In our Season 2 finale, host Flora Willson sits down with Puccini specialist and opera historian Dr Ditlev Rindom to explore a musical mystery.

Together, they pull back the curtain on the painstaking process of reconstructing the long-lost 1921 critical edition of Giacomo Puccini’s La rondine.

Discover why Puccini continuously reworked this masterpiece, shifting it from a light Viennese operetta commission to a fully-fledged tragedy.

Ditlev reveals the incredible detective work required to rebuild missing sections using sketches, vocal scores, and the composer's scattered notes. Plus, we share exclusive, unmastered previews from Opera Rara’s highly anticipated studio recording of this 1921 version.

"He was an inveterate reviser of his works... Puccini has this image of being someone who's so self-confident. And I think the more you get to know him through his letters, you realise how full of doubt he was."

— Dr Ditlev Rindom

If you love discovering the hidden gems of the operatic world and want to hear more rare works brought to life, please consider supporting Opera Rara's restorative work. Visit opera-rara.com/support to make a donation.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Lives in Song: Discovering Puccini’s La rondine

01:51 From Viennese Operetta to Parisian Tragedy: The Genesis of La rondine

04:36 Exploring the 1917 Premiere and Puccini’s Growing Doubts

08:54 The 1921 Version: Why Did Puccini Rewrite the Ending?

14:46 Behind the Scenes: Building the 1921 Critical Edition

21:23 Lost Manuscripts and the Long Road to Reconstruction

31:33 The Inveterate Reviser: Puccini’s Pursuit of Theatrical Perfection

34:42 Musical Preview: The Exuberant Chorus Waltz of Act 2

40:35 A Darker Turn: Magda’s Evolution and the Tragic Ending

47:46 Reassessing Giacomo Puccini: From Popular Hitmaker to Serious Innovator

52:09 Ask Opera Rara: Unpacking Puccini’s Heroines

Get Involved

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

Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch

Following the disastrous premiere of Madama Butterfly in 1904, Giacomo Puccini faced a severe creative and personal crisis. Bruised by failure and an awful car accident, the great composer struggled to find his next operatic subject. Yet, what followed was an unprecedented era of transatlantic fame, technological innovation, and an ever-evolving musical landscape. From massive international tours and the early days of the gramophone to the global disruption of the First World War, Puccini’s later life was as dramatic as any of his operas.

In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson welcomes back opera historian and Puccini specialist Dr. Ditlev Rindom. Together, they explore how Puccini navigated the “autumn of Italian opera,” adapting his style and collaborating with new librettists to produce later masterpieces like La Fanciulla del West, Il Trittico, and La Rondine. We also examine the heartbreaking final days of Puccini's life, tracing his struggles to complete his grandest project, Turandot, while battling an undiagnosed fatal illness.

If you love discovering the hidden gems and untold stories of the operatic world, please help us keep the music alive. Support our mission by visiting opera-rara.com/support and making a donation today.

"He really knew how to create drama for an audience and how to hold you captive, how to manipulate you even, and then how to chuck you out the other end feeling absolutely overwhelmed." — Flora Willson

Chapters:

• 00:00 - Introduction: Puccini after Madama Butterfly
• 03:08 - Global Ambitions: La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera New York
• 06:01 - Transatlantic Fame in North and South America
• 08:16 - Puccini, Caruso and the gramophone era
• 13:13 - A Creative Crisis: the death of librettist Giuseppe Giacosa
• 17:18 - Mascagni's Lodoletta and Puccini’s discarded work
• 22:47 - Viennese Operetta: La Rondine and the Great War
• 28:29 - The Autumn of Italian Opera and the Late Verismo Movement
• 32:26 - The lure of one-act opera: Leoncavallo's Zingari
• 36:40 - Il Trittico and the European Trend of Short Operas
• 40:41 - The Grandeur of Turandot and Puccini's Final Struggle
• 49:11 - Ask Opera Rara: Puccini's Legacy in the Theatre

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

► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue

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

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

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

► EXPLORE the full Opera Rara catalogue: Shop Catalogue

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

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