Antonio Pappano: "Puccini's symphonic poem: "La fanciulla del West"

Recording of Antonio Pappano's seminar: "Puccini's symphonic poem: "La fanciulla del West" - part of "Kirill Gerstein invites" hosted by Kronberg Academy. 30.06.2021.
Giacomo Puccini considered "La fanciulla del West" to be one of his best works and the conductor of the premiere, Arturo Toscanini, called the opera a "great symphonic poem". Yet, this piece isn't performed nearly as often as Puccini's other operas. In this seminar, Antonio Pappano discusses Puccini's musical language and harmonic inventiveness in "La fanciulla"; traces the influences of Wagner, Debussy and Strauss and how these become organically folded into Puccini's musical language; points out the experimental and explorative element of Puccini's creativity and hypothesises what may have attracted Puccini to the plot. Pappano gives many examples at the piano. The vocal score and video excerpts of the recent production he has conducted at the Staatsoper Berlin are used as illustrations as well.
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[@tgylfason]

Fascinating, Pappano explains the music very well, almost like Bernstein.

[@FreakieFan]

The passion is dripping through the screen. Indeed almost like a modern day Bernstein!

[@wotan10950]

After all these years of opera-going, I never quite understood Fanciulla, that is, until perhaps ten years ago. I’ve now seen every cast that has come to New York, and I can’t get enough of this opera. Of course, Boheme and Tosca are eternally fantastic, but I think Fanciulla is a far more sophisticated piece than Butterfly or the overrated Turandot.

[@tweettweetdino]

Thank you so much for this amazing analysis. I have seen the very last live performance of this season and I have to say it was musically the best Fanciulla I have ever heard. Maestro Pappano's talks on Puccini are just marvellous I have been following them for a while.

[@noahburns3609]

Why does everyone say they go off into the sunset? It's the sunRISE. Act II takes place at night, so Act III is in the morning, and it certainly doesn't take all day. The score describes the action of Act III as taking place "Nella luce incerta della prim'alba". That's no trivial point either. It's thematically important because the new day suggests new life, and a major theme of the opera is going away, as they do at the end of the opera, to "a life of of work and love" that leads to redemption, whereas the sunset suggests the comfy, sentimental idea that the day is saved and there's nothing more to do but live happily ever after. Also east and west have thematic associations in the opera, so it matters that they are gong east (sunrise) and not west (sunset).

[@thebioagetm25]

Certainly makes sense, and I kinda sense the exhaustion playing out in the music this way. I would be able to connect with it this way more in the emotional landscape as well.

[@treesny]

And furthermore, if they rode west from California they would soon end up in the Pacific Ocean... :-)

[@noahburns3609]

@@treesny Haha, exactly

[@thebioagetm25]

@@treesny haha