Puccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective. This volume remedies that lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.
"A serious, long-overdue analysis of all of Puccini's great operas, filled with fascinating detail."--Reed Woodhouse, Boston Book Review
"Girardi takes us through the operas, act by act, showing us how cleverly they're put together, and how thoroughly they are conversant not just with Wagner but also Berg, Schoenberg, Mahler, Stravinsky, Strauss, Debussy and others. . . . We also get a sampling of Puccini's correspondence, and the discreetest possible hint of the amorous embarrassments that he was forever getting involved in."--Jerry Fodor, London Review of Books
"The most comprehensive Puccini study to date. . . . A major accomplishment, this book adds new dimensions to Puccini research and formal criticism."--Choice
"It is high time for a biography worthy of Puccini, and that is what Michele Girardi has given us. . . . This is likely to remain definitive for a long time."--Richard Freed, Washington Post Book World
