"Luciano Berio's later completion (this having been an expressed intention of Puccini's), but in a more subdued orchestration. ""Nessun dorma"", sung by some of the most famous interpreters of Calaf, appears on the following compilation recordings. (For full-length recordings of the opera, see ""Turandot"" discography.) ""Nessun dorma"" achieved pop status after Luciano Pavarotti's 1972 recording of it was used as the theme song of BBC television's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It subsequently reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart. Although Pavarotti rarely sang the role of Calaf on stage, ""Nessun dorma"" became his signature aria"
"never hears. Notes Sources Tosca Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, ""La Tosca"", is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias. Puccini saw Sardou's play when it was touring Italy in"
"followed by the final note, an A sustained even longer—although Puccini's score did not explicitly specify that either note be sustained. In the original score, the B is written as a sixteenth note while the A is a whole note. Both are high notes in the tenor range. The only recording to follow Puccini's score exactly was the very first, sung by Gina Cigna and Francesco Merli, conducted by Franco Ghione. In Alfano's completion of act 3, the ""Nessun dorma"" theme makes a final triumphal appearance at the end of the opera. The theme also makes a concluding reappearance in"
"and is disappointed to know of his love for l'Arlesiana. When he has been left alone, Federico reads the letters of l'Arlesiana and ponders them with his broken heart. """" (English: ""None shall sleep"") is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera ""Turandot"", and is perhaps the most lyrical piece of music known to the public, thanks to Luciano Pavarotti, which had made it a staple in his repertoire, especially in his performances outside the opera houses. Several artists, including Aretha Franklin; Jeff Beck; Chris Botti,; Sarah Brightman, amongst others. The last two tracks are ""E lucevan"
"Tosca Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, ""La Tosca"", is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias. Puccini saw Sardou's play when it was touring Italy in 1889 and, after some"
"Puccini's from 1897. Osborne describes the scenes that follow—Cavaradossi's interrogation, his torture, Scarpia's sadistic tormenting of Tosca—as Puccini's musical equivalent of ""grand guignol"" to which Cavaradossi's brief ""Vittoria! Vittoria!"" on the news of Napoleon's victory gives only partial relief. Scarpia's aria ""Già, mi dicon venal"" (""Yes, they say I am venal"") is closely followed by Tosca's ""Vissi d'arte"". A lyrical andante based on Tosca's act 1 motif, this is perhaps the opera's best-known aria, yet was regarded by Puccini as a mistake; he considered eliminating it since it held up the action. Fisher calls it ""a Job-like prayer questioning God"
"are written in the same general musical style as his more quintessential veristic subjects. In addition, there is disagreement among musicologists as to which operas are ""verismo"" operas, and which are not. (Non-Italian operas are generally excluded). Giordano's ""Andrea Chénier"", Mascagni's ""Cavalleria rusticana"", Leoncavallo's ""Pagliacci"", and Puccini's ""Tosca"" and ""Il tabarro"" are operas to which the term ""verismo"" is applied with little or no dispute. The term is sometimes also applied to Puccini's ""Madama Butterfly"" and ""La fanciulla del West"". Because only three ""verismo"" works not by Puccini continue to appear regularly on stage (the aforementioned ""Cavalleria rusticana"", ""Pagliacci"", and"
"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"
"La fanciulla del West La fanciulla del West (""The Girl of the West"") is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by and , based on the play ""The Girl of the Golden West"" by the American author David Belasco. ""Fanciulla"" followed ""Madama Butterfly"", which was also based on a Belasco play. The opera has fewer of the show-stopping highlights that are characteristic of other Puccini works, but is admired for its impressive orchestration and for a score that is more melodically integrated than is typical of his previous work. ""Fanciulla"" displays influences from composers"
"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 making her professional opera début in 1887 as"
"this unconscious impulse could be expressed as mobility during sleep. This would be what is observed in somnambulism, though what actually makes it possible remains unknown. Opera Vincenzo Bellini's 1831 Italian opera semiseria, La sonnambula, the plot of which is centred on the question of the innocence of the betrothed and soon-to-be married Amina; who, upon having been discovered in the bedchamber of a stranger, and despite the assurances of that stranger that Amina was entirely innocent, has been rejected by her enraged fiancé, Elvino — who, then, decides to marry another. In fact, when stressed, Amina was susceptible to"
"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"
"Festival Puccini The Festival Puccini (Puccini Festival) is an annual summer opera festival held in July and August to present the operas of the famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. The Festival is located in Torre del Lago, Italy, a town located between Lago di Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea, from the beaches of Viareggio on the Tuscan Riviera and from Pisa and Lucca, Puccini's birthplace. In presenting four or five performances of up to four operatic productions each season, the Festival attracts about forty thousand spectators to its open-air theatre, the ""Teatro dei Quattromila"" (so named for its seating capacity,"
"""Edgar"" preceded ""Cavalleria rusticana"". Some view Puccini as essentially a ""verismo"" composer, while others, although acknowledging that he took part in the movement to some degree, do not view him as a ""pure"" ""verismo"" composer. In addition, critics differ as to the degree to which particular operas by Puccini are, or are not, properly described as ""verismo"" operas. Two of Puccini's operas, ""Tosca"" and ""Il tabarro,"" are universally considered to be ""verismo"" operas. Puccini scholar Mosco Carner places only two of Puccini's operas other than ""Tosca"" and ""Il tabarro"" within the ""verismo"" school: ""Madama Butterfly"", and ""La fanciulla del West."""
"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"
"Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (; 29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as some sacred music, songs, chamber music, and piano pieces. He was a precocious composer of operas, and he made his debut at age 18 with ""La cambiale di matrimonio"". His best-known operas include the Italian comedies ""The Barber of Seville"" (""Il barbiere di Siviglia""), ""The Italian Girl in Algiers"" (""L'italiana in Algeri""), and ""Cinderella"" (""La Cenerentola""). He also wrote a string of serious operas in Italian, including works such as ""Tancredi"", ""Otello"", and ""Semiramide"". ""The Thieving"
"particular characters and emotions, which have been compared to Wagnerian leitmotivs, and some contemporaries saw Puccini as thereby adopting a new musical style influenced by Wagner. Others viewed the work differently. Rejecting the allegation that ""Tosca"" displayed Wagnerian influences, a critic reporting on the 20 February 1900 Torino premiere wrote: ""I don't think you could find a more Puccinian score than this."" On 25 February 1903, Puccini was seriously injured in a car crash during a nighttime journey on the road from Lucca to Torre del Lago. The car was driven by Puccini's chauffeur and was carrying Puccini, his future"
"""La bohème"" was ""Tosca"" (1900), arguably Puccini's first foray into ""verismo"", the realistic depiction of many facets of real life including violence. Puccini had been considering an opera on this theme since he saw the play ""Tosca"" by Victorien Sardou in 1889, when he wrote to his publisher, Giulio Ricordi, begging him to get Sardou's permission for the work to be made into an opera: ""I see in this ""Tosca"" the opera I need, with no overblown proportions, no elaborate spectacle, nor will it call for the usual excessive amount of music."" The music of ""Tosca"" employs musical signatures for"
"well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. From the beginning of his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy to his final performance of ""Nessun dorma"" at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Pavarotti was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-""Aida"" Verdi roles, and Puccini works such as ""La bohème"", ""Tosca"", and ""Madama Butterfly"". He sold over 100 million records, and the first Three Tenors recording became the best-selling classical album of all time. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. He died"
"only uncontested triumph, acclaimed by critics and public alike."" After the London premiere in 1894, George Bernard Shaw pronounced: ""Puccini looks to me more like the heir of Verdi than any of his rivals."" ""Manon Lescaut"" was a great success and established Puccini's reputation as the most promising rising composer of his generation, and the most likely ""successor"" to Verdi as the leading exponent of the Italian operatic tradition. Illica and Giacosa returned as librettists for Puccini for his next three operas, probably his greatest successes: ""La bohème"", ""Tosca"" and ""Madama Butterfly"". Puccini's next work after ""Manon Lescaut"" was ""La"
"Ida Quaiatti Ida Quaiatti (sometimes Cajatti) (1890 – February 1, 1962) was an Italian lyric soprano known especially for her performances in the work of Giacomo Puccini. Born in Split, Quaiatti studied music at the conservatory in Trieste, making her operatic debut in that city as Frasquita in ""Carmen"" in 1907. Two years later she sang the title role in ""Madama Butterfly"" in Ascoli Piceno, and soon thereafter performed in ""La bohème"" at the Teatro Sociale in Bergamo. In 1912 she won plaudits for her performance of Amilcare Ponchielli's ""Lina"" in Cremona. During her career she would go on to"
"""Suor Angelica"" was moved from the 17th century to 1938, and ""Gianni Schicchi"" was moved from 1299 to 1959. ""A complete synopsis of each opera may be found in their individual articles"" The opera is dark and brooding, with the violence and grit associated with verismo opera. This second opera, Puccini's personal favorite (but usually the one to be omitted if only two of the operas are performed), is an uplifting tale of religious redemption. The third opera is the most popular, a farce full of greed and conniving. Notes Cited sources Other sources Il trittico Il trittico (""The Triptych"")"
"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"
"Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Spanish tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo has been General Director of LA Opera since 2003. To date, he has sung 27 different roles with the company including, most recently, the baritone title role of Puccini's ""Gianni Schicchi"" (September 2015) as well as Giorgio Germont in Verdi's ""La Traviata,"" Athanael in Massenet's Thaïs,"" Francesco Foscari in Verdi's ""I due"
"after uncovering the deceit of Jago and the innocence of his wife.” As in Verdi's ""Otello"", Desdemona's aria """"Salce"""" (""Willow Song"") is a pivotal moment in the final act. Franz Liszt based the Canzone from the Années de Pèlerinage supplement Venezia e Napoli on the offstage gondolier's song ""Nessun maggior dolore"" from this opera. Notes Sources Otello (Rossini) Otello () is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Berio di Salsa. The work is based on a French adaptation of the story, not Shakespeare's play ""Othello"" as neither Rossini nor his librettist"
"concert appearances with the famous tenor. In 1995 she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimì in Puccini's ""La bohème"". Nuccia Focile has appeared in many roles, such as Nannetta in ""Falstaff"" by Verdi, Nedda in ""Pagliacci"", Violetta in ""La Traviata"", Elisabeth in Verdi's ""Don Carlos"", Susanna in ""Le Nozze di Figaro"", the title role in ""Madama Butterfly"" and ""Katya Kabanova"", Tatiana in ""Eugene Onegin"", Amelia in ""Simon Boccanegra"", the title role in ""Jenufa"" for the Welsh National Opera, Despina in Mozart's ""Così fan tutte"" for both the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Adina in Donizetti's ""L'elisir d'amore"""
"as standing ""in porticu Minucia"" and therefore its exact site depends on that of the porticus. The Teatro Argentina was an 18th-century opera house and theatre located in the square. The premieres of many notable operas took place there. They include Gioachino Rossini's ""The Barber of Seville"" in 1816 and Giuseppe Verdi's ""I due Foscari"" in 1844 and ""La battaglia di Legnano"" in 1849. Located in ""Largo Argentina"" is the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter because in Italy there is a no-kill law for homeless cats (of which Rome has many), and is guided by a group of"
"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"", but despite initial respect, it did not survive. Puccini's version has become a standard in the operatic repertoire, whereas Leoncavallo's opera is rarely performed. Leoncavallo's version did not receive"
"Nuccia Focile Nuccia Focile (born November 25, 1961 in Militello in Val di Catania), is an Italian operatic soprano. Nuccia Focile was born in Sicily, studied in Turin under Elio Battaglia, and made her opera debut in 1983 as Serpina in ""La Serva Padrona"" by Pergolesi in Spoleto. In 1984 she sang her first Mimi in ""La Boheme"" by Puccini at the Teatro Regio in Turin and made her debut as Oscar in Verdi's ""Un ballo in maschera"" at La Scala in 1986. Also in that year, she won the International Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia, following which she made many"
"the opera, ""Ch'ella mi creda"", has become a staple of compilation albums by operatic tenors. It is said that during World War I, Italian soldiers sang this aria to maintain their spirits. The 2008 Italian film, ""Puccini e la fanciulla"" (""Puccini and the Girl""), is based on the period of his life when he was composing the opera. Puccini completed the score of ""La rondine"", to a libretto by Giuseppe Adami in 1916 after two years of work, and it was premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo on 27 March 1917. The opera had been originally commissioned by"
"Costanza. Griselda declares she would rather die and, moved by her faithfulness, Gualtiero takes her back as his wife. He reveals the true identity of Costanza and allows her to marry Roberto. Griselda (Antonio Maria Bononcini) Griselda is an opera (""dramma per musica"") in three acts composed by Antonio Maria Bononcini. The opera uses a slightly revised version of the 1701 Italian libretto by Apostolo Zeno that was based on Giovanni Boccaccio's ""The Decameron"" (X, 10, ""The Patient Griselda""). The opera was dedicated to Prince Maximilian Karl von Löwenstein, the Austrian governor of Milan, who died during the opera's world"
"Edgar (opera) Edgar is an operatic ""dramma lirico"" in three acts (originally four acts) by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, freely based on the play in verse ""La Coupe et les lèvres"" by Alfred de Musset. The first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 21 April 1889. The opera was not a success. Puccini repeatedly revised it, before eventually giving up in frustration, declaring the work irredeemable. ""Edgar"", Puccini's second opera, was composed on a commission from the publisher Ricordi after the successful reception of his first stage work, ""Le Villi""."
"vacillation, obtained the rights to turn the work into an opera in 1895. Turning the wordy French play into a succinct Italian opera took four years, during which the composer repeatedly argued with his librettists and publisher. ""Tosca"" premiered at a time of unrest in Rome, and its first performance was delayed for a day for fear of disturbances. Despite indifferent reviews from the critics, the opera was an immediate success with the public. Musically, ""Tosca"" is structured as a through-composed work, with arias, recitative, choruses and other elements musically woven into a seamless whole. Puccini used Wagnerian leitmotifs to"