Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini est né à Lucca, le 22 décembre 1858.

Bien que Puccini soit né dans une famille de musiciens, sa véritable passion pour l’opéra lui vint qu’en 1876 à Pise durant une représentation de l’Aïda de Giuseppe Verdi. Cette passion fut ravivée lorsqu’il rencontra Elvira Gemignani en 1884, l’année même où il composa son premier opéra à succès : Le Villi. L’opéra suivant, Edgar (1889), ne fut pas accueilli avec le même enthousiasme. Mais avec Manon Lescaut, représentée au Théâtre Regio de Turin en 1893, Puccini réussit à s’affirmer dans tous les théâtres d’Europe et d’outre-Atlantique.

Puccini et Elvira se marièrent en 1904 mais Elivra se révéla très jalouse et possessive. En 1909, elle poussa l’une de ses servantes au suicide après l’avoir plusieurs fois injustement accusée d’avoir une relation avec son mari. Cette tragédie eut un effet très négatif sur l’état d’esprit de Puccini qui, déçu par l’amour, se sentait démotivé même dans son travail. Et même si sa relation avec Elvira s’était éteinte, il ne demanda pas le divorce. Il préférait s’abandonner à de petites aventures, qu’il appelait " petits jardins ", et grâce auxquelles il pouvait à nouveau goûter aux joies d’un amour pur et simple. Ainsi, le cœur à nouveau léger, il se lança dans l’écriture de sa dernière œuvre : Turandot, l’histoire d’une princesse au cœur de glace mais que l’amour fera fondre.

Un cancer à la gorge l’empêcha de la terminer. Puccini mourut en 1924, et l’opéra fut complété par Franco Alfano et reproposé, en 2001, avec un nouveau final par Luciano Berio.

Giacomo Puccini was born on the 23rd of December, 1858 in Lucca, Tuscany. He was the son of a choirmaster and organist. Puccini, who was only five when his father died, was expected to follow in his father's footsteps as organist and choirmaster at San Martino. In 1872 he did begin his career as a local church organist.

In 1880, Puccini entered the Milan Conservatory of Music and became a student of Amilcare Ponchielli. Puccini was the man of his time. In the second half of the 19th century, the two greatest opera composers of the age, Verdi in Italy and Wagner in Germany, still had some of their greatest years ahead of them, and Puccini drew on the strengths of both. From the former, he inherited the great tradition of Italian opera, with its emphasis on expressive singing, and learned something from Wagner about the fusion of music and drama.

Puccini wrote with equal skill and sensitivity for the orchestra, making every note and chord - every instrument - highlight the drama. He also understood how to write for the orchestra with all the skill of the "Impressionist" composers Debussy and Ravel, his younger contemporaries. Thus, Puccini recognised all that preceded him, yet still kept abreast of the times. Puccini never lost touch with his public; indeed, he was destined to be one of the last great composers with mass appeal.

Like many Romantics, Puccini loved being outdoors. For him, the Italian countryside was the only place where he could be truly creative. In 1900 he bought a country estate near Lucca, at Torre del Lago. He disliked the noise and bustle of the big cities or even large groups and, when opportunity allowed, would return to his peaceful country retreat near Viareggio. There, by the lake, he could focus on his work. As a great sportsman, he also was able to indulge in his favourite activities - hunting, fishing, or just driving around on his enormous estate.

By March of 1924, he was suffering constantly from a throat condition, which was finally diagnosed as cancer. At a Brussels clinic, he underwent a gruelling operation that brought on heart failure, and on 29 November, he died. As his body was taken back to Milan, Italy plunged into mourning. At his funeral, Toscanini and the company of La Scala performed the Requiem music from his opera, Edgar.

Puccini died leaving Turandot unfinished, at Liù's death scene.