Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Scarpia in the Kremlin

Scarpia in the Kremlin

Last updated on: March 14, 2022 at 11:09 pm by Dan Peterson

Scarpia in the Kremlin 2022-03-14T23:09:05-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The promotional and program art for Utah Opera’s 2022 production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” I hope that my employment of this image can be considered fair use, as I’m writing in support of the production.

***

On Saturday night, my wife and I attended a very strong performance of Puccini’s Tosca by the Utah Opera. We thoroughly enjoyed it; there is little mystery about the fact that Tosca ranks among the most popular works in the standard operatic repertoire. Unexpectedly, though, just prior to the overture, a spokesman came out onto the stage in front of the curtain. I believe that it was Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera’s artistic director. Our hearts sank just a bit. When a speaker comes out just before a performance, it usually means that somebody in the cast is ill or absent and that there will be a substitution.

This time, though, that wasn’t the case. He explained that Tosca is partly about an unscrupulous and self-aggrandizing tyrant and about his use of force to coerce innocent people. And this, he said, made what they were about to do quite appropriate. The curtain parted, and there was the Utah Opera chorus. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem, and the entire audience stood in respect. Ahead of me, somewhere to my left, a male voice was actually singing along, not very beautifully but loudly and in Ukrainian. I found the moment deeply moving.

Later on, as I listened to the truly evil villain Scarpia — essentially a sadistic rapist commanding a lawless police state — singing early in the second act, I couldn’t help but think of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine:

Ha più for te
sapore la conquista violenta
che il mellifluo consenso. Io di sospiri
e di lattiginose albe lunari
poco mi appago. Non so trarre accordi
di chitarra, né oròscopo di fior
né far l’occhio di pesce, o tubar come
tortora! Bramo. La cosa bramata
perseguo, me ne sazio e via la getto.
Volto a nuova esca. Dio creò diverse
beltà, vini diversi. Io vo’ gustar
quanto più posso dell’opra divina!

For myself the violent conquest
has stronger relish than the soft surrender.
I take no delight in sighs or vows
exchanged at misty lunar dawn.
I know not how to draw
harmony from guitars, or horoscopes
from flowers, nor am I apt at dalliance,
or cooing like the turtle dove. I crave,
I pursue the craved thing, sate myself and cast it by,
and seek new bait. God made diverse beauties
as he made diverse wines, and of these
God-like works I mean to taste my full.

The story line in Tosca is really quite similar in important respects to that of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Shakespeare’s Angelo is very similar to Puccini’s Scarpia. While watching the opera on Saturday night, a question suddenly occurred to me: I have no idea whether Vladimir Putin ever partakes of Shakespeare or Puccini or even ordinary gangster movies but, if he does, I wonder whether he ever sees himself in characters like Scarpia or Angelo or Shakespeare’s version of Richard III or Al Capone. Does he ever exclaim “That’s me!”

I’m guessing, sadly, that he doesn’t.

***

The other night, the City of Kyiv Ballet closed its performance in Paris with the entire company onstage, singing the Ukrainian national anthem

And there’s yet another Ukraine-related musical item that I’ve likewise found curiously moving. Please read the two paragraphs of explanation and then watch the brief video:

“Ukrainian Violinists Play in Solidarity with 94 Other Violinists from 29 Countries”

***

But is there anything that we ordinary mortals can do that will actually help? Yes. There are many things. And I’ll mention one of them here: I hope that our friend (my former student) Axel Bromley and his wife Terah won’t mind my sharing this from Axel’s Facebook page:

Eight years ago today our family walked through Yanakovic’s mansion near Kiev. He had fled after letting Putin kill over a hundred people in the Maidan.

Now we are right back here again. And I have a way you can help the Ukrainians defend their country.

When I moved to Asia from Ukraine, I was replaced as the General Manager by an awesome Polish guy named Miroslaw or Mirek for short.

I didn’t know him well, but I heard great things about him from my Ukrainian staff. He has since transferred back to Poland and is the GM there.

He has been doing great things to help the refugees coming into Poland. Food, transportation, shelter. He has been doing real things other than just posting on social media.

He reached out to me for money. He has contacts on both sides of the border and is now seeking to buy non lethal military equipment the Ukrainian volunteer soldiers need.

If you know me, you know I’ve never asked anyone for anything but prayers from time to time.

I’m asking for money now. 100% if it will go to Mirek and I know 100% of that will go to buying EU equipment and be sent across the border to those that need it. I trust him.

If you’d like to help please send anything you can to:

Venmo: @terah-bromley

PayPal [email protected]

My wife and I have given through this channel. I’ve known Axel (and, later, Terah) for many years now, and I trust them. (He was even, I’m proud to say, the president of the Cairo Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his recent work assignment there.) I wish that we had a great deal more to give.

***

Finally, a thought from the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was referring, of course, to the leadership of the late and largely unlamented Soviet Union, but I’m afraid that he would have had no difficulty at all in recognizing Vladimir Putin for what he is:

We know they are lying.

They know they are lying,

They know that we know they are lying.

We know that they know that we know

they are lying.

And still they continue to lie.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 13, 2022

It also made me feel really old.

Next Post

March 14, 2022 Notes on the Gadianton Robbers and Ancient Law

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What mountain did Jesus ascend from into heaven?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mount Sinai Mount of Olives Mount Zion Mount Carmel