What does it take to truly bring Giacomo Puccini’s most tragic and beautiful heroines to life on the modern stage? In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson sits down with internationally acclaimed operatic soprano Ermonela Jaho. Celebrated as one of the great verismo interpreters of our time, Jaho reveals the intense emotional and technical preparation required to sing roles like Mimì (La bohème) and Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly).

Whether you're a lifelong opera devotee or entirely new to the operatic world, this conversation offers a rare, behind-the-curtain look at the discipline, vulnerability, and commitment that fuels a master performance. Jaho shares her deeply personal connections to these characters, describing how her own personal life experience shapes the music she creates.

If you'd like to dive deeper into the recordings discussed in this episode visit the Opera Rara website to uncover more forgotten masterpieces.

"The advice (for young performers) that I would say they have to trust themselves, not to be afraid to show their vulnerability, no one is perfect." – Ermonela Jaho

Chapters:

00:00 Who Were Puccini's Leading Ladies?

01:50 Ermonela Jaho: Honoured To Revive Forgotten Operas with Opera Rara

07:28 Stepping into Puccini's World: Jaho’s First Time Singing Mimì

12:18 Madama Butterfly: Emotion, Technique And The Power Of Pianissimo

29:38 Finding Your Voice: Jaho On Artistic Vulnerability And Idolising The Greats

39:52 Jaho The Master Performer: Connecting Personal Loss to Operatic Characters

43:47 Ask Opera Rara: Ermonela Jaho's Advice for Young Singers

45:11 Jaho’s Pre-Show Rituals: Skipping Ropes And Light Meals

Get Involved

Thank you for listening. Lives in Song is produced for a Creative Kin production for Opera Rara.

► REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work.

► DISCOVER Opera Rara's work to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: Opera Rara

► SUPPORT a unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: Support Opera Rara

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Credits

Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song

Host: Flora Willson

Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg

Producer: Jason Caffrey

Videographer: Abdul Salifu

Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch

Giacomo Puccini is famous for his soaring melodies and heartbreaking arias, but his genius extended far beyond the vocal line.

In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson sits down with Carlo Rizzi, world-renowned conductor and Artistic Director of Opera Rara, to explore Puccini's mastery of the orchestra.

Maestro Rizzi takes us deep into the score, explaining the technical challenges of conducting Puccini’s signature rubato and revealing why he believes the composer’s orchestration rivals that of Strauss or Wagner.

He also shares personal stories from his own life in music, including a vivid memory of the La Scala audience expressing their displeasure at a performance of Turandot.

We also get an inside look at two of Carlo’s major recent projects: his Symphonic Suites, which reimagine Tosca and Madama Butterfly without voices, and Opera Rara’s ground-breaking recording of the 1921 version of La Rondine—a version the composer fought for, but which has never been performed as he intended until now.

"When you shape a phrase of Puccini, it's completely different... You need more input from the conductor. Because, you know, Puccini is incredibly particular about what he wants. He's so detailed." — Carlo Rizzi

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Lives in Song: Puccini

01:51 Recording the 1921 Version of La Rondine

05:07 Buying Scores at Age Nine

07:46 A Night at La Scala: A Turandot to Remember

10:47 Defending Puccini: The Genius of His Orchestration 1

4:24 From Student Work to Masterpiece: The Capriccio Sinfonico

17:14 The Conductor’s Craft: Shaping Puccini’s Rubato

21:21 Villains with Class: Scarpia in Tosca

23:22 Puccini Without Words: Creating the Symphonic Suites

30:36 Reimagining the Score: Putting the Orchestra Centre Stage

34:43 Why Puccini Endures: Speaking to the Human Experience

36:59 Listener Q&A: Fulfilling Puccini’s Final Wish

GET INVOLVED

Thank you for listening. Lives in Song is a Creative Kin production for Opera Rara.

► REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE Follow or subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. And please leave a review to help other opera-lovers discover our work.

► DISCOVER Opera Rara's mission to unearth, restore, and record lost and forgotten operas by some of music's greatest composers: Opera Rara

► SUPPORT a unique operatic vision and help us create more content like this: Support Us

► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue

► FOLLOW Opera Rara: Instagram X / Twitter Facebook LinkedIn BlueSky YouTube

SUPPORTERS

Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and supported by the generosity of listeners like you.

Opera Rara is all about uncovering and sharing the hidden gems of the operatic world, giving new life to music that deserves to be heard.

Your generosity helps us share rare operas and songs with audiences around the world.

CREDITS

Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song

Host: Flora Willson

Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch

Videographer: Robin Bharaj

Producer: Jason Caffrey

Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg

In 1883, a young Giacomo Puccini entered a one-act opera competition in Milan. He lost. But that failure - his first opera, Le Willis - caught the attention of the powerful Ricordi publishing house, launching the career of the man who would become Italy’s greatest post-Verdi composer.

In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson is joined by opera scholar Alexandra Wilson to uncover the fascinating origins of Le Willis. Together, they explore Puccini’s student days in Milan, his early symphonic ambitions, and the supernatural legend of the Willis - ghosts of jilted brides who dance men to death. Featuring extracts from Opera Rara’s complete recording, discover the energy of La Tregenda - the witches’ dance - and the melodic genius that signalled the arrival of a new operatic master.

To support Opera Rara’s mission to restore and record lost operatic masterpieces, please visit opera-rara.com/support.

"It's incredible to think that symphonic music, orchestral music, was new music as far as Puccini's generation were concerned. I mean, I don't think a Beethoven symphony was heard in Italy until Puccini's teenage years." - Alexandra Wilson

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Uncovering Puccini’s Debut Opera

04:15 Escaping to Milan: Bohemian Life and Musical Education

07:27 The Sonzogno Competition: Failure and Opportunity

11:11 Symphonic Ambitions: Listening to the opening of Le Willis

12:40 The Legend of the Willis: The Ghosts of Jilted Brides

17:39 La Tregenda: Analysing Puccini’s witches’ dance

26:05 The Premiere of Le Willis and Ricordi’s Intervention

33:37 Ask Opera Rara: Essential Reading and Puccini’s Legacy

Get Involved

• Instagram
• X / Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• BlueSky
• YouTube

SUPPORTERS

Lives in Song is brought to you by Opera Rara and supported by the generosity of listeners like you.

Opera Rara is all about uncovering and sharing the hidden gems of the operatic world, giving new life to music that deserves to be heard.

Your generosity helps us share rare operas and songs with audiences around the world.

CREDITS

Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song

• Host: Flora Willson
• Guest: Alexandra Wilson
• Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg
• Producer: Jason Caffrey
• Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch
• Videographer: Robin Bharaj