When Il trittico premiered at New York's Metropolitan Opera in December 1918, Gianni Schicchi became an immediate hit. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The action in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi takes place in Buoso Donati's bedroom in 13th-century Florence, immediately after his death, as his greedy relatives feign grief and search for his will. The mood shifts to anger when the relatives discover that they have been disinherited. They seek out the clever and resourceful Schicchi to make a counterfeit will. Schicchi, however, turns their scheme against them, bequeathing most of the dead man's fortune to himself while the relatives, all parties to the crime of forgery, are forced to sit by silently. The aria O mio babbino caro is one of Puccini's most popular arias for soprano. Bruno de Simone plays the character of Gianni Schicchi. As Italy's finest basso buffo, he is perfect for this role. Puccini completed the score on 20 April, 1918, eight months before the scheduled premiere. At that performance it was presented as the third part of a trilogy of newly written one-act operas by Puccini billed as Il trittico (The Triptych); the first two were Il tabarro (The Cloak) and Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica). Il tabarro was a dark tragedy and Suor Angelica a sweet one, so by closing with Gianni Schicchi Puccini rounded off the night with a high-spirited comic farce. Critical reaction at the time judged that Gianni Schicchi was "an uproarious delight", and it was the most favorably received of the three.

Classical Music

Elmira Veda, Annamaria Popescu, Sally Wilson, Carlo Barricelli, Luca Salsi, Emanuele Giannino, Manrico Signorini, and Giovanni Guagliardo star in this Puccini opera with Laurence Gilgore conducting the Orchestra e Coro del Festival Puccini.

Directed by Matteo Ricchetti, Mario Corradi. Starring Giorgio Surian, Antonia Cifrone, Massimo Laguardia. "It may not contain well-known singers but it is all a performance of Tosca should be. The sets are imaginatively inventive, demonstrating how to make much from little: Mario Corradi's production is theatrically powerful, the singing first class. Antonia Cifarone, who can act as well as sing, is a mesmerizing Tosca... No matter how many Toscas you may already own, this is one well worth adding to your collection" -- Opera Now Sept/Oct 2009

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Le Villi is an opera-ballet in two acts that marked Giacomo Puccini's debut in the world of opera. It was first staged at Teatro dal Verme in Milan in 1884. Librettist Ferdinando Fontana based the story on the ancient legend of the Willis, fantastic creatures representing the souls of young women who were the victims of love. Anna and Roberto are engaged, but during a trip the man is seduced by a woman and his fianc�e dies of heartbreak. Roberto, who is by then abandoned and left penniless, is haunted by remorse and attacked by the revengeful fairies and Anna's ghost. All the elements of the more mature Puccini are already recognizable: the characters of Anna and Roberto anticipate the "love victim" and the "man without qualities" archetypes of his later operas, whereas some of the composer's touches of harmony and aria structure foresee his future success. This rare work was chosen to open the 2018-2019 season of Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the performance received very good reviews. "Le Villi is an opera full of excellent music, where Puccini's future grandeur is already recognizable. This production mingles essentiality, intelligence and youth" (Gbopera. It) "Conductor Marco Angius delivers a fierce and passionate performance and under his baton the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is able to convey all the various shades of the score. " (Gbopera. It)

Starring Gabriele Nani, Marianne Fiset, Josef Wagner.

•Under the direction of Christof Loy, a new production of Puccini’s famous gold prospectors’ drama staged in Frankfurt last May is here presented by OehmsClassics. The Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra with Sebastian Weigle conducting supports a fine cast of singers including Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie, Ashley Holland as Jack Vance, Carlo Ventre as Dick Johnson and Peter Marsh as Nick.

Ji-Min Park, Takesha Meshe Kizart, Jose Carbo, Taryn Fiebig, David Parkin, and Shane Lowrencev star in this Australian Opera production of the Puccini opera conducted by Shao-Chia Lu and directed by Gale Edwards.

Eva-Maria Westbrook, Lucio Gallo, and Zoran Todorovich star in this de Nederlandse Opera production of the Puccini opera conducted by Carlo Rizzi and directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff.

Running time: 74 mins
Region Code: All regions
Picture format: 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound format: DTS Surround / LPCM Stereo
Menu languages: English
Subtitles: English/French/German/Spanish/Italian

R E V I E W S:

"Alessandro Corbelli delivers a masterclass in how to extract every ounce of humour from comedy by playing it straight. He is the king of comedy and an international treasure." -- The Stage

"…conducted with flamboyant verve and mercurial comic energy by Jurowski, this is close to the perfect Glyndebourne experience" --Sunday Times Magazine

"...a mouth-watering one-act opera by Puccini. The London Philharmonic was in scintillating form." -- musicomh.com

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Puccini’s Japanese tragedy Madama Butterfly is given a ravishing production by The Royal Opera. Its alluring imagery of Japan from the 19th-century European Imagination heightens the intense clash of East and West. When the American naval officer Pinkerton seduces the young ‘Butterfly’ Cio-Cio-San, he seems to promise every happiness – but his cruel abandonment leads to her tragic self-sacrifice. Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera and renowned for his interpretations of Puccini, conducts an exceptionally fine cast with the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Powerful performances show why Madama Butterfly remains one of the all-time operatic favourites. ‘‘Always at his best in Puccini, Antonio Pappano conducts with passionate sincerity.’’ (The Guardian 5 Stars) ‘‘An opera that ranks among the very greatest of the 20th century.’’ (The Daily Telegraph 4 Stars) ‘‘Ermonela Jaho is the best Cio-Cio-San London has seen in years’’ (Independent 4 Stars)
-----

REVIEWS:

The Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho is one of the great singing actresses of our time. Hers is not a sumptuous soprano, but the colors she brings to her portrayal are astonishing. Her Flower Duet with Elizabeth DeShong's feisty, sympathetic Suzuki is quite beautifully sung. Pappano - arguably today's greatest Puccianian conductor - draws ardent playing from the orchestra, superbly detailed in its commentaries.

– Gramophone

Pappano is particularly alert to Puccini borrowing traditional Japanese melodies; at times he makes you hear this score, as well as the drama on stage, as a tug of war between East and West. It’s Sharpless and Suzuki who steal the show – a consul with a tender conscience from Scott Hendricks and Elizabeth DeShong as a maid who could melt the stoniest of hearts.

– BBC Music Magazine

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. This production, recorded on September 20, 1984, features Laila Andersson-Palme in the lead role of Floria Tosca. She is joined by opera greats Rolf Bjorling, Erik Saeden, Anders Bergstrom, and others, as well as the Royal Swedish Orchestra led by Carlo Felice Cillario.