[Photo provided to China Daily]

It is said that Tosca is an opera that must be watched with a handkerchief as the spectator's heart may be broken by the tragedy. Tosca is regarded as not only a masterpiece marking the pinnacle of maestro Puccini's artistic achievement, but is also part of the "classic repertory" of almost all opera houses in the world.

It's a fictional story set in an imaginary castle in Rome, where angels and demons coexist. The tale is fraught with love, politics, hatred and conspiracy.

The opera is filled with classic arias. Recondita armonia and E lucevan le stelle are seen as touchstones for tenors while the Vissi d'arte number sung by the heroine Tosca is a tearjerker of beautiful melody.

The tragic and beautiful music and the variations in the stage settings help express the characters' inner emotions and touch the audience at a very profound level.

7:30 pm, April 19-22. National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.