Puccini Without Excuses: A Refreshing Reassessment of the World's Most Popular Composer

by William Berger

Puccini is the most beloved composer of opera in the world: one quarter of all opera performances in the U.S. are of his operas, his music pervades movie soundtracks, and his plots have infiltrated our popular culture. But, although Puccini’s art still captivates audiences and the popularity of such works as Tosca, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly has never waned, he has long been a victim of critical snobbery and cultural marginalization.

In this witty and informative guide for beginners and fans alike, William Berger sets the record straight, reclaiming Puccini as a serious artist. Combining his trademark irreverent humor with passionate enthusiasm, Berger strikes just the right balance of introductory information and thought-provoking analysis. He includes a biography, discussions of each opera, a glossary, fun facts and anecdotes, and above all keen insight into Puccini’s enduring power. For anyone who loves Puccini and for anyone who just wonders what all the fuss is about, Puccini Without Excuses is funny, challenging, and always a pleasure to read.

INCLUDES:
_ Why Puccini’s art and its message of hope is crucial to our world today
_ How Anglo audiences often miss the mythic significance of his operas
_ The use of his music as shorthand in films, from A Room with a View to Fatal Attraction
_ A scene-by scene analysis of each opera
_ A guide to the wealth of available recordings, books, and videos

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Art, Classical Music

480 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2005

About the author

William Berger was born in California and studied Romance languages and music at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He worked for five years at the San Francisco Opera Company, where he acquired for the company’s recorded music collection. He is the author of Wagner Without Fear: Learning to Love–and Even Enjoy–Opera’s Most Demanding Genius and Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera. He is a frequent lecturer and radio commentator and has recently been a regular host for New York Public Radio’s Overnight Music. He has written libretti, performance pieces, and articles on a wide variety of topics including architecture, religion, and, of course, music. He is a music host for WNYC radio and lives in New York.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to listen to books about music. There are not that many: I guess we are using our ears for a much more important pleasure.

William Berger has written a very entertaining book about the life and works of Puccini. In his time, he was not giving great credence, was thought of as a lightweight. Now, Tosca is one of the most popular pieces of music of all time. However, it may be out ranked by White Christmas by Irving Berlin.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Book. Was. Awesome. When I was 10 years old I had a music teacher at school that introduced my classmates and me to opera. It struck me immediately as one of the most beautiful things in the entire world, and Puccini was easily the most accessible type of opera for my young mind. To this day my favorite operas remain those from Puccini and this book was an absolutely fascinating and informative experience. The book spans a wide variety of topics, going from a biography of Puccini the man and a brief exploration of Puccini's Italy, to summary and analysis of each opera, to critical analysis of Puccini's body of work and themes, to a guide through the many recordings and videos of operas available today. I could rave about this book for days. It was extremely easy to read and comprehend, and the analysis was accessible for a novice despite being thoroughly in depth into several issues. The author's voice and humor also made this a very enjoyable read. I loved this method of exploration and insight into opera so much that I'm determined to buy his other two books on composers, Wagner Without Fear and Verdi With a Vengeance!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Berger is knowledgeable, easy-going, and passionately committed to Puccini's music. His book is written for multiple audiences and includes a handy chapter with commentaries on each opera, pointing out details which even somebody (like me) who has heard the operas multiple times can have overlooked. You can enjoy Puccini's music without intellectualising it, but he is interesting in his discussion on verismo, archetypes, the overlap of myth and reality - although I wasn't entirely convinced by his chapter on "Tosca" as representing the mythic struggle between Apollo and Dionysus. Personally I have never felt I needed any excuses to love this music, so presumably I was brought up in a different world.

[Pamela Okano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books contains a summary of Puccini's life, synopses of each of his operas with analysis, bios of significant Puccini performers, suggested recordings and DVDs, and a rather dense chapter on the relationship of Tosca to European history and the Catholic church. The writer is reasonably entertaining and all in all, I enjoyed the book.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classical music fan. A fan of many of the well known opera arias. Personally, Puccini and Verdi's music, I think, is as good as any thing out there. Well, maybe Linda Ronstadt, Heart and Tina, but otherwise definitely. This is a good, comprehensive read. I haven't checked the competition, but I'd recommend for a start.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing overview.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section on the life of Puccini was very interesting. The coverage of his opera works was also well done. The chapter on the myth of Tosca was laborious and reads way more into Tosca than Puccini or his librettist would have wanted in my opinion. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good biographical sketch with a slightly light-hearted approach.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Refreshingly written survey of a popular opera composer.

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful resource about Puccini's operas. The disc and videography is very helpful, and I like the light spirit that Mr. Berger uses throughout the book.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Puccini - on the listening level. This gave me basic background to understand the currents in the operas and also understand the scathing reviews that most Puccini receives....

[Rob Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview and defense of Puccini against his detractors.