Opera on Screen returns: Presenting Tosca

“A roller coaster story of love, lust, murder and political intrigue” is headed to Guernsey! A FREE screening of Puccini’s iconic Opera Tosca will be taking place on the 24th July at Beau Séjour thanks to a partnership between the Opéra de Rennes-Angers and Guernsey Arts.

“We are really thrilled to be partnering once again with the Opéra de Rennes to share this 2024 performance from some of France’s leading operatic talents. Opéra is a sumptuous art form with incredible skills to appreciate – from vocals and orchestra to costume and stage production. The Guernsey Arts team are grateful to the Bureau des Iles Anglo-Normandes & Opéra de Rennes for their ongoing support in delivering this free screening – ensuring access to the arts for everyone” Louise Le Pelley, Partnerships Development Executive at Guernsey Arts.

Opera sur L’Ecran – Opera on Screen Opera on Screen is a regional initiative championed by the Brittany and Loire regions. The aim of the initiative is to make opera accessible to all by sharing free screenings recorded from the Opera d’Angers Nantes and the Opera de Rennes. Co-produced by Angers, Nantes, Rennes, Toulon and Nancy, the event is now in its 5th edition and is open to viewers from the ages of 12 and up. France’s screenings took place on 8th June across over 50 towns and plein air locations including Angers, Nantes, Rennes, La Baule, Saumur and L’ile d’Yeu. In Rennes, over 1000 spectators were in attendance on the main square for what has become known to be the defining classical music event of the Summer.

‘I lived for art; I lived for love’ – Puccini’s Tosca comes to the Channel Islands

Be transported to the heart of the opera and find your place amongst the orchestra and artists of the Rennes Opera, as the iconic story of Tosca comes to life on screen. Sung in Italian with French subtitles, Tosca is an opera in 3 acts based on a French play “La Tosca” by Victorien Sardou. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900 and tells a tragic love story where passion and jealousy collide. Thanks to cultural relations developed between the Brittany region and the Channel Islands, a screening will be shown in both Guernsey and Jersey, with free tickets available to book via Guernsey Tickets.

For many opera lovers, iconic star Maria Callas and Tosca’s Vissi d’Arte are inseparable – but you won’t find this music exclusively in the opera house. The music from Tosca has featured in blockbuster features and TV series such as Quantum of Solace, Milk, A Star Is Born, Lola and Peaky Blinders