Famous Puccini Operas: An Analytical Guide for the Opera Goer and Armchair Listener

Patrick Cairns ("Spike") Hughes was at home in the worlds of jazz and opera, and his approach to Puccini's operas is wonderfully colored by his knowledge of orchestral color, orchestration, and musical arrangements. This book was my introduction to many Puccini works; when I discovered it in 1976 I was unfamiliar with "Manon Lescaut," "Girl of the Golden West," "Il Trittico," and "Turandot" and had only a passing acquaintance with "Boheme," "Tosca," and "Butterfly." Luckily, I became acquainted with Hughes' book before I discovered recordings of these operas--in fact, Hughes book enabled me to understand most of these works on a first hearing in a way that no other book could. This truly is an "armchair" guide that gives as much (or more) pleasure to a listener than does the libretto itself. Caution: Hughes' book is full of musical quotations--albeit simple ones that are easy to follow--so it certainly helps if you can read music. But Hughes' writing style is so charming, so witty, and so expertly edited that both non-musicians and professional musicians will enjoy this book immensely. Also worth owning are Hughes' "Famous Mozart Operas" and "Famous Verdi Operas," all written in the same vein and all shot through with great understanding for and love of their subjects.