Music at it's best (Puccini: Tosca)

Member Name: Asylum

Product:	Puccini: Tosca
Date:	21/04/02 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: excellent music, consistent style

Disadvantages: some pieces difficult to find

Giacomo Puccini was greatly influenced by Verdi, who was well acclaimed at the time when Puccini was starting to develop his career. However, despite this he had a very distinct style of his own which produced a lighter and in my opinion far more melodic quality to his work.
His first operatic piece was a one act performance entitled Le Villi, set in Germany and based on the story of a man who deserted his lover for many years. On his return he was accosted by Le Villi, the spirits of retributive justice and died.
this was a well composed and fascinating piece but never really made any impact on the public. As a result it is rarely performed or heard, which is a pity because it epitomises the very best of Puccini's talents. If you ever get the opportunity of hearing Le Villi then I highly recommend that you listen to it.
His first real success was with Manon Lescaut, a wonderful story of love and tragedy set in both France and the USA. After this his career was assured and he could now begin to compose with the knowledge that his future work would be taken very seriously.
Unlike many of his contempories he was not a prolific composer, instead he would spend months or even years searching for what he believed to be an appropriate subject. He spent almost 18 months working on a piece called La Lupa before deciding that it was not suitable.
Everyone knows some of Puccini's music, whether it be the famous Madama Butterfly or the aria Nessun Dorma from Turandot which gained fame from the World Cup, but sadly too many do not know the real quality of music that he left the world as a legacy.
In order to hear the true music of Puccini I recommend that you listen to the lesser known pieces such as Edgar or La Rondine.

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