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Course Catalog > Courses: Spring

HYBRID (IN-PERSON): Puccini Please! The Life, Times, and Music of the World’s Favorite Opera Composer   

**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.  

 
  • HYBRID (IN-PERSON): Puccini Please! The Life, Times, and Music of the World’s Favorite Opera Composer
  • Fee: $125.00
    Dates: 4/15/2025 - 5/20/2025
    Times: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 6
    Building: Downtown Campus; 160 Spear St
    Room: 505
    Instructor: Clifford "Kip" Cranna
    Seats Available: 32
    **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.  

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