Music Set #253 - Puccini

Giacomo Puccini

[ˈdʒaːkomo putˈtʃiːni]  (1858 – 1924)

An Italian composer whose operas, including 
- La bohème, 
- Tosca, 
- Madama Butterfly, and 
- Turandot, 
are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire.

Some of his arias, such as 
- "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi, 
- "Che gelida manina" / "What a cold little hand" from La bohème, and 
- "Nessun dorma" / "Nobody sleeps" from Turandot, 
have become part of popular culture.

Turandot

* Act 3 Scene 1 - "Nessun dorma"  (with lyrics)

 

(R)  Paul Potts at "Britain's Got Talent" show

* A 3-hour version of Turandot

La bohème

(L)  "Che gelida manina" / "What a cold little hand" 

 (R)  Musetta's Waltz

Madama Butterfly

Cio-Cio San (/cho-cho/ meaning butterfly-butterfly), a 15-year-old Japanese girl in Nagasaki, got married with a visiting US naval officer. As she converted to Christianity, she was abandoned by her relatives and friends. After some romantic time, he left.

She kept waiting for his return. Full of hope, she sings (in Italian!) about "One Beautiful Day" (Un bel dì), the opera's most famous aria and one of the most popular works in the soprano repertoire.

Three years later, the American husband finally returned, only that he was accompanied by his new American wife.

The abandoned 18-year-old butterfly blindfolded her son and slit her own throat, hoping that the American couple would take the mix-blood little son back to US. (Mix-blood was not acceptable then and there in Japan.)