Puccini: The Making of a Maestro

Puccini’s Later Years

Following the disastrous premiere of Madama Butterfly in 1904, Giacomo Puccini faced a severe creative and personal crisis. Bruised by failure and an awful car accident, the great composer struggled to find his next operatic subject. Yet, what followed was an unprecedented era of transatlantic fame, technological innovation, and an ever-evolving musical landscape. From massive international tours and the early days of the gramophone to the global disruption of the First World War, Puccini’s later life was as dramatic as any of his operas. In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson welcomes back opera historian and Puccini specialist Dr. Ditlev Rindom. Together, they explore how Puccini navigated the “autumn of Italian opera,” adapting his style and collaborating with new librettists to produce later masterpieces like La Fanciulla del West, Il Trittico, and La Rondine. We also examine the heartbreaking final days of Puccini's life, tracing his struggles to complete his grandest project, Turandot, while battling an undiagnosed fatal illness. If you love discovering the hidden gems and untold stories of the operatic world, please help us keep the music alive. Support our mission by visiting opera-rara.com/support [https://opera-rara.com/support] and making a donation today. "He really knew how to create drama for an audience and how to hold you captive, how to manipulate you even, and then how to chuck you out the other end feeling absolutely overwhelmed." — Flora Willson Chapters:  * 00:00 - Introduction: Puccini after Madama Butterfly * 03:08 - Global Ambitions: La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera New York * 06:01 - Transatlantic Fame in North and South America * 08:16 - Puccini, Caruso and the gramophone era * 13:13 - A Creative Crisis: the death of librettist Giuseppe Giacosa * 17:18 - Mascagni's Lodoletta and Puccini’s discarded work * 22:47 - Viennese Operetta: La Rondine and the Great War * 28:29 - The Autumn of Italian Opera and the Late Verismo Movement * 32:26 - The lure of one-act opera: Leoncavallo's Zingari * 36:40 - Il Trittico and the European Trend of Short Operas * 40:41 - The Grandeur of Turandot and Puccini's Final Struggle * 49:11 - Ask Opera Rara: Puccini's Legacy in the Theatre Get Involved Thank you for listening. Lives in Song is produced for a Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/] production for Opera Rara. ► REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work. ► DISCOVER Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: Opera Rara [https://opera-rara.com/] ► SUPPORT a unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: Support Opera Rara [https://www.opera-rara.com/support] ► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue [https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue] ► FOLLOW Opera Rara: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/opera.rara] X / Twitter [https://x.com/OperaRara] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/OperaRaraOfficial] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opera-rara/about/] BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/operarara.bsky.social] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/OperaRaraOfficial] Credits Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/]. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song [http://creativekin.co.uk/song] Host: Flora Willson Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg Producer: Jason Caffrey Videographer: Abdul Salifu Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch

Puccini’s Leading Ladies with Ermonela Jaho

What does it take to truly bring Giacomo Puccini’s most tragic and beautiful heroines to life on the modern stage? In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson sits down with internationally acclaimed operatic soprano Ermonela Jaho. Celebrated as one of the great verismo interpreters of our time, Jaho reveals the intense emotional and technical preparation required to sing roles like Mimì (La bohème) and Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly). Whether you're a lifelong opera devotee or entirely new to the operatic world, this conversation offers a rare, behind-the-curtain look at the discipline, vulnerability, and commitment that fuels a master performance. Jaho shares her deeply personal connections to these characters, describing how her own personal life experience shapes the music she creates.  If you'd like to dive deeper into the recordings discussed in this episode visit the Opera Rara website [https://opera-rara.com/] to uncover more forgotten masterpieces. "The advice (for young performers) that I would say they have to trust themselves, not to be afraid to show their vulnerability, no one is perfect." – Ermonela Jaho Chapters:  00:00 Who Were Puccini's Leading Ladies?  01:50 Ermonela Jaho: Honoured To Revive Forgotten Operas with Opera Rara  07:28 Stepping into Puccini's World: Jaho’s First Time Singing Mimì  12:18 Madama Butterfly: Emotion, Technique And The Power Of Pianissimo  29:38 Finding Your Voice: Jaho On Artistic Vulnerability And Idolising The Greats  39:52 Jaho The Master Performer: Connecting Personal Loss to Operatic Characters  43:47 Ask Opera Rara: Ermonela Jaho's Advice for Young Singers  45:11 Jaho’s Pre-Show Rituals: Skipping Ropes And Light Meals Get Involved Thank you for listening. Lives in Song is produced for a Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/] production for Opera Rara. ► REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work. ► DISCOVER Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: Opera Rara [https://opera-rara.com/] ► SUPPORT a unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: Support Opera Rara [https://www.opera-rara.com/support] ► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue [https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue] ► FOLLOW Opera Rara: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/opera.rara] X / Twitter [https://x.com/OperaRara] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/OperaRaraOfficial] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opera-rara/about/] BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/operarara.bsky.social] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/OperaRaraOfficial] Credits Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk]. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song [http://creativekin.co.uk/song] Host: Flora Willson Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg Producer: Jason Caffrey Videographer: Abdul Salifu Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch

Conducting Puccini with Carlo Rizzi

Giacomo Puccini is famous for his soaring melodies and heartbreaking arias, but his genius extended far beyond the vocal line. In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson sits down with Carlo Rizzi, world-renowned conductor and Artistic Director of Opera Rara, to explore Puccini's mastery of the orchestra. Maestro Rizzi takes us deep into the score, explaining the technical challenges of conducting Puccini’s signature rubato and revealing why he believes the composer’s orchestration rivals that of Strauss or Wagner. He also shares personal stories from his own life in music, including a vivid memory of the La Scala audience expressing their displeasure at a performance of Turandot. We also get an inside look at two of Carlo’s major recent projects: his Symphonic Suites, which reimagine Tosca and Madama Butterfly without voices, and Opera Rara’s ground-breaking recording of the 1921 version of La Rondine—a version the composer fought for, but which has never been performed as he intended until now. "When you shape a phrase of Puccini, it's completely different... You need more input from the conductor. Because, you know, Puccini is incredibly particular about what he wants. He's so detailed." — Carlo Rizzi CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Lives in Song: Puccini 01:51 Recording the 1921 Version of La Rondine 05:07 Buying Scores at Age Nine 07:46 A Night at La Scala: A Turandot to Remember 10:47 Defending Puccini: The Genius of His Orchestration 1 4:24 From Student Work to Masterpiece: The Capriccio Sinfonico 17:14 The Conductor’s Craft: Shaping Puccini’s Rubato 21:21 Villains with Class: Scarpia in Tosca 23:22 Puccini Without Words: Creating the Symphonic Suites 30:36 Reimagining the Score: Putting the Orchestra Centre Stage 34:43 Why Puccini Endures: Speaking to the Human Experience 36:59 Listener Q&A: Fulfilling Puccini’s Final Wish GET INVOLVED Thank you for listening. Lives in Song is a Creative Kin production for Opera Rara. ► REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work. ► DISCOVER Opera Rara's mission to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: Opera Rara [https://opera-rara.com/] ► SUPPORT a unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: Support Us [https://www.opera-rara.com/support] ► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue [https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue] ► FOLLOW Opera Rara: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/opera.rara] X / Twitter [https://x.com/OperaRara] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/OperaRaraOfficial] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opera-rara/about/] BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/operarara.bsky.social] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/OperaRaraOfficial] SUPPORTERS Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and supported by the generosity of listeners like you. Opera Rara is all about uncovering and sharing the hidden gems of the operatic world, giving new life to music that deserves to be heard. Your generosity helps us share rare operas and songs with audiences around the world. CREDITS Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/]. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song [http://creativekin.co.uk/song] Host: Flora Willson Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch Videographer: Robin Bharaj Producer: Jason Caffrey Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg

Puccini's Le Willis

In 1883, a young Giacomo Puccini entered a one-act opera competition in Milan. He lost. But that failure - his first opera, Le Willis [https://opera-rara.com/shopcatalogue/puccini-le-willis] - caught the attention of the powerful Ricordi publishing house, launching the career of the man who would become Italy’s greatest post-Verdi composer. In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar Alexandra Wilson to uncover the fascinating origins of Le Willis. Together, they explore Puccini’s student days in Milan, his early symphonic ambitions, and the supernatural legend of the Willis - ghosts of jilted brides who dance men to death. Featuring extracts from Opera Rara’s complete recording, discover the energy of La Tregenda - the witches’ dance - and the melodic genius that signalled the arrival of a new operatic master. To support Opera Rara’s mission to restore and record lost operatic masterpieces, please visit opera-rara.com/support [https://www.opera-rara.com/support]. "It's incredible to think that symphonic music, orchestral music, was new music as far as Puccini's generation were concerned. I mean, I don't think a Beethoven symphony was heard in Italy until Puccini's teenage years." - Alexandra Wilson Chapters:  00:00 Introduction: Uncovering Puccini’s Debut Opera  04:15 Escaping to Milan: Bohemian Life and Musical Education  07:27 The Sonzogno Competition: Failure and Opportunity  11:11 Symphonic Ambitions: Listening to the opening of Le Willis  12:40 The Legend of the Willis: The Ghosts of Jilted Brides 17:39 La Tregenda: Analysing Puccini’s witches’ dance 26:05 The Premiere of Le Willis and Ricordi’s Intervention  33:37 Ask Opera Rara: Essential Reading and Puccini’s Legacy Get Involved * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/opera.rara] * X / Twitter [https://x.com/OperaRara] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/OperaRaraOfficial] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opera-rara/about/] * BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/operarara.bsky.social] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/OperaRaraOfficial] SUPPORTERS Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and supported by the generosity of listeners like you. Opera Rara is all about uncovering and sharing the hidden gems of the operatic world, giving new life to music that deserves to be heard. Your generosity helps us share rare operas and songs with audiences around the world. CREDITS Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/]. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song [http://creativekin.co.uk/song] * Host: Flora Willson * Guest: Alexandra Wilson * Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg * Producer: Jason Caffrey * Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch * Videographer: Robin Bharaj

Puccini: The Making of a Maestro

Giacomo Puccini was the fifth generation of a musical dynasty in Lucca, destined for a quiet life as a cathedral organist. But after his father died when Giacomo was just six years old, that lineage was disrupted - and the trajectory of Italian opera was changed forever. In this season premiere of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar, Ditlev Rindom, to explore the formative years of the man who would bridge the 19th and 20th centuries and take opera into a bold, new age. We examine the political upheaval of the Risorgimento, the towering influence of Verdi, and the Scapigliatura movement that brought a punk-like energy to Milan’s artistic scene. Ditlev also introduces us to the upcoming Opera Rara recording of the 1921 version of La rondine, arguing that Puccini’s fear of repeating himself was evident from the very start. If you love the history of opera and want to support the discovery of rare works, visit the Opera Rara website [https://opera-rara.com/] to learn more. Puccini is "a composer who has absolute fear of repeating himself, but was always looking for a radically new topic." — Ditlev Rindom Chapters 00:00 Introduction [https://open.spotify.com/track/5Xpw7eOTPtxdRhY37tG6UF?si=24626aa0434c4699]: Puccini’s World 01:53 Ditlev Rindom and the 1921 final version of La rondine [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwWCjP6qBSxAsT05BrgT8YzOAg4VMtONy] 04:32 Puccini: The Composer Of Two Centuries 08:33 Early Years In Lucca 11:36 A New Country: Growing up in the Risorgimento 14:49 Listening to Verdi: Simon Boccanegra [https://www.bing.com/ck/a?%21=&fclid=0c7f8fb2-c55f-668c-30a0-9bd2c4bf67df&hsh=4&p=e90c6742b05e23a4935098db1ef8c64afdd25465ecc9e02634e6d7e425038783JmltdHM9MTc2MzY4MzIwMA&psq=opera+rara+simon+boccanegra&ptn=3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9vcGVyYS1yYXJhLmNvbS9zaG9wY2F0YWxvZ3VlL3ZlcmRpLXNpbW9uLWJvY2NhbmVncmEtb3JpZ2luYWwtMTg1Ny12ZXJzaW9u&ver=2] 17:09 The Crisis in Italian Opera 21:07 Arrigo Boito & The Scapigliatura Movement 32:42 Ask Opera Rara: Underrated Composers & La rondine 37:24 Conclusion Get Involved * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/opera.rara] * X / Twitter [https://x.com/OperaRara] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/OperaRaraOfficial] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opera-rara/about/] * BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/operarara.bsky.social] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/OperaRaraOfficial] Supporters Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and by the generosity of listeners like you. If you love discovery as much as we do, you can help us keep the music alive by making a donation at opera-rara.com/support [https://opera-rara.com/support]. Credits * Host: Flora Willson * Guest: Ditlev Rindom * Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg * Producer: Jason Caffrey * Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch * Videographer: Robin Bharaj Lives In Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin [http://creativekin.co.uk/song]. To find out more visit https://creativekin.co.uk/song