Puccini is one of the most beloved of all opera composers — La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot play to packed opera houses the world over. In his lifetime he achieved an international celebrity accorded to only a few, yet the critics were rarely impressed. He was nevertheless a creative artist of profound sensitivity and dramatic flair who developed a unique form of free-flowing opera while penning some of the greatest melodies of all time. His oeuvre constitutes the final flowering of the centuries-old tradition of Italian opera while also being an influence on cinema music then in its infancy. This music companion provides a compelling overview of the constant tension created between Puccini's indulgent, sometimes traumatic personal life and his need to achieve exceptionally high standards in its work.
