PSA to anyone going to the Tacoma Opera's production of Tosca - do yourself a favor listen to the "Vissi d'arte" episode of Aria Code before you go!!! Aria Code is a *fantastic* podcast - each episode features a single aria, examining what makes it memorable and pointing out interesting things to listen for so that you're familiar with it when you hear it live. *More* than worth the 20 minutes it'll cost ya. Puccini's Tosca: I Offered Songs to the Stars <https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code/episodes/aria-code-puccini-tosca-sondra-radvanovsky> “I lived for art,” Tosca tells God, “I lived for love.” *What did I do to deserve all this? *Tosca's despair and the moving way Puccini captures it musically speak so directly to artists, to audiences, to all of us, that "Vissi d'arte" has become one of the most famous arias in opera. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code/episodes/aria-code-puccini-tosca-sondra-radvanovsky Cheers, and enjoy Tosca!