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Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re jumping way ahead and listening to music from Quantum of Solace!
Born in 1858, Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer mainly known for his operas. Likely his most famous work, “La Bohème,” was an opera based on a book from 1851 called La Vie de Bohème. It debuted in Italy in 1896 and, within a few years, was performed in many of the leading opera houses of Europe, as well as in the United States. Puccini’s next production after “La Bohème” came in 1900 with “Tosca”. This opera was meant to be a realistic depiction of many facets of real life, including violence.
Now, what does this have to do with James Bond, a character that wouldn’t debut for another 50 years? Well, in 2008’s Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig’s James Bond is looking for revenge on those responsible for the death of his briefly beloved Vesper Lynd. The film follows Bond becoming increasingly violent, eventually landing in Austria for a night at the opera for a performance of, you guessed it – Tosca.
The specific piece of music heard and used as a backdrop on-screen is called “Tre sbirri una carrozza.” Now, I’m not quite sure what that means, but these scenes are some of the most exciting in the otherwise dull Bond film – the weakest of Craig’s Bond pictures in my opinion.
Having tracked down this record from 1974 and trying to read along in the included libretto with the lyrics translated from Italian to English… I still don’t quite know what Tosca was all about. I just think it was a really fascinating set piece, and very unique within the history of the Bond franchise.
91. Giacomo Puccini – Tosca
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