Chandos
Gramophone Editor’s Choice

Puccini: Orchestral Works

ContemporaryDramatic, romantic, virtuosic, triumphant

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Details

Composer
Giacomo Puccini
Artist
Sinfonia of London
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
Chandos
Released
Mar 27, 2026
Catalog #
CHSA 5385
UPC
0095115538524

About

Puccini is renowned as one of the greatest opera composers of all time, and his early works - before Manon Lescaut catapulted him to international fame - offer a fascinating insight into his development as a composer. John Wilson and Sinfonia of London explore this repertoire with characteristic style and commitment, leading us on a journey through student compositions and orchestral extracts from his earliest operas. Studying under Amilcare Ponchielli at the Milan Conservatory from 1880 to 1883, he created the Preludio sinfonico (loosely based on Wagner's Prelude to Lohengrin), the Scherzo, Trio, and Adagetto, and Capriccio sinfonico, his graduation piece, which famously pre-echoes the opening of La bohème by a decade. The one-act opera Le villi was composed for a competition launched by the publisher Sonzogno (Puccini didn't win), whilst themes from the contemporaneous Tre minuetti and Crisantemi (both for string quartet) were subsequently re-cycled in Manon Lescaut. Verdi's publisher, Ricordi, bought the rights to Le villi, and commissioned a new work at the same time: Edgar, which, largely owing to the absurd plot, is arguably Puccini's only failure, despite some fully mature music easily the match of the more celebrated scores.

Critic reviews

  • “It’s all wonderfully done, as one might expect. Wilson, who made his operatic debut with Madama Butterfly at Glyndebourne in 2016, is an excellent Puccinian, conducting with a mix of passion and finesse that proves well-nigh ideal.”

    Gramophone, Editor’s choice, April 2026

  • “…marvellously done by John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London, played with such frequently thrilling breadth of operatic emotion as to make you immediately want to reach for one of Puccini’s operas.”

    BBC Music Magazine, 5 stars, April 2026

Tracklist 14 tracks

  1. 1 Preludio sinfonico 07:08
    Track
    1
    Title
    Preludio sinfonico
    Duration
    07:08
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  2. 2 Capriccio sinfonico 10:49
    Track
    2
    Title
    Capriccio sinfonico
    Duration
    10:49
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  3. 3 Le Villi: Prelude 02:05
    Track
    3
    Title
    Le Villi: Prelude
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  4. 4 Le Villi, Act II: La tregenda 02:05
    Track
    4
    Title
    Le Villi, Act II: La tregenda
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  5. 5 Scherzo in A Minor, SC 34 - Trio in F Major, SC 52 (orchestration completed by V. Bernardoni) 02:47
    Track
    5
    Title
    Scherzo in A Minor, SC 34 - Trio in F Major, SC 52 (orchestration completed by V. Bernardoni)
    Duration
    02:47
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  6. 6 Adagietto in F Major 03:43
    Track
    6
    Title
    Adagietto in F Major
    Duration
    03:43
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  7. 7 Manon Lescaut, Act II: Preludio 04:08
    Track
    7
    Title
    Manon Lescaut, Act II: Preludio
    Duration
    04:08
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  8. 8 Manon Lescaut, Act III: Intermezzo 04:29
    Track
    8
    Title
    Manon Lescaut, Act III: Intermezzo
    Duration
    04:29
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  9. 9 Crisantemi (version for string orchestra) 06:29
    Track
    9
    Title
    Crisantemi (version for string orchestra)
    Duration
    06:29
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  10. 10 No. 1. Moderato 03:33
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 1. Moderato
    Duration
    03:33
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  11. 11 No. 2. Allegretto 02:45
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 2. Allegretto
    Duration
    02:45
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  12. 12 No. 3. Assai mosso 02:43
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 3. Assai mosso
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  13. 13 Edgar, Act I: Prelude 03:23
    Track
    13
    Title
    Edgar, Act I: Prelude
    Duration
    03:23
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  14. 14 Edgar, Act III: Prelude 04:22
    Track
    14
    Title
    Edgar, Act III: Prelude
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Giacomo Puccini
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson