Puccini

Twenty-seven years ago, I discovered the joy of Puccini, when I contracted and played in an orchestra for La Boheme. And for twenty-seven years, I’ve wanted to become familiar with at least one of Puccini’s other operas.

Despite Madama Butterfly’s popularity, I was never tempted to give it a chance, but now, with the ability to “preview” via YouTube, I’ve discovered Anthony Minghella’s production with Patricia Racette. Oh, how I love a good spinto. The clips on YouTube were an appetizer; I wanted the entire meal. No Amazon order ever seemed to take so long to arrive. Tosca followed, and now, twenty-seven years after my first exposure to Puccini, I can finally say I’m familiar with more than La Boheme.

- PJ

Breathing and Boheme

Last year at this time my asthma flared up; this year it’s worse. I wake in the middle of night, so tight that I have to tell myself to breathe, something that should come naturally. I get up, use my inhaler, and then… I’m awake. I lay in the dark, waiting to breathe easier. As the medication kicks in, music comes to my internal ear, soaring phrases from La Boheme. I think of Mimi coughing, and am reminded of that new emphysema commercial on TV, designed to stop people from smoking. It’s a disturbing image; I don’t smoke, but I think of my asthma. The soaring phrases of La Boheme win, and sleep returns.

- PJ