puccini, giacomo

Discusses the background of the opera, synopsis of the plot, music, survey of performances, chronology and major compositions by Puccini.

Mimi, a poor seamstress, and Rodolphe, a struggling playwright, fall in love. When Mimi attempts to help Rodolphe get his play produced, he suspects her of infidelity and she leaves him. Later, a severely ill Mimi returns to the now successful Rodolphe and dies.

Madama Butterfly concerns the disastrous results of a young American naval officer's marriage to a pretty geisha.