Giacomo Puccini
1858-1924 · Italian (Lucca/Torre del Lago) · Late Romanticism / Italian Opera
Known for: Last great Italian opera master - La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot
Puccini had an unerring instinct for theatrical melody. La Boheme, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly remain among the most performed operas worldwide. He died of throat cancer while working on Turandot, which was completed posthumously.
He was a bon vivant who loved hunting, fast cars, and women. His jealousy drove a servant to suicide when she was falsely accused of an affair with him.
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