**This class is a Hybrid. This section of the class will be taught In-Person.**
Opera fans love Giacomo Puccini. He never fails to thrill us with his soaring melodies or to move us with his pathos. But let’s a take closer look at Puccini’s world and discover what lies behind the music, as we watch Puccini evolve from a composer in the grand tradition of Italian opera into a ground-breaking exponent of supercharged post-Romantic “verismo.” We’ll search for the real people and true stories behind his operas, and uncover fascinating details about Puccini’s, often tumultuous, career. Video examples (with subtitles) will explore his emotionally stirring music dramas. No previous opera background required.
Week by Week Outline (If course is accepted, this
will be included in the course catalog.)
Week I: We start with the “unknown Puccini” -- his early operas Le Villi, a fairy-tale opera about the ghosts of jilted maidens, and Edgar, the story of a knight torn between sensual indulgence and pure love. Then we look at Puccini’s first big hit, Manon Lescaut, the story of a young girl whose love for riches and luxury has tragic consequences.
Week II: The ever-popular weeper La Bohème has a fascinating back-story, which we will explore in
depth. It will be part of San Francisco Opera’s summer season in June.
Week III: It’s time for the tempestuous Tosca, which unfolds against historical backdrop of the Napoleonic wars in Italy. We will have much to discuss.
Week IV: Two Puccini operas are based on American plays by the San Francisco-born playwright David Belasco: Madama Butterfly, and The Girl of the Golden West. In the latter, Puccini goes impressionistic as he explores California, and we will find out why.
Week V: La Rondine (The Swallow) is Puccini’s nod to the style of Viennese operetta, while Il Trittico is three operas in one: a triple bill that starts with a violent shocker called Il Tabarro (The Cloak), and includes the heartstrings-tugging Suor Angelica, and the delicious comedy Gianni Schicchi.
Week VI: Puccini’s unfinished masterpiece Turandot is a grandly extravagant fairly-tale about a Chinese princess with a heart of ice and the hero who solves her three riddles and conquers her heart.