Baritone George Gagnidze performs the role of Baron Scarpia in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca at the Shanghai Grand Opera House in Shanghai, China, on October 22 and 24, 2026, as part of the international tour of Teatro La Fenice di Venezia.
The engagement marks Gagnidze’s debut with Teatro La Fenice and brings one of his signature roles to the Asian premiere of the company’s new production. The performances form part of the inaugural season of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, a major new cultural landmark in China.
In Shanghai, Gagnidze appears in the production conducted by Renato Palumbo and directed by Joan Anton Rechi, alongside soprano Anna Pirozzi as Floria Tosca and tenor Gregory Kunde as Mario Cavaradossi, with the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice.
Performance Details
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Opera | Tosca |
| Composer | Giacomo Puccini |
| Librettists | Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Featured artist | George Gagnidze |
| Voice type | Baritone |
| Role | Baron Scarpia |
| Company | Teatro La Fenice di Venezia |
| Venue | Shanghai Grand Opera House – Harmony Hall |
| City / Country | Shanghai, China |
| George Gagnidze performance dates | October 22 and 24, 2026 |
| Performance times | October 22 at 7:30 PM; October 24 at 2:00 PM |
| Conductor | Renato Palumbo |
| Director | Joan Anton Rechi |
| Set Designer | Gabriel Insignares |
| Costume Designer | Giuseppe Palella |
| Lighting Designer | Andrea Benetello |
| Chorus Master | Elena Pierini |
| Orchestra | Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice |
| Chorus | Coro del Teatro La Fenice |
| Production | Fondazione Teatro La Fenice |
| Engagement | International tour – Asian premiere |
| Duration | Approximately 160 minutes, including two 20-minute intermissions |
George Gagnidze as Scarpia
Baron Scarpia is one of the most formidable roles in Puccini’s operatic repertoire. As Rome’s ruthless chief of police, the character embodies political authority, manipulation and destructive desire. His presence dominates the dramatic tension of Tosca, particularly in the second act, where his confrontation with the heroine becomes the psychological and emotional centre of the opera.
The role demands a baritone capable of combining commanding vocal power with theatrical subtlety. From the imposing Te Deum at the conclusion of the first act to the intense dramatic exchanges of the second, Scarpia requires authority, precise diction and the ability to communicate menace through both musical expression and stage presence.
For George Gagnidze, Scarpia is one of the defining roles of an established international career. He has portrayed the character at leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
His interpretation has attracted critical recognition for its combination of vocal strength, dramatic intensity and psychological detail, establishing Scarpia as a central part of his artistic identity.
Gagnidze’s broader repertoire includes major dramatic baritone roles such as Rigoletto, Macbeth, Nabucco, Iago in Otello, Amonasro in Aida, Tonio in Pagliacci, Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana and Michele in Il tabarro. These portrayals reflect a career closely associated with the dramatic intensity of Italian opera, particularly the works of Verdi and Puccini.
The Shanghai engagement holds additional significance as part of Teatro La Fenice’s international tour and the inaugural season of the new Shanghai Grand Opera House. Joan Anton Rechi’s staging, which premiered in Venice in 2025, relocates the action of Tosca to the 1950s, offering a renewed theatrical perspective on the opera’s themes of power, oppression and individual freedom.
For biography, repertoire, media, press materials and booking enquiries, visit George Gagnidze’s Trucco Management artist profile or contact Trucco Management directly.