If you happen to have Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi on hand to play the diva and the heavy, you get high-low bliss, like a B movie directed by Rembrandt.
Amazingly, the production directed by Franco Zeffirelli marked the first time Ms. Callas and Mr. Gobbi together performed "Tosca" before an audience. (Alas, Mr. di Stefano is absent.) But the voices are a decade older.
The controversy started in earnest when Ovrebro - who officiated the controversial semi-final between Barcelona and Chelsea last season - showed Gobbi a straight red for his challenge by the touchline on Robben.
When opera lovers start thinking about vital recordings, one in particular is almost always mentioned: EMI's 1953 "Tosca, " with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano and Tito Gobbi in the leading roles and Victor de Sabata conducting.