In 1883, a young Giacomo Puccini entered a one-act opera competition in Milan. He lost. But that failure - his first opera, 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.

"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

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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. To find out more, visit creativekin.co.uk/song

• Host: Flora Willson
• Guest: Alexandra Wilson
• Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
• Producer: Jason Caffrey
• Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch
• Videographer: Robin Bharaj

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 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: Puccini’s World

01:53 Ditlev Rindom and the 1921 final version of La rondine

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

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

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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.

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. To find out more visit https://creativekin.co.uk/song