Travel tips for opera lovers – Milan and Giacomo Puccini

Puccini in Milan

The series about historical places of opera art. Get to know exciting excursion and travel ideas for opera lovers. This time: Puccini in Milan

All Destinations on google maps with links to detailed Blogposts:

Puccini in Milan

Two successful premieres in Milan frame Puccini’s artistic life. First the one-act opera “Le Vili” at the Teatro Verme in 1884 and 40 years later the posthumous premiere of “Turandot” at La Scala. Both performances were successes, the former the respect success of the newcomer and the latter the homage to the monument of Puccini, who with Turandot had given birth to his last giant. In between, however, Puccini had more than once quarreled with Milan, more precisely with La Scala, see also the digression on the premiere of “Butterfly” at La Scala below.

For him, Milan also meant the mouse-poor student years at the Milan Conservatory, where he shared a room with Pietro Mascagni, among others. He recalled these years fondly in “Bohème.” As a composer, Milan was also important to him because it was home to the branch of his publisher Ricordi, with whom he had completed all but one of his opera projects (La Rondine).

TO THE COMPLETE PUCCINI BIOGRAPHY

Destination Teatro alla Scala di Milano

Two operas were premiered at La Scala during Puccini’s lifetime, both of them failed there. The premiere of Butterfly even became the most bitter moment of Puccini’s career, read more about it in the excursus below. Only the premiere of Turandot became a triumph, but Puccini did not live to see it. Many of Puccini’s works are still among the most performed at La Scala today.

Teatro alla Scala:

https://www.teatroallascala.org/

Destination Milan Cathedral

In 1924, Arturo Toscanini conducted the funeral ceremonies for the late Puccini in Milan Cathedral. Toscanini bore a heavy burden, for 23 years earlier he had conducted the ceremonies for Verdi, and now it was his friend and companion Puccini’s turn. The speech was given by none other than Benito Mussolini, who tried to exploit the death of the now national saint politically.

Milan Cathedral:

https://www.duomomilano.it/en/

Musical background: The fiasco of the premiere of “Butterfly” in Milano

Puccini called the third act throughout his life “the second part of the second act”. The reason was that the premiere at La Scala in February 1904 was a fiasco. Why, is not one hundred percent clear to this day. The main reasons repeatedly cited are the unusual harmonies of the music, the (too) great length of the second act, and probably a claque of envious people wanted to harm Puccini. The failure was shameful. Puccini, who expected certain success, was in shock and had never overcome this failure. He subsequently reworked the work, among other things from a two-act to a three-act version. The success of the second performance three months later in Brescia rehabilitated the work. Nevertheless, it was reworked again for Paris in 1906, whose version is considered the final version today. For Puccini, “Madama Butterfly” was the “most soulful, expressive opera he had written”.

Hear the humming Choir, a beautiful and unusual conclusion of the second act. A choir of sopranos and tenors sing a nostalgic melody backstage at octave intervals, accompanied by a solo viola, pizzicato strings, wind instruments and the rest of the orchestra.

https://opera-inside.com/madama-butterfly-by-giacomo-puccini-the-opera-guide/#Coro