Five reasons to listen to Tosca right now

2. It’s a story for any age.

Tosca addresses universal themes: sex, power, politics and religion – and does so unflinchingly and to exceptional dramatic effect.

The setting is Rome in 1800, a year after the French Revolution, when the city was preparing itself for Napoleonic invasion. This is the tumultuous backdrop to a passionate love affair between republican artist, Mario Cavaradossi, and the fiery and loyal singer Floria Tosca. When Cavaradossi is accused of aiding a fugitive and arrested, Tosca must both rescue her man and evade the lustful designs of Baron Scarpia, the royalist chief of secret police.

Tosca may be a strong, feisty female lead, but she’s prepared to break entirely, giving up everything to save the life of the man she loves. Still, she won’t go down without a fight...

3. There are some massive tunes...

The opera’s most famous number is probably “Vissi d’arte” (I lived for art): Tosca’s part-plea, part-prayer, part-lament in Act 2 as she reflects how her previously happy life is spiralling out of control.

Incredibly, Puccini actually considered not including this aria in the first performance, as he was concerned it would interrupt the dramatic flow. Luckily, someone persuaded him to keep it in.

Then there’s Cavaradossi’s aria from Act 3, "E lucevan le stelle" (And the stars shone) – a romantic ballad sung as the painter awaits his execution at the hands of Baron Scarpia.

This is one of those tunes where it really pays to have a translation to hand. Cavaradossi remembers the heady romance of earlier and happier days, before morning dawn begins to streak the sky and he sings, in desperation: “And I never before loved life so much – loved life so much!”.

It’s unbelievably powerful.

4. …and one of the best stage villains ever created.

Scarpia even has his own signature theme – three epic chords that echo in the music every time he is mentioned. He oozes menace, but he’s no pantomime villain. Like Cavaradossi and Tosca herself, he’s a multi-layered, complex character - but one whose predilection for sexual violence sits alongside burning ambition and an insatiable desire for power and control.

Scarpia’s big tune in Act 1, “Va, Tosca!” (Go, Tosca!) is fuelled by sheer menace and audacious blasphemy. At its climax, he sings: “Tosca, you make me forget God!” – in a church, as the bells ring and the chorus sing part of the Mass. It’s hard to overstate how much of a big deal this would have been in 1900, when the opera received its premiere. Even in 2017, it sends shivers up the spine.

There are also cannons. It’s amazing.

5. There are absolutely tons of recordings to choose from.

And if you’re not willing to spend hours researching different options, we’ve an easy solution for you.

Set aside an evening, turn the speakers up and get ready to have some feelings.

Listen to Puccini's Tosca, live from New York's Metropolitan Opera, on the Radio 3 website.