"Because only three ""verismo"" works by Puccini continue to appear regularly on stage (the aforementioned ""Cavalleria rusticana"", ""Pagliacci"", and ""Andrea Chénier""), Puccini's contribution has had lasting significance to the genre. Both during his lifetime and in posterity, Puccini's success outstripped other Italian opera composers of his time, and he has been matched in this regard by only a handful of composers in the entire history of opera. Eleven of Puccini's operas are numbered among the 200 most-performed operas (worldwide, by composers of any nationality, as surveyed by Operabase). Three of his works (""La bohème"", ""Tosca"", and ""Madama Butterfly"") rank among"
"""Manon Lescaut"" (Manon Lescaut) – opera composed for her voice and interpreted in première for Teatro alla Scala of Milan on 27 March 1897; Giacomo Puccini ""La Bohème"" (Mimì) – opera interpreted in première for America at Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires in 1896 and in première for Romania at Bucharest National Theatre on 15 January 1903; Giacomo Puccini ""Tosca"" (Floria Tosca) – opera composed for her voice; the soprano’s aria was requested to Puccini by Hariclea Darclée suggesting the principal musicals elements, too; the opera was interpreted in prima assoluta at Teatro dell’Opera of Rome on 14 January 1900"
"Maestri as Scarpia. James Conlon conducted. In San Francsisco, Carlo Montanaro conducted Bohème with Erika Grimaldi and Julie Adams sharing the role of Mimi, Ellie Dehn as Musetta, Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Rodolfo and Audun Iversen as Marcello. The same production of ""Bohème"" will be revived at Houston Grand Opera in the autumn of 2018 with James Lowe conducting, Nicole Heaston as Mimi, Ivan Magri as Rodolfo, Michael Sumuel as Marcello and Pureum Jo as Musetta. Caird’s adaptation of Bernstein’s musical ""Candide"", originally written and staged for the National Theatre in London in 1999, is increasingly being used by opera companies,"
"as the Duke of Mantua. Other productions that first season included Puccini's ""La bohème"" (with Rosanna Carteri as Mimì, Jan Peerce as Rodolfo, and Virginia MacWatters as Musetta), ""Faust"" (with Robert Rounseville in the title role, Nicola Moscona as Méphistophélès, and Ellen Faull as Marguerite), Puccini's ""Madama Butterfly"" (with Licia Albanese as Cio-cio-san, Walter Fredericks as Pinkerton, Margaret Roggero as Suzuki, and Cesare Bardelli as Sharpless), Italo Montemezzi's ""L'amore dei tre re"" (with Beverly Sills as Fiora and Ramón Vinay as Avito), ""Il barbiere di Siviglia"" (with MacWatters as Rosina, Guarrera as Figaro, and Cesare Valletti as Almaviva), ""Cavalleria rusticana"""
"Cesare Bocci Cesare Adolfo Bocci (born September 13, 1957) is an Italian actor. Born in Camerino, he has acted in films and on stage, but is best known for his performance as Mimi Augello to Luca Zingaretti's Salvo Montalbano in the television series ""Il Commissario Montalbano"". He attended acting school in his home town of Camporotondo di Fiastrone, where he was a founding member of Compagnia della Rancia of Tolentino which produced theatre plays. Moving to Rome, he has had continued success across theatre, cinema and television since. He made his cinema debut in 1990, in Silvio Soldini's ""L'aria serena"
"Giovanni"", Pamina in ""Die Zauberflöte"", Fiordiligi in ""Così fan tutte"", Cio-Cio-San in ""Madama Butterfly"", Angelica in ""Suor Angelica"", Leïla in ""Les pêcheurs de perles"", Violetta in ""La traviata"", Marguerite in ""Faust"", the Countess in ""The Marriage of Figaro"", Amelia Grimaldi (Maria Boccanegra) in ""Simon Boccanegra"", Marenka in ""The Bartered Bride"", The Mother in ""Amahl and the Night Visitors"", and Mimi and Musetta in ""La bohème"". Her vast opera repertoire also includes Nedda in ""Pagliacci"", Donna Anna in ""Don Giovanni"", Lauretta in ""Gianni Schicchi"", Despina in ""Così fan tutte"", Susanna in ""The Marriage of Figaro"", Micaëla in ""Carmen"", Antonia in ""Les"
"Bosini sang a wide range of parts during her career. Other roles she created on stage included Cio-Cio-San in ""Madama Butterfly"", Desdemona in ""Otello"", Elsa in ""Lohengrin"", a flower maiden in ""Parsifal"", Hanna Glawari in ""The Merry Widow"", Maria in ""Guglielmo Ratcliff"", Margherita in ""Mefistofele"", Marguerita in ""Faust"", Micaela in ""Carmen"", Nedda in ""Pagliacci"", and the title roles of Giordano's ""Fedora"", Mascagni's ""Iris"", Massenet's ""Manon"", and Puccini's ""Manon Lescaut"" and ""Tosca"". After retiring from the stage in 1930, Bosini taught singing in Milan and managed her husband's career. She and her husband lived their latter years at the Casa di"
"""Mignon"" in a tour of German cities in 1927-1928. During the 1930s she was a resident artist with the Dutch National Opera and appeared as a guest aritst at several opera houses in the Netherlands. She also appeared in opera houses in Berlin, Hamburg, and Prague. She became known as 'The American Nightingale' in Europe. Lucchese appeared as a guest artist in opera performances in several American cities during her career, including appearances at the Detroit Opera House and the Cincinnati Opera. Other roles she performed on stage during her career include Norina in ""Don Pasquale"" and Mimi in Puccini's"
"help Smallens with some of the artistic direction. The company performed between 10 and 15 operas every year during an annual season until it went bankrupt a year after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The PCOC performed all of their productions at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House (MOH) up through the spring of 1928. The company's first performance was of Giacomo Puccini's ""La bohème"" on November 6, 1924 with Anna Fitziu as Mimì, Romeo Boscacci as Rodolfo, Alfredo Gondolfi as Marcello, Emily Stokes Hagar as Musetta, and Smallens conducting. Occasionally the company presented more rarely heard works, including the American"
"no unified plot. Like the 1849 play by Murger and Théodore Barrière, the opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into the single character of Mimì. Early in the composition stage Puccini was in dispute with the composer Leoncavallo, who said that he had offered Puccini a completed libretto and felt that Puccini should defer to him. Puccini responded that he had had no idea of Leoncavallo's interest and that having been working on his own version for"
"Ernesto Badini Ernesto Badini (born San Colombano al Lambro, 14 September 1876; died Milan, 6 July 1937) was an Italian opera singer that sang in the baritone range. He was trained at Milan Conservatory and made his debut as Matteo (in ""Frà Diavolo"") at Lodi's Teatro Gaffurio in 1896. Badini was a regular performer at Milan's La Scala and achieved his greatest success in the comic role of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. In ""Il Signor Bruschino"" (Rossini), he was said with a generally ""excellent cast"" to have ""co-operated with a will"". At Covent Garden: he portrayed Marcello in ""Boheme"" (Puccini): ""[not]"
"Puccini roles: Sharpless in ""Madama Butterfly"" (La Scala, 1904) and the title role in ""Gianni Schicchi"" (Metropolitan Opera, 1918). He also created the Marquess in Massenet's ""Grisélidis"", Michonnet in Cilea's ""Adriana Lecouvreur"", Gleby in Giordano's ""Siberia"" (1903), and Sancho Panza in Massenet's ""Don Quichotte"" opposite Feodor Chaliapin. The illustrious conductor Arturo Toscanini is reputed to have once called De Luca ""absolutely the best baritone I ever heard"". Certainly, he was praised by critics and audiences alike in a wide range of operatic roles, ranging from buffo and bel canto parts through to the core Verdi and Puccini characters. He even"
"presented two major new productions, ""Madama Butterfly"" and ""Tosca"". In addition, the program included Puccini's first opera, ""Le Villi"", presented in concert, with performances by Katia Ricciarelli and Josè Cura. In 2004 the Puccini Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary by a season featuring two great events: one was a new production of ""Madama Butterfly"" celebrating the centenary of its première in Brescia on 28 May 1904. It was conducted by Plácido Domingo with Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato in the leading roles. The second was a special evening dedicated to Puccini's heroines, presenting the most beloved arias from the Maestro's"
"particularly associated with the Teatro Costanzi in Rome and La Scala in Milan. She sang regularly at the Teatro Costanzi from 1922–26 and 1929–30; most notably singing the role of Maria in the 1930 world premiere of Pizzetti's ""Lo straniero"". In 1924 she joined the roster at La Scala where she sang numerous roles until 1931. Her first role with the company was as Mimi in Puccini's ""La bohème"". Most notably, she sang the role of Liu in the original 1926 production of Puccini's ""Turandot"" under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. Her other roles at La Scala included Euridice in"
"Metropolitan Opera from 1909-1929 where he was heard in a total of 1,577 performances. At the Met he created roles in several world premieres, including Handsome in Giacomo Puccini's ""La fanciulla del West"" (1910), De Brigole in Umberto Giordano's ""Madame Sans-Gêne"" (1915), and Pinellino in Puccini's ""Gianni Schicchi"" (1919) He retired from the stage in 1929 and thereafter lived in retirement in Bergamo until his death in 1955. Vincenzo Reschiglian Vincenzo Reschiglian (21 February 187417 July 1955) was an Italian operatic baritone who specialized in the comprimario repertoire. He was born on 21 February 1874 in Venice, he was the"
"Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni and Umberto Giordano. In 1881, Ponchielli was appointed ""maestro di cappella"" of the Bergamo Cathedral, and from the same year he was a professor of composition at the Milan Conservatory, where among his students were Puccini, Mascagni and Emilio Pizzi. He died of pneumonia in Milan in 1886 and was interred in the city's Monumental Cemetery. Although in his lifetime Ponchielli was very popular and influential, in introducing an enlarged orchestra and more complex orchestration, the only one of his operas regularly performed today is ""La Gioconda"". It contains the great tenor romanza ""Cielo e mar"","
"Kate Pinkerton's handful of lines in Act 3. Cesira Ferrani Cesira Ferrani (May 8, 1863 in Turin – May 4, 1943 in Pollone) was an Italian operatic soprano who is best known for debuting two of the most iconic roles in opera history, Mimì in the original 1896 production of Giacomo Puccini's ""La bohème"" and the title role in Puccini's ""Manon Lescaut"" in its 1893 world premiere. Ferrani sang a wide repertoire that encompassed not only verismo opera but the works of composers like Verdi, Gounod, Wagner, and Debussy. Born Cesira Zanazzio, Ferrani studied with Antonietta Fricci in Turin before"
"noted composer Giacomo Puccini. On 9 January 1883, Mascagni's sister, Maria, died. The cantata ""In Filanda"" became ""Pinotta"", and was proposed for the musical contest of the Conservatorio, but as his registration was late, it was not accepted. In 1884, he composed ""Ballata"" for tenor and piano; ""M'ama non m'ama"", scherzo for soprano and piano; ""Messagio d'amore"", and ""Alla luna"". In 1885, Mascagni composed ""Il Re a Napoli in Cremona"", a romance for tenor and orchestra, on a text by Andrea Maffei. He left Milan without completing his studies. That year, he began touring as a conductor in the operetta"
"its UK premiere until May 1970. Allan Atlas has analysed in detail the different treatments of the death of the Mimì character in both Leoncavallo's and Puccini's versions of ""La bohème"", contrasting the historical success of Puccini's opera and the relative failure of Leoncavallo's. ""Café Momus"" The innkeeper Gaudenzio tries in vain to eject the Bohemians, who never pay and are continually up to no good. During the conversation another piece of horseplay on their part is discovered. They sit down to dine, while Musette gaily sings. (Canzonette: ""Mimì is the name of my sweet blonde."") Naturally when they are"
"Anthony Michaels-Moore Anthony Michaels-Moore (born 8 April 1957) is an English operatic baritone and the first British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition (Philadelphia, 1985). Anthony has since performed in many of the world's major opera houses across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. He has distinguished himself as a specialist in Verdi and Puccini roles, most renowned for his portrayals of Falstaff, Nabucco, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Iago in ""Otello"", Germont in ""La traviata"", Sharpless in ""Madama Butterfly"", and Scarpia in ""Tosca"". In addition to the standard repertoire, he has sung and recorded the baritone roles of some of"
"Amarilli Nizza Amarilli Nizza (born January 4, 1971 in Milan) is an Italian operatic soprano. Nizza is the descendant of the soprano Medea Mei Figner (Florence 1859 - Paris 1952). This one was also the poetical inspiration of Cajkovskij, who composed for her and her husband, the tenor Nikolaj Figner, ""La Dama di Picche"" (1890) and ""Jolanta"" (1892) performed at Marijnskij theater in Saint Pietersburg Since she was a little child she started to study piano and singing with her grandmother Claudia Biadi. In 1993 she won the competition Mattia Battistini and debuted in ""Madama Butterfly"" (as Cio-Cio-San) by Puccini"
"Mimì, Jan Peerce as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino as Marcello, and Gaetano Merola conducting. She sang several more performances with the SFO that year, portraying Elena in Boito's ""Mefistofele"" and Nedda in ""Pagliacci"". Fenn made her first opera appearance in New York with the New York City Opera on March 28, 1953 as Musetta. The production also notably marked Norman Treigle's first performance with the company in the role of Colline. She later returned to that house in 1955 to sing two roles with the company, Oxana in Tchaikovsky's ""Cherevichki"" (performed under the title ""The Golden Slipper"") and Violetta in Giuseppe"
"Broadway musical adaptation of the French play ""La Cage Aux Folles"". In 2012, he debuted as a television presenter on Rai 3 show ""Il giallo e il nero"". In October 2013, he was lead presenter of ""Miss Italia"" together with Massimo Ghini and Francesca Chillemi. Cesare Bocci Cesare Adolfo Bocci (born September 13, 1957) is an Italian actor. Born in Camerino, he has acted in films and on stage, but is best known for his performance as Mimi Augello to Luca Zingaretti's Salvo Montalbano in the television series ""Il Commissario Montalbano"". He attended acting school in his home town of"
"Arrighetto Arrighetto is an opera in one act by Carlo Coccia. The Italian-language libretto was by Angelo Anelli, after ""Madonna Beritola"", sixth tale of the second day of the ""Decameron"" by Giovanni Boccaccio. It premiered on 9 January 1813 at the Teatro San Moisè, Venice. The plot is inspired by the tale of Madonna Beritola, told by Emilia in the second day of the ""Decameron"" by Giovanni Boccaccio, with significant variations. In the tale, Giuffredi and Scacciato, the two sons of Arrighetto Capece, nobleman fallen into disfavour and arrested after the fall of the king of Sicily Manfredi, reach adventurously"
"remained under treatment for months. During the medical examinations that he underwent it was also found that he was suffering from a form of diabetes. The accident and its consequences slowed Puccini's completion of his next work, ""Madama Butterfly"". The original version of ""Madama Butterfly"", premiered at La Scala on 17 February 1904 with Rosina Storchio in the title role. It was initially greeted with great hostility (probably largely owing to inadequate rehearsals). When Storchio's kimono accidentally lifted during the performance, some in the audience started shouting: ""The butterfly is pregnant"" and ""There is the little Toscanini"". The latter comment"
"on 16 June 1896. The opera was given in Alexandria, Lisbon, and Moscow in early 1897. The United Kingdom premiere took place at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, on 22 April 1897, in a presentation by the Carl Rosa Opera Company supervised by Puccini. This performance was given in English and starred Alice Esty as Mimì, Bessie McDonald as Musetta, Robert Cunningham as Rodolfo, and William Paull as Marcello. On 2 October 1897 the same company gave the opera's first staging at the Royal Opera House in London and on 14 October 1897 in Los Angeles for the opera's United"
"libretto. So confused was the authorship of the libretto that no one was credited on the title page of the original score. However, it was Illica and Giacosa who completed the libretto and went on to contribute the libretti to Puccini's next three – and most successful – works, ""La Bohème"", ""Tosca"" and ""Madama Butterfly"". Puccini took some musical elements in ""Manon Lescaut"" from earlier works he had written. For example, the madrigal ""Sulla vetta tu del monte"" from act 2 echoes the ""Agnus Dei"" from his 1880 ""Messa a quattro voci"". Other elements of ""Manon Lescaut"" come from his"
"Margherita in Boito's ""Mefistofele"". She also performed there as Micaela in Bizet's ""Carmen"" and as Mimì in Puccini's ""La bohème"". In 1932 she appeared at the Teatro Regio in Turin as Liu in Puccini's ""Turandot"". She made her debut at La Scala in 1936 as Giorgetta in Puccini's ""Il tabarro"". She also sang there the title role Minnie of his ""La fanciulla del West"", and roles in contemporary operas, such as Respighi's ""Maria egiziaca"" and ""Lucrezia"", Pizzetti's ""Fra Gherardo"", ""Debora e Jaele"" and ""Lo straniero"", and Alfano's ""Cyrano de Bergerac"". In her later life, she recalled, ""I spent my life"
"Micaëla in Bizet's ""Carmen"" at the Teatro Regio di Torino. That same year she sang Gilda from Verdi's ""Rigoletto"" and Marguerite in Gounod's ""Faust"" at the same theater. Over the next four years she appeared in numerous productions in Catania, Genoa, and Venice. She also sang in several productions in France. In 1892 she appeared at the Teatro Carlo Felice as Amelia into Verdi's ""Simon Boccanegra"" and as the title role in Catalani's ""Loreley"" under Arturo Toscanini. On 1 February 1893, Ferrani sang the title role in the world premiere of Puccini's ""Manon Lescaut"" at the Teatro Regio di Torino."
"death. Musette, who accidentally meets her there, sacrifices her jewels to procure fuel to warm the room for Mimì. As the Christmas chimes are heard, Mimì dies. Notes Sources La bohème (Leoncavallo) La bohème is an Italian opera in four acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo, based on ""Scènes de la vie de bohème"" by Henri Murger. The opera received a successful premiere at the Teatro la Fenice, Venice on 6 May 1897. Leoncavallo wrote his opera ""La bohème"" contemporaneously with Giacomo Puccini's own treatment of the same story. Leoncavallo later revised the work, titling it ""Mimì Pinson"","
"Gianni Schicchi Gianni Schicchi () is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ""Divine Comedy"". The work is the third and final part of Puccini's ""Il trittico"" (The Triptych)—three one-act operas with contrasting themes, originally written to be presented together. Although it continues to be performed with one or both of the other ""trittico"" operas, ""Gianni Schicchi"" is now more frequently staged either alone or with short operas by other composers. The aria ""O mio babbino caro"" is"
"Maryann Mootos Maryann Mootos is an American operatic soprano from Boston, Massachusetts. She received a bachelor's degree in Voice from the Eastman School of Music, and her master's degree in Opera Performance from Temple University where she attended on a full scholarship. She sang the role of 'Mimi' in Puccini's ""La Bohéme"" with Longwood Opera, as well as the role of 'Birdie' in Marc Blitzstein’s ""Regina"" with the Boston Opera Project. She has sung roles in La Bohème, as soloist with the Newton Community Chorus as 'Gabriel' in Haydn’s ""Creation"". Ms. Mootos has performed in concerts at Philadelphia’s Academy of"
"Maria Labia Maria Labia (14 February 1880, Verona – 10 February 1953, Malcesine, Lake Garda) was an Italian operatic soprano who was particularly associated with roles of the verisimo repertoire. Labia studied voice with her mother, Cecilia Labia, who was also an opera singer. She made her professional opera début in Stockholm in 1905 portraying the role of Mimì in Puccini's ""La bohème"". Two years later she joined the Komische Oper Berlin where she sang numerous roles including the title role in Puccini's ""Tosca"", the title role in Bizet's ""Carmen"", Marta in ""Tiefland"" and the title role in Richard Strauss's"