Our preferred Puccini's opera

[Schigolch]

Let's try to find which are our preferred operas from major composers.

We can start by Giacomo Puccini, always loved by the audience, worldwide. We can select a maximum of 3 operas in the poll.

My favorites are Bohème, Tosca and La Fanciulla del West, though I enjoy all of them, from Le Villi to Turandot.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Bohème for me, then my next one is Tosca, but then I take a turn and like third and fourth two operas that most people don't rank as high: Il Tabarro, a nice short Verismo piece with a dark mood and interesting orchestration (very cinematic), and Gianni Schicchi, a very entertaining comedy, Puccini's only. I don't particularly care for Madama Butterfly, I like Massenet's Manon much better than Manon Lescaut, and again I don't particularly care for Turandot in spite of its impressive orchestration. I hate Suor Angelica, and find La Fanciulla del West just OK. La Rondine is OK too, with the messy alternative third acts. Acts I and II are better. Le Villi is a plesant minor work, I like it. Edgar is a so-so minor work.

[Dark_Angel]

Tosca is my Puccini fav........and CD collection proves it

Manon Lescaut very good up until that absurd contrived ending tacked on (desert outside of New Orleans!)

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

La bohème, but it took a modern staging & a non-mawkish production before I really 'got it' and I was able to understand just how perfectly the music tells the story.

I really like Edgar as well.

[HarpsichordConcerto]

Bohème , Tosca, Butterfly. All good.

[Amfortas]

Tosca, Bohème, and--just to throw a monkey wrench into the works--Suor Angelica. Say what you will, but that poor little nun gets to me every time.

[MAuer]

That "shabby little shocker" Tosca is at the top of my list, followed by Madama Butterfly. Number 3 would probably be La Fanciulla del West. I love the music in Turandot, but the two protagonists are pretty repellant. I'm not sure why, but I've never been able to warm up very much to La Boheme (though I certainly don't dislike it).

[Amfortas]

Hurray for shabby little shockers!

[Aramis]

Say what you will, but that poor little nun gets to me every time.

Same with me, but what Comte Ory has to do with Puccini?

[Loge]

Turandot, Tosca, Butterfly, in this order.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

I just saw live such a beautiful production of Butterfly that I kind of changed my mind, I won't say that I don't care much for Madama Butterfly any longer.

[Schigolch]

Those are the ten most performed Puccini's operas in the 21st century, by number of performances:

1.- La Bohème
2.- Tosca
3.- Madama Butterfly
4.- Turandot
5.- Manon Lescaut
6.- Gianni Schicchi
7.- Suor Angelica
8.- Il Tabarro
9.- La Fanciulla del West
10.- La Rondine

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I love la Fanciulla del West for its endearing heroine and Tosca just because it's a shocker with utterly compelling music and a sexy villain (I LOVE Scarpia). Then Madama Butterfly and La Boheme. The music is wonderful in Turandot but I reckon the horrible Calaf and Turandot deserve each other. Then Manon Lescaut and La Rondine. I haven't managed to get into any of Il Trittico, and Edgar is a bit silly. Never heard Le Villi.

[Aksel]

I have a serious crush on La rondine (the first two acts, at least), but I also really enjoy Fanciulla, Bohéme, Tosca and Turandot.

[Bardamu]

Turandot is probably my favorite Opera, the rest of the spots are filled by Gianni Schicchi, La Boheme and Madama Butterfly depending on the mood.