Product Description
Cloth bound. English and Italian text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Turandot score
Never received it...needed it for a time sensitive gig and was refunded automatically from Amazon...disappointing:-(

No commentaries/review about the work.
No commentaries/review about the work. And I did not like the english lyrics coming above the italian lyrics... ... Read more

Product Description
A book on the feminine universe that influenced Giacomo Puccini's private and artistic life. Puccini's romantic interests were the lifeblood of his stupendous creations, but other women also played a role. Most importantly, his mother, a widow who dedicated her life to her children, was without a doubt the most important woman in his life, to whom he was profoundly attached and grateful, while he also maintained close ties with his sisters, each of whom left her mark on the great composer. Italian text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Puccini : the passionate advocate of Romantic Music.

Music was embedded in Puccini; behind him, he had five generations of musical history relating to his family. When his father died, Giacomo was only five years old, and the family ruled that his uncle was suitable enough to handle the child's upbringing - as was the custom then prevailing in Lucca (Italy). Unfortunately the uncle considered little Puccini undisciplined, with a bad taste, concerned more about his looks, materialistic, and a bad organizer. So much labelling heaped on an infant of five.!!!

Mosco Carner made of Puccini a fascinating subject for study. ""an artist who bore the authentic stamp of genius but who for some reason failed to cross the boundary into the realm of absolute greatness. If there was ever a 'border- line case', it is Puccini.'"". The author, in my opinion, has been able in his third edition - posthumously though as it is, and thanks to his wife Hazel - to see all the relevant data in the context of meaningful relationship to historical events, and to value his achievements devoid of personal feelings or bias to 'old' political aberrations.

This is extremely interesting.
We can see that, unlike Wagner, Puccini did not participate in the dominating politics in his days. Mussolini claimed that Puccini applied for admission to the National Fascist Party. This appears to be highly improbable in the absence of records or proofs of any application signed by Giacomo Puccini and submitted to the party. In addition, had Puccini done so, his close friend Toscanini (the linchpin anti-fascist) would, very likely, have severed all friendly connections with him and refrained from conducting his operas? In fact Puccini's personality could not have possibly accommodated for any delinquent demands from the Fascist Party.

Puccini was very attractive, vivacious and also impulsive. The great composer did not care for criticism and this trait interfered with his artistic ambitions bordering on playing with fate.

But early on, ""Fate"" played its role, and played it very well. In his adulthood Puccini took the position of church organist and choir master in Lucca. From such initial experience he adored music, yet it did not become part of him until he saw a performance of Aida (Verdi) that made a sort of divine influence on him to become an opera composer. At the age of 21, he composed the Messa, which marks the culmination of his family's long association with Church Music.

The power of the church and the humble prayers of its congregations drew the roadmap for Puccini's works. The acclaim and `Bravo' clapping in appreciation gave glimpses of the moving and vivid power that he would soon release on the stage; hence his powerful "arias" for tenor and bass soloists.Certainly Puccini's music in its orchestration and dramatic impact is more operatic than is current in church music. Perhaps one can go thus far to mention that Puccini's Messa compares quite well with Verdi's Requiem.

Like Mahler's experience long before, Puccini's initial participation in a competition did not go well. In 1882 he obtained a Libretto and tried his luck for a One-Act opera but did not win. Three years later his next stage caught the attention of Giulio - the owner of his family music publishers: Ricordi & Co - In 1889, Giulio commissioned Puccini with a second opera - Edgar.
His third opera - Manon Lescaut 1893 - was his first great success, followed by La Boheme - 1896, Tosca 1900, and Madame Butterfly 1904.

Tosca in particular remains a milestone in Puccini's career. Tosca is by far the most historical opera and one of the most popular and significant event ever written and staged. ""Tosca is set in a very specific time and place: Rome, from just before midday on June 17, 1800 to a few minutes after dawn on the following day. Any opera lover lucky enough to go to Rome can literally follow in the footsteps of Tosca, from the basilica of Saint Andrea della Valle, to the Farnese Palace , to the fortress of Saint Angelo... history in Tosca is distorted by nationalism and by the vehement anticlerical perceptions of papal Rome shared by Sardou, Puccini and the librettists""

Fate struck Puccini's destinies and the industrial revolution played its role in his life, perhaps it has even distracted him. His compositions became less frequent. His passion for driving fast cars nearly killed him in a serious accident in 1903.

Fate decreed again.
In 1909, there was scandal when Puccini's wife, Elvira, falsely accused their maid Doria Manfredi of having an affair with her husband. The maid then committed suicide. Elvira was successfully sued by the maid's family and Giacomo had to pay damages. Finally, in 1912, the death of Giulio Ricordi, now Puccini's editor and publisher, ended a productive period of his career. However, Puccini completed more works but of little significance compared with the former four operas.

Perhaps his worst habit was cigar heavy chain smoking. Towards the end of 1923 Puccini began to complain of chronic sore throats. A diagnosis of throat cancer was ruled. Puccini and his wife never knew how serious the cancer had progressed. Only his son knew of the seriousness of his father's condition. Puccini's perpetual pain and suffering led his doctors to recommend a trip to Brussels to undergo experimental radiation therapy treatment.
Uncontrolled bleeding and complications caused him chronic heart attack. Puccini died in Brussels on November 29, 1924. News of his death travelled fast to Rome during a performance of La bohème. The opera was immediately ended, and the orchestra played Chopin's Funeral March . The blow stunned a full-house audience.

Like Mahler's tenth Symphony, Puccini's Turandot - his last opera - was left unfinished. The remaining two scenes were completed by Franco Alfano based on the composer's sketches made out in illegible handwriting, difficult or impossible to read. Now still an open question whether Alfano followed the sketches or not? The sketches were said to be an open riddle, indecipherable!!
""When Arturo Toscanini conducted the premiere performance in April 1926, (in front of a sold-out crowd, with every prominent Italian except for Benito Mussolini in attendance), he had chosen not to perform Alfano's portion of the score. The performance reached the point where Puccini had completed the score, at which time Toscanini stopped the orchestra. The conductor turned to the audience and said: "Here the opera finishes, because at this point the Maestro died". (Some recorded he said, more poetically, "Here the Maestro laid down his pen.").""

Puccini died at 66; too soon !! our beloved Opera Magician was still young.

The Definitive Puccini Biography
This is the alpha and omega of literature on Puccini and eliminates the need to look elsewhere.Carner's access to family history and Puccini's personal correspondence make this a definitive reference.By the same token, it is highly readable for a scholarly biography.It can be read for enjoyment as well as information -- as such, it is a good match for Puccini's art. ... Read more

Product Description
Long before Puccini wrote his masterpiece, the tale of the poor Japanese girl abandoned by her foreign lover had been taken up by numerous Western writers as part of the wave of Japonisme in late 19th-century Europe.But was there a "real" Madame Butterfly?Following the tragic trail back to its roots in Nagasaki, Jan van Rij believes he's found the answer.Opera lovers will delight in the revelation, and learn not only about the cultural forces and personal fixations that inspired this popular work but why many Japanese remain unconvinced. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

informative, comprehensive easy to read.
This book is based on extensive and thorough research. It's analytical, yet not dry. I got much more out of seeing the opera on stage after reading this book. This book helped me a lot writing my college paper.

Kami Sarudahiko
We were interested in seeing how historically accurate Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly was, so we purchased Van Rij's book.However, in his section entitled "How Japanese is it" he speculates that "Surandasico" might be a garbled reading of "zurugashikoi" meaning cunning, an adjective.First of all, he misspelled "sarundasico" as it occurs in the opera librtetto and somehow never discovered that there is a Shinto kami named "sarudahiko" which we found via Google.If this one detail is so far off, how can the rest of the book be much better?

Additionally his assessment of the character, Butterfly, is unbelievably dismissive.It should not take a great deal of imagination to figure out why she would want to marry an American, considering her station and the lack of true and binding marriage rights for women of her station in Japan at that time.Nevertheless, the other parts of the book were interesting and the photographs from the Meiji Restoration Period were helpful in our research.

Regards - Adam and Tami

Mme. Butterfly Story Marred By Omissions & Errors
The book is a very interesting study of the whole Mme. Butterfly story written by a highly educated career diplomat who, like many of his profession, had a lot of the free time necessary to pursue his pet research topic. As an opera buff and linguist the author is able to gain many interesting insights into the Butterfly story. For example, he approaches the opera from the angles of Pierre Loti and Siebold and examines the phenomenon of Japonisme which swept 19th century Europe. Unfortunately, despite the author's meticulous research, the book is marred by spelling inconsistencies (for instance, the personal name and honorific O-Kiku is rendered correctly but Oine (sic) is not). The book also suffers from not having made full use of Japanese sources (including a book written by a descendant) as the author does not read or speak Japanese (this last point was confirmed by the author himself).

Who was the Real Madame Butterfly?A Fascinating Study
If you've ever seen Miss Saigon on Broadway, David Henry Hwang's postmodern play, M. Butterfly, or Puccini's original opera, Madame Butterfly, you'll love this book.This is a fascinating, thorough re-telling of the Madame Butterfly story... answering the age-old question, "Was there a real Madame Butterfly who inspired Puccini's opera?" A meticulous, nonfiction detective story of a book, the author goes back to Puccini's earliest historical and cultural sources, debunking old myths and identifying earlier incarnations of the story, and discovers the tragic, real-life love story behind the opera.A great read for any opera buff or anyone who's interested in Japanese culture!Great photos, too.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Italian/English. Translated by Gutman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Inexpensive but not without errors/omissions
Just started work on the Act I duet (Mario! Mario! Mario!) and have found an incorrectly notated dotted quarter-note. Little things like that make me wish I had spent a few more dollars on the Ricordi edition. My rating is higher than one star only because the price is low. ... Read more

Product Description
Italian/English - Cloth Score. Translated by Machlis. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: G. RicordiAmazon.com Review
Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème, a bittersweet story of love and lossamong the youthful Bohemians of Paris's Left Bank, has long been a majorportal to lyric theater. Countless operatic novices have been won over by itsseductive combination of ravishing tunes and a classic, tragic love story: boymeets girl, boy wins girl, boy loses girl, girl dies. La Bohème is oneof those seemingly foolproof operas that can survive any number of performancedisasters, from dreadful directorial concepts to bad casting and abysmalconducting, and still come out all right.The story of the little seamstress Mimi; herlover, the poet Rodolfo; and the painter Marcello and his inflammatoryrelationship with Musetta, a lady of negotiable virtue, hasstaying power that is lifted by Puccini's melodic gift.

In the Black Dog Opera Library we have a useful new tool for operaticeducation. La Bohème, like the rest of the volumes inthe Library, offers a good-looking, well-made book with an informative introductory essay about thecomposer and the work, lots of pictures, and a complete libretto in Italian andEnglish. There is even a complete recording of the opera, featuring a cast ofname singers. In this particular case, the recording is the 1963 EMI/Angelversion that was remastered in 1991. The Italian soprano Mirella Freni--surely theoutstanding Mimi of our time--sings irresistibly; she is well-matched by thestrong Rodolfo of the great Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda and the macho Marcelloof Mario Sereni. One unfortunate weakness of this set is that the names of theother performers aren't given, and they ought to be. One will have to checka guide to recordings to discover that Mariella Adani is the Musetta,Ferruccio Mazzoli enacts the touching Colline, and Mario Basiola Jr. is Schaunard.All are energetically conducted by the late Thomas Schippers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wonderful Full score
It is very well presented, I prefer to carry the full score when I sing, but sometimes they are way too big to carry around. This book is the exception, you can carry it with ease.

Beautiful Book with Fine Recording
I bought this book and CD set a few years ago to learn the opera LA BOHEME.The beautifully illustrated book includes a history of the opera and of Puccini's career, a clearly printed libretto in Italian and English, and information on the conductor and the principal singers.The recording is a fine one, dominated by the partnership of Nicolai Gedda and Mirella Freni as Rodolfo and Mimi.Gedda has a firm, pure tenor and a delightful sense of humor too often missing from portrayals of Rodolfo.I also like his sad sigh in the last act just before Mimi dies:it's a refreshing change from the outright weeping usually heard at this point in the opera.Freni lights up the performance with her luminous, youthful lyric soprano.The supporting cast are all-Italian and make a good team, and Maestro Thomas Schippers paces the opera nicely.This book and CD set is a wonderful bargain for anyone wanting to learn LA BOHEME.Check out the other Black Dog Opera Library sets, too.

Well-balanced and vividly theatrical "Boheme"
Looking for a good, moderately priced recording of "Boheme"?This is it.Schipper's conducts a delightfully theatrical performance.The young Freni is ideal:fresh and touching as Mimi should be.Gedda has a lighter, more youthful sound than Pavarotti or Bjoerling, and makes an excellent match for Freni.Good stereo sound.Excellent supporting cast:Sereni a charming, youthful Marcello.Other sets have great casts and great conductors (and you may want to augment your collection with Beecham's classic recording and Kleiber's live La Scala performance, but this one is a perfect introductory "Boheme", with its user-friendly book and libretto. Beautiful.

This book has caused me to fall in love with opera.
Having found opera intimidating I was looking for something to help me understand and appreciate the genre. This book exceeded all expectations. I intend to acquire the entire series.

Fantastic Package for Opera Beginners and Aficionados
See my review under "Die Zauberflote" ... Read more

Product Description
What forces helped shape the output of this high-living, often arrogant, but immensely talented composer? This fascinating collection includes Simonetta Puccini's essay full of intimate details about her family, as well as writings by experts on the racist politics behind the creation of Madama Butterfly; Puccini's fascination with American culture as exemplified in Fanciulla del West; his grappling with twentieth-century musical practices in Trittico and Turandot; and the changes that early recording technology sparked in turn-of-the-century operatic performance style. ... Read more