The Thammasat University Libraries have newly acquired a book about one of the world’s most popular composers. Giacomo Puccini and his World is published by Princeton University Press. It is part of a series of books produced by Bard College, a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, United States of America. Each year the Bard Music Festival studies one composer’s life, work, and times, producing concerts, lectures, and panel discussions as well as a book of articles, essays, and letters. Giacomo Puccini and his World was edited by the musicologists Dr. Arman Schwartz of the University of Birmingham UK and Dr. Emanuele Senici, University Lecturer in Music at the University of Rome, Italy. Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot are among the most popular, but his music is known even to people who do not care about opera. For example, Puccini’s aria, or piece for one voice, Nessun dorma (None shall sleep) became especially well-known after the tenor Luciano Pavarotti sang it at the World Cup in 1990. Pavarotti also lip-synched to his recording of the aria at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. Last year another Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, sang Nessun dorma in the King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City Football Club, before Leicester City’s final home match of the 2015–16 Premier League season against Everton F.C. Why is this music so important for athletic contests? The aria is from Turandot, an opera by Puccini set in ancient China. A mysterious prince falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot, but most of her suitors wind up being beheaded. In the aria, the prince states that he plans to be the exception to this pattern:

Fade, you stars!

At dawn, I will win!

I will win! I will win!

Naturally, all this repeated mention of winning is suitable for sports matches and other athletics events, but the whole opera is worth seeing. This is possible because the TU Libraries also own a performance on DVD of Turandot. It is shelved in the Rewat Buddhinan Media Room of the Pridi Banomyong Library.

The TU libraries also own two different recordings of Puccini’s beloved opera La bohème, one starring the soprano Maria Callas and the other with the soprano Anna Moffo. The TU Libraries also own two different recordings of Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly, also with these two noted sopranos, Callas and Moffo. Also at the Rewat Buddhinan Media Room are recordings of Puccini’s opera Tosca and La rondine. For students and ajarns with little free time, especially for classical music, the best introduction to Puccini might be through brief arias. For example, the aria O mio babbino caro (Little Daddy Dearest) from Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi. This song is about a situation that many students may be familiar with, asking parents to change their minds about something. In the opera, Lauretta’s father does not like her choice of boyfriend. She tries to persuade her father in the nicest way possible that she cares for the boyfriend and if they must break up, she will throw herself in the river. She says that her boyfriend pleases her because he is so handsome. She is eager to buy a wedding ring and marry him. The aria is very persuasive and when it is sung by the best sopranos, it seems impossible that the father could reject this argument. Puccini shows us that by gently persuading parents, using charm instead of throwing temper tantrums, sometimes we can change their minds. There are many other arias by Puccini that may be enjoyed even by listeners who do not have the time or interest to listen to whole operas. They include Signore, ascolta (Sir, listen) from Turandot; Vissi d’Arte (I have lived for art) from Tosca; and Sì, mi chiamano Mimì (Yes, my name is Mimi) from La bohème. In many cases, Puccini’s arias are about men and women who are unhappy because of love affairs that do not work as as well as they had hoped. Yet even amid these disappointments, they manage to express their feelings in music that sounds appealing. This is one reason why Puccini’s operas remain popular. They can be fun to listen to.

Thailand and Puccini

Puccini’s name is known in the Kingdom, as we can see from Puccini Italian Restaurant on 42 Charoenprathet Rd., T. Chang Klan A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50100. More importantly, his music is often performed in Bangkok. Last month, as part of this year’s Italian Festival at Chulalongkorn University’s Music Hall, the Italian choreographer Monica Casadei’s dance interpretation of Puccini’s opera Tosca was presented. It is about the struggle between a singing diva, Floria Tosca, and a villain named Baron Scarpia. Tosca sings Vissi d’Arte (I have lived for art) from Tosca; to say that she has devoted her life to art and love and does not understand why bad things are happening to her. This is an emotion that many people in the audience can identify with. This dance performance was free, so students on low budgets might consider trying to attend future Italian Festival performances, promotional and cultural events organized by the Embassy of Italy in Bangkok. Andrea Bocelli, who sang Puccini’s music at the King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City Football Club in 2016, also performed in Bangkok in 2015. Among others appearing with Bocelli at the Royal Paragon Hall were singer Kittinan Chinsamran, who sang the Royal Anthem. “Thailand’s Got Talent” winner Maneepatsorn “Myra” Molloy sang Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Som Tum. Among many other songs and arias, Bocelli also performed Nessun Dorma.

Complete stagings of Puccini operas also occur. In 2014, as part of the 16th International Festival of Dance and Music at the Thailand Cultural Centre, La bohème was performed by the Teatro Lirico Italiano, Rome. Opera Siam has also performed La bohème. In 2009 their production featured the Children’s Chorus of The Regent’s International School, Bangkok with the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Somtow Sucharitkul. Madama Butterfly is another opera by Puccini with repeated performances in Bangkok, for example in 2012 by Russia’s Chelyabinsk State Symphony Orchestra as part of the 14th International Festival of Dance and Music.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)