers who run amok — and fuel the devilishly good opera stories we all adore. Join professor Robert Hartwell as he celebrates such timeless miscreants as the Duke of Mantua from "Rigoletto," the Queen of the Night from "The Magic Flute" and Katerina Izmailova from "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District." What turned these loveable villains to the dark side? And how does their evil seep into the very music we savor? Find out this Sunday! Head to our website to claim your spot at this interactive digital event.

Blinded by his power, blinded by his schemes, blinded by the bloodshed to come, the corrupt police chief Baron Scarpia has barely noticed the church around him fill with parishoners. "Tosca," he cries out, "you have made me forget God." With the echoing might of the San Francisco Opera Chorus behind him, and the sound of Rome's bells and church organs ringing out, baritone Mark Delavan delivers a chilling performance as the ultimate opera villain, Scarpia. Catch his performance this weekend in "Tosca," streaming for free on our website this weekend, starting 10 a.m. Pacific Saturday.

"It has been five years. Some of my memories from my first San Francisco Opera production of Georges Bizet’s 'Carmen' are long gone, but most I still hold onto dearly. My clearest memory is of one special performance that was broadcast live at the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark. It involved one lost shoe and one missed cue." Now on our blog, 13-year-old singer and writer Zora Day-Friedland shares an essay she composed about the moment she thought her budding opera career ended. "I was 9 years old at the time and the youngest in the production by two months — a fact I liked to point out because I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was the youngest in what my dad called 'the big leagues.'" Zora writes she was giddy with excitement. Her street-urchin makeup was on, her hair tied in pigtails, and she even managed to throw a sneer at the rival boys' chorus before stepping on stage with her fellow singers. Once assembled, they were all supposed to rush to the front of the stage together. "I confidently started to run forward. Alone. Luckily it was only about one second before the rest of the crowd joined me, but it was long enough to make me feel mortified. I didn’t even notice until the end of the song that, when I ran forward too early, I had lost my shoe! "As we walked off the stage and into the hallway, I burst into tears. In my mind, every single person watching at the ballpark had just seen me humiliate myself. Though my director told me over and over again that nobody even noticed, I still found myself sobbing. Back in the dressing room, I started to feel better. I changed back into my normal clothes. "Although at the time it felt like my worst nightmare, I now look back on this experience and laugh." Head to our blog to read her full story — and join us in saying "brava" to this talented young writer!

She saw her lover dragged away, bloodied and bruised. Now, his screams echo from another room. Name your price, Tosca says to the chief of police. Tell me what it takes to save my lover. In the aria "Già, mi dicon venal," police chief Baron Scarpia does exactly that. He won't accept her money, and revealing the hideout of a political dissident hasn't done her a bit of good. No, Scarpia wants one thing only: Tosca herself. See one of the most vile villains in all of opera when baritone Mark Delavan stars in "Tosca," streaming for free this weekend on our website, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Saturday.

Giacomo Puccini’s second opera, “Edgar,” was such a phenomenal flop, it nearly put a stop to his budding career. A majority of shareholders at the G. Ricordi & Co. publishing house felt it was time to cut their losses and part ways with the young composer. Publishing giant Giulio Ricordi himself had to jump to Puccini’s defense. But it was at this time of dire circumstances that Puccini started to contemplate an adaptation that would become one of his masterpieces, “Tosca.” He had seen the original play twice, once in Turin and a second time in Milan, both with Sarah Bernhardt in the lead: The early screen star was said to be the model for the character of Tosca, and she originated the role. But while newspapers carried whispers that “Tosca” would be Puccini’s new project, he moved on in the years that followed, instead penning operas like “Manon Lescaut” and “La Bohème.” Only afterward did he return to the play that fired his imaginations in one of the darkest times in his career. See "Tosca" this weekend as we launch our fall streaming series!

The painter Mario Cavaradossi thought he had only one hour to live. But now a vision of hope visits him: It's his beloved Tosca, with news that she's killed the chief of police and concocted a plan to save them both. In his aria "O dolci mani," he clasps her bloodstained hands, grateful for her bravery. What irony, he sings, that hands so pious, so gentle should deliver the fatal blow to their oppressor. Check out this preview of tenor Brian Jagde (@brianjagdetenor) in a heartwrenching performance as Cavaradossi in this weekend's free streaming event, Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca!" Stream it on our website all this weekend, starting Saturday at 10 a.m. Pacific.