On June 12 at 8:30 p.m., the square in front of the Ruse State Opera will become the stage for one of the most thrilling opera stories ever created. As part of the “Stage Under the Stars” festival, the audience will have the opportunity to experience Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca”—a work in which love, jealousy, self-sacrifice, and the quest for freedom intertwine in a dramatic narrative of exceptional musical power.
In the role of the famous singer Floria Tosca, we will see soprano Vladislava Garvalova—an artist who has a deep understanding of her character’s personality and her intense emotions. A few days before the performance, we spoke with her about her encounters with Tosca over the years, the power of love, uncompromising resolve as a life stance, and those moments in Puccini’s score that continue to move her deeply every time she takes the stage.
If you could talk to Floria Tosca outside the context of the opera, what question would you ask her, and what answer do you expect to receive?
I would reply that there’s nothing I need to ask her, since I understand her intuitively and on a deep level. That uncompromising spirit, that determination to pursue happiness and love, the refusal to cower or bow one’s head—these are qualities I’m very familiar with. But if I had to say something to her, I would say: “Floria, you should have stabbed him one more time! It’s never enough for scoundrels.”
Now that you’ve already performed the role of Tosca on stage, is there a moment that still manages to surprise or move you, no matter how well you know the production?
There are many memorable moments. But the one that resonates most deeply with me—and the one that always moves me to the core—is the music Puccini composed for the third act, when she is hiding and watching the execution. There are a few bars of orchestral music that foreshadow the tragic end of the two lovers, and they are so powerful in their sense of fate that I am certain they could move even a hardened criminal.
Tosca is a heroine who is constantly faced with a choice between love, fear, and dignity. Do you think she would act the same way today if she were living in our time?
Today, social norms are different. Morality has become a rather elastic concept. And yet I believe that even now there are women like Tosca who would kill for love. They are probably few and far between, but still, from a purely practical and logistical standpoint, it would be more difficult for them.
The performance will take place outdoors. If you had to describe Tosca using the colours of a summer evening in Ruse, what would they be and why?
The lighting will certainly be dynamic. It will begin with a pink glow, transitioning into rich purple and lilac hues as a symbol of the romantic love between Tosca and Cavaradossi. In the second act, of course, it will be fiery red, depicting the murder and the heart-wrenching emotions, and the finale will be in dark blue hues, like an abyss toward which - with murder or without, with passion or without - we are all flying, without the right or the chance to turn back. Some - sooner, like our main characters.
Is there anything about your own personality that you’ve discovered through your encounters with Tosca over the years?
My personality overlaps to a large extent with Tosca’s, even to the point of extremes. I think it wouldn’t even have crossed Scarpia’s mind to offer me anything; instead, he would have immediately accused me of something - just like that, out of sheer intolerance for my personality. Men often have a tendency to dislike strong women and take revenge on them in one way or another. Yes, we definitely have a lot in common with Tosca - we’re both uncompromising. Everyone is familiar with my active civic stance; it is a reflection of my character.
