http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61076&rws=%2Fgiacomo-puccini%2Fmusic-videos.rssWriting music was a family tradition for the Puccini's of Lucca and little Giacomo was the fifth in a line of composers, playing organ and writing masses for local churches at 14. It was Verdi's <i>Aida</i> that inspired him to follow his instinct for composing opera; he entered his first one-act opera in a competition while a student at the Milan Conservatory. It failed to win, but brought interest in a second, which led to Puccini's life long association with the publishing house of Ricordi. <p> The third time was a charm though, and Puccini found huge international success pairing with the librettist team of Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa for the 1893 production of <i>Manon Lescaut</i>. With the help of Illica and Giacosa, Puccini's widely-performed masterpiece <i>La Bohem</i> followed in 1896, and another work of consequence, <i>Madam Butterfly</i>, was produced in 1904. Late in life he developed throat cancer, leaving the masterful <i>Turandot</i> unfinished at his death in 1924. He died a widely celebrated Italian hero and has left a number of enduring operas that weave passion, pathos, despair, and sensuality with singular savvy. - Nate CavalieriOperaen720Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:21:25 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61076&rws=%2Fgiacomo-puccini%2Fmusic-videos.rss Writing music was a family tradition for the Puccini's of Lucca and little Giacomo was the fifth in a line of composers, playing organ and writing masses for local churches at 14. It was Verdi's <i>Aida</i> that inspired him to follow his instinct for composing opera; he entered his first one-act opera in a competition while a student at the Milan Conservatory. It failed to win, but brought interest in a second, which led to Puccini's life long association with the publishing house of Ricordi. <p> The third time was a charm though, and Puccini found huge international success pairing with the librettist team of Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa for the 1893 production of <i>Manon Lescaut</i>. With the help of Illica and Giacosa, Puccini's widely-performed masterpiece <i>La Bohem</i> followed in 1896, and another work of consequence, <i>Madam Butterfly</i>, was produced in 1904. Late in life he developed throat cancer, leaving the masterful <i>Turandot</i> unfinished at his death in 1924. He died a widely celebrated Italian hero and has left a number of enduring operas that weave passion, pathos, despair, and sensuality with singular savvy. - Nate Cavalieri