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The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre has presented Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca.

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Azernews reports.

It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, La Tosca, is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy.

The opera contains some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias. Being one of the best opera classics, Tosca is still very popular and is in the repertoire of the opera house.

Renowned opera singer and honoured artist Afag Abbasova performed on her native stage in Baku, making her debut in the title role of the opera.

Honoured artist Anton Verstandt (Baron Scarpia) also made his debut in the play together with Afag Abbasova (Floria Tosca). The opera singers shared the same stage with Honoured Artists of Azerbaijan Farid Aliyev (Mario Cavaradossi), Jahangir Gurbanov (Cesare Angelotti), Aliahmad Ibrahimov (Spoletta), as well as Mahir Tagizadeh (Sacristan), Igor Yadrov (Sciarrone), and Kanan Rahmanzadeh (Jailer).

Directed by Honored Artist Hafiz Guliyev, the opera was conducted by Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev. The choirmaster is honorary artist Sevil Hajiyeva.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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