Wednesday 21 May 2014

Opera Holland Park - La fanciulla del West at Opera Holland Park



La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West
Opera Holland Park last produced this opera ten years ago and in the intervening period, it has become revered as perhaps Puccini's most sophisticated and luxuriously scored creation. Composed especially for the Metropolitan Opera in 1910, Fanciullacalls upon many influences including Strauss and Debussy as well as original folk melodies. It has been variously described as the composer's magnum opus and, by Toscanini, as a "great symphonic poem".

The story of a group of gold miners, watched over and cared for by Minnie, is often perceived as having a 'happy ending'. But the tale is so much more sophisticated than that and the climax of the opera is of the most profoundly bittersweet variety. The music, however, is gloriously through composed, with moments of sheer majesty and emotional impact.

Rodney Milnes, the eminent opera critic, writes this about Puccini's Fanciulla:

"I would go further, and maintain that he composed nothing better, and for three main reasons. First, the highly romantic but very real presentation of a loving relationship...Secondly, the moral, if not religious dimension wrought by and through that relationship. Thirdly, the extraordinary skill - even by his own high standards - with which he creates the world in which the opera takes place."

You can read Rodney Milnes's full article on our website now, it will also feature in our 2014 Programme Magazine.
La fanciulla del West opens the Opera Holland Park 2014 season on Tuesday 3 June and runs to Saturday 21 June. Visit our website to book tickets.