Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Manon and Mimi, are two of the earliest of Puccini’s tragic heroines (to be followed by Tosca, Cio-Cio-San [Madame Butterfly], Sister Angelica and Liù [Turandot]).
Manon Lescaut (completed 1892) was the composer’s first major operatic success. Based on a novel by Abbé Prévost, it tells of the doomed love of des Grieux and Manon and ends with her death in the desert(?) in Louisiana.
Manon Lescaut, excerpts:
Love at first sight; des Grieux is instantly besotted with Manon:
The love scene: after she has spent some time living with the rich, elderly Geronte, Manon and Des Grieux renew their love for one another:
The death: Alone, lost and abandoned, Manon laments her fate while also remembering a happy past:
La bohème (1896) was adapted from a book by Henri Murger which tells a series of stories from the lives of young, would-be artists in 1830s Paris. The opera focusses on the love affair between the poet Rodolfo and seamstress Mimi (aka Lucia). It ends with the death from consumption of Mimi.
La bohème, excerpts:
Rodolfo, paralleling Puccini’s previous hero, des Grieux, falls instantly in love with Mimi:
A crowd scene and Mimi’s friend, Musetta’s waltz song:
You can watch the the two complete operas
by clicking on:
Manon Lescaut
Libretto
La bohème
Libretto
Sorry, no subtitles but I have provided librettos!
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