How can the work of a composer who wrote three of the most enduringly popular operas of all time—La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca—and three more that are produced regularly—Manon Lescaut, La fanciulla del West, and Turandot—be remotely controversial?
But Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was and remains an object of controversy. In his lifetime, the popularity of his operas defied the predictions of many critics. Butterfly was a fiasco at its premiere and La Bohème was met with only faint praise. Critics derided Puccini for not being Italian enough. He was accused of courting vulgarity and exploiting cheap sentimentality. He was seen as facile and to have failed, with the possible exception of La fanciulla, to match the profundity and subtlety of Verdi, the grandeur of Wagner, and the dramatic virtuosity of Richard Strauss.
The Bard Music Festival, using Puccini’s complex and tortured biography, Italian politics in the years between Garibaldi and Mussolini, Italian arts and letters between Manzoni and D’Annunzio, and Italian music from Verdi to Dallapiccola, will explore Puccini’s work and the music of his Italian contemporaries. Concerts and panels will reveal his unique genius as well as the legitimate and troubling issues that have kept debates about Puccini alive. Music by Alfredo Catalani, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Alfredo Casella, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Pietro Mascagni, Franco Alfano, Arrigo Boito, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ottorino Respighi, Guiseppe Martucci, Goffredo Petrassi, Ferruccio Busoni, and others will be heard. Several operas will be featured, both complete and major excerpts, including Massenet’s La Navarraise, Boito’s Nerone, Catalani’s Loreley, and the last act of Puccini’s Turandot, in Luciano Berio’s completion, paired with Busoni’s setting of the same tale.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
August 5–7
Puccini and Italian Musical Culture
August 11–14
Beyond Verismo
VISIT - http://fishercenter.bard.edu/bmf/schedule/ for details
Show Finder
Puccini and His World
First Preview: Jul 27, 2016
Opening Date: Aug 5, 2016
Closing Date: Aug 14, 2016
Running Time: 02:10
Playing @
Richard B. Fisher PAC
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
Show Notes: 1 Intermission
Age Guidance: 16
TDF Tickets Offers:
TDF Member tickets:
Not currently available for this show
Listed at 
Never
Full-price tickets:
$25.00 - $75.00
Accessibility
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Assisted Listening System
Sennheiser infrared assistive listening devices are available in the Sosnoff Theater and LUMA Theater. -
Elevator\Escalator
There is an elevator to all levels of the Sosnoff Theater and a wheelchair lift used to access front-row wheelchair seating. -
Parking
Reserved parking is available for drivers with disabilities. Please call 845-758-7928 in advance to let us know that you will require a spot. -
Passenger Loading Zone
Drivers of cars carrying disabled patrons are asked to drop their passengers off at the drop-off point in front of the Fisher Center. Please arrive at least one half hour prior to the performance time to ensure plenty of time to make your way into the venue -
Restroom
Restrooms in all locations are wheelchair accessible. For the additional convenience of Sosnoff Theater patrons, there is a restroom on the lower lobby for use by patrons in wheelchairs. -
Telephone
None on premises -
Wheelchair Info
Sosnoff Theater—Locations are available in all seating areas for patrons in wheelchairs and their companions. There is an elevator to all levels of the Sosnoff Theater and a wheelchair lift used to access front-row wheelchair seating. Olin Hall—Wheelchair seating is available in row P of this intimate concert hall.Spiegeltent—Locations are available in the inner ring.
