Internationally renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka joins us as the title character in Puccini's Tosca this spring. The Opera That Changed My Life is our blog series that explores the moments when people became opera lovers.

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Adrianne Pieczonka 

The opera that changed my life was Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the ENO in 1988. I had just moved to London after finishing my studies in Toronto and was hoping to launch my operatic career. I got a last minute ticket to this opera by Shostakovich and I had a seat in the second row of the theatre. Katerina Ismailova was played by the brilliant English soprano Josephine Barstow and Willard White played her husband. The production by David Pountney was simply electrifying and the music literally blew me away. I left the theatre in a daze. I felt so overwhelmed by the incredible singing/acting I had witnessed. I'll never forget this performance.

 

Above: Dame Josephine Barstow singing "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca in a 1990 recording.

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Banner image: Marcelo Puente and Adrianne Pieczonka in Tosca (COC, 2017), Michael Cooper