"Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, which premiered in Rome in 1900, is one of the most popular operas in the repertory. Based on Victorien Sardou's play La Tosca, the enduring tale of love, lust, jealousy, and politics takes place in the specific setting and time of the Eternal City in June 1800, and it draws on the historical events following the fall of the Roman republic." "In this collection, distinguished musicologists, historians, theater professionals, and luminaries of the operatic stage reflect on three diverse moments of European history - 1800, 1900, 2000 - through the refracting prism of Puccini's Tosca, providing multidimensional images of each period from a wide range of perspectives."--Jacket.