La fanciulla del West (or "The Girl of the Golden West"), is not one of Puccini's more often performed operas. It's hard to understand why not, given that the opera's Old West setting ought to be ideal for introducing new audiences to the form. The story comes complete with a bar called the Polka Saloon; its gun-toting owner, Minnie, in the lead role; cheating at poker; a "doo-dah"-singing chorus of gold miners' and much more. Perhaps it lacks the kind of single instantly recognizable moment heard in other Puccini operas, ...
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La fanciulla del West (or "The Girl of the Golden West"), is not one of Puccini's more often performed operas. It's hard to understand why not, given that the opera's Old West setting ought to be ideal for introducing new audiences to the form. The story comes complete with a bar called the Polka Saloon; its gun-toting owner, Minnie, in the lead role; cheating at poker; a "doo-dah"-singing chorus of gold miners' and much more. Perhaps it lacks the kind of single instantly recognizable moment heard in other Puccini operas, but it's magnificently orchestrated and hangs together in a unified motion toward its happy ending. The publicity materials for this studio release describe La fanciulla del West as Puccini's spaghetti Western, and the description is an apt one. The conductor of this studio recording, Lawrence Foster, is a specialist in music from later in the 20th century, and his dispassionate reading doesn't quite put this quality across. However, there are many wonderful moments in the singing,...
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