Puccini Songs & Rare Pieces

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Giacomo Puccini

Label: Etcetera

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 58

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: KTC1050

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Terra e mare Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Storiella d'amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
È l'uccellino (Ninna-Nanna) Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Morire? Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Inno a Diana Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Menti all'avviso Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Salve del ciel regina Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Sole e amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Avanti; Urania! Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Piccolo tango Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
Foglio d'album Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
String Quartet Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Crisantemi Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
(3) Minuets Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Scherzo Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet

Composer or Director: Giacomo Puccini

Label: Etcetera

Media Format: Vinyl

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: ETC1050

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Terra e mare Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Storiella d'amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
È l'uccellino (Ninna-Nanna) Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Morire? Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Inno a Diana Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Menti all'avviso Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Salve del ciel regina Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Sole e amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Avanti; Urania! Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Piccolo tango Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
Foglio d'album Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
String Quartet Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Crisantemi Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
(3) Minuets Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Scherzo Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet

Composer or Director: Giacomo Puccini

Label: Etcetera

Media Format: Cassette

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: XTC1050

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Terra e mare Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Storiella d'amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
È l'uccellino (Ninna-Nanna) Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Morire? Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Inno a Diana Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Menti all'avviso Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Salve del ciel regina Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Sole e amore Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Avanti; Urania! Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Roberta Alexander, Soprano
Tan Crone, Piano
Piccolo tango Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
Foglio d'album Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Tan Crone, Piano
String Quartet Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Crisantemi Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
(3) Minuets Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Scherzo Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Raphael Quartet
Though I would have preferred a more warmly Italianate soprano tone for this repertory than Roberta Alexander's, this is an essential disc for Puccini-fanciers out to investigate the rare non-operatic corners of the master's oeuvre. In no way is this important music, but these chips off the workbench fascinatingly illuminate what we know of the opera composer.
The two earliest of the songs, Storiella d'amore and Menti all'avviso, are the longest, both stretching their material a little far, the first a strophic song with a catchy opening, the second in effect a little scena. They hint only dimly at the stylistic—and dramatic—individuality that was quickly to develop. More typical for their melodic flair are the well-known E l'uccellino of 1899, very close to a Neapolitan song, or even the rousingly homophonic Inno a Diana which Puccini wrote for his fellow huntsmen. Avanti Urania!—again with Neapolitan overtones—is an improbable fragment written to celebrate the launching of a titled friend's steam-yacht. The unassuming Salve regina of 1880 with organ accompaniment (the player is un-named), more Mascagni-like than Puccinian—is the one example of Puccini's early church music here.
The most surprising item is the song, Sole e amore, written in 1888 and published first in the journal, Paganini. It is surprising, because here, undiluted, is the first draft of what was later to become the quartet at the end of Act 3 of La boheme, a point not mentioned in the notes. It is surprising how little he changed when borrowing it for the opera. The words are of the most trivial, ending with a musical signing-off, ''To Paganini from G. Puccini''.
The two little piano pieces date from 1907, the Foglio d'album relatively conventional, the Piccolo tango emerging as more than an example of easy Spanishry, with bare discordant lines nodding in the direction of the then avant-garde. Among the six quartet pieces I crisantemi is justly well known a charming piece that provided material for Act 4 of Manon Lescaut. The second of the three Minuets (better known in string orchestra rather than quartet form) similarly gave Puccini the idea for the brilliant opening of that same opera. The Quartet movement in D (1880), the longest and least distinctive of the pieces, is no more than a skilled student exercise, but the tiny Scherzo in A minor of the same year is delightful, presumably intended as another movement for the quartet. One readily deduces that it is just the A section of a projected ABA movement.
The recorded sound is very vivid and immediate for the excellent Raphael Quartet as for the soprano and piano. The sense of presence is heightened by a lively hall ambience.'

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