# Ranking the 10 Major Puccini Operas



## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Inspired by the similar thread on Wagner's major works.

Here's my list:
1. _Fanciulla_
2. _Il tabarro_
3. _Turanodt_
4. _Gianni Schicchi_
5. _Madama Butterfly_
6. _La rondine_
7. _La boheme_
8. _Suor Angelica_
9. _Tosca_
10. _Manon Lescaut_

I counted the three _Trittico_ operas separately; if they were counted as one, they'd be #2. Obviously there's a lot more that could be said, but that's just to get it started. What is your ranking?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm not a huge Puccini fan. Verdi's my number one, followed by Bellini and Donizetti, but if I were puttin them in some sort of order, I'd say.

1. Madama Butterfly
2. La Fanciulla del West
3. Tosca
4. La Bohème
5. Turandot
6. Il Tabarro
7. Gianni Schicchi
8. La Rondine
9. Suor Angelica
10. Manon Lescaut


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

1. Tosca
2. Madama Butterfly
3. Il Trittico
4. La Bohème
5. Turandot
6. La Fanciulla del West

7. Manon Lescaut
8. La Rondine


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Bohème
Tosca
Turandot 
Butterfly
The rest.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Bohème
Manon
Butterfly
Tosca
Turandot

The rest, unranked.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

1. La Fanciulla del West
2. Il Tabarro

I have a love-hate relationship with Puccini. The two above are the only Puccini operas I like without major reservations, though I find great musical virtues and artistic strength in all of them. I can enjoy most of the others with really great singer/actors, but that fact alone makes them impossible to rank. Based on the Callas/Gobbi film of act 2, my favorite Puccini opera would be _Tosca,_ but I know that it really isn't. On purely musical grounds I might put _Turandot_ third, but the story bothers me, Liu's death horrifies me and the way Puccini draws it out musically irritates me - I'm happy to get on with Alfano at that point and prefer his original long ending - and Ping, Pang and Pong could have gone back to their little vacation home (or whatever it is they're going on about) quite a bit sooner. I do seem to prefer late Puccini, with his more adventurous musical language. Like Viva and Tsaras, I'll put _Manon Lescaut_ last and leave her in the Louisiana desert, wherever that is.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I ADORE Giacomo Puccini -- a genius if there ever was one.

1. Madama Butterfly
2. Tosca
3. La Boheme
4 La Fanciulla del West
5. Turandot
6. Suor Angelica
7. Il tabarro
8.Manon Lescaut
9. Gianni Schicchi
10. La Rondine


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## Dick Johnson (Apr 14, 2020)

I like them all. The order changes frequently based on mood, recency bias, etc. At the moment...

1. La Fanciulla del West (username checks out)
2. Tosca
3. La Bohème
4. La Rondine
5. Il Tabarro
6. Turandot
7. Gianni Schicchi
8. Manon Lescaut
9. Suor Angelica
10. Madama Butterfly


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

> I'll put Manon Lescaut last and leave her in the Louisiana desert, wherever that is.


This is funny. I am from Louisiana and was initially confused when I read the stage direction in the score of _Manon_ about a Louisiana desert. I think the translation is off, and instead western Louisiana "flatland", or even "prairie," might be better in contrast to the wetlands to the east. Italians of Puccini's day may have had limited experience of southern Louisiana.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Since there was no state of Louisiana in 1731, the date of publication of the novel by Abbe Prevost on which both Puccini's and Massenet's operas were based, my guess is that "Loiuisiana" referred to a much larger part of what was then considered the American west (as in the "Louisiana Purchase" of 1803.) Prevost probably had only a vague idea of what was out there, and "desert" sounded like a suitably inhospitable place for Manon to die.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Can I rank them without the respective last acts which I mostly can't stomach?

OK, I thought not but I tried so...

Gianni Schicchi
Turandot } - tied
Rondine }
...the rest...


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Woodduck said:


> Since there was no state of Louisiana in 1731, the date of publication of the novel by Abbe Prevost on which both Puccini's and Massenet's operas were based, my guess is that "Loiuisiana" referred to a much larger part of what was then considered the American west (as in the "Louisiana Purchase" of 1803.) Prevost probably had only a vague idea of what was out there, and "desert" sounded like a suitably inhospitable place for Manon to die.


Manon and Des Grieux were in New Orleans before fleeing to the western settled area of Louisiana. This landscape is flat and relatively dry compared to New Orleans and environs - but is certainly no desert.

IIRC the word in the libretto is more accurately translated as "plain".

I don't want to argue the point with you. As I said, as a Louisianian I thought it was funny when I first became acquainted with the opera.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I only like two Puccini operas and am not sure what order, but will take a shot at it:

1. Tosca
2. Fanciulla


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## Aussie Verdi Lover (Jun 14, 2020)

1.	Gianni Schicchi
2.	La Fanciulla del West
3.	Turandot
4.	Tosca
5.	La Bohème
6.	Il Tabarro
7.	Suor Angelica
8.	Madama Butterfly
9/10. Balance in no particular order


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

1. Turandot (interestingly not many mentions above so far)
2. La Bohème
3. Tosca
4. Butterfly

Puccini is certainly one of the top 5 greatest opera composers.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

If the singers were excellent I would choose to go to a performance of :
1. Turandot : many favorite bits
2. Tosca
3. Boheme
I know the other ones only through arias.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

From the deserts of Louisiana to the Middle Kingdom, some Puccini operas have something for everyone. Or at least, a melodious aria or three. There's a Little Woman to tear your heart out, a prima donna to irritate you with her diva antics and knife the villain, risible Italian cowboys shouting "hello" in English, Asian women killing themselves for love or, if you prefer, cutting men's heads off for the wrong answers and French ones doing the deed for money. Not to forget poisonous nuns, murder on a Parisian boat, and inheritance fraud.

So far we've covered *La Boheme*, *Tosca*, *La Fanciula del West*, *Madama Butterfly* and *Turandot *, *Manon Lescaut*, *Suor Angelica*, *Il Tabarro*, *Gianni Schichi* the last three comprising *Il Trittico*.

I can't rank them without singers. Give me *Tosca * with Callas and Corelli; *Turandot * with Nilsson and Corelli with a Liu that can sing softly and sweetly and fiercely; *Madama Butterfly* with Callas or Freni and Pavarotti (the tenor only has to sing passionately and well). You get the drift, right?

I've seen *Toscas* with a very young tenor and superannuated sopranos (Magda Olivero and Dorothy Kirsten), *Madama Butterflys * with singers who didn't look the part (Teresa Kubiak and Stuart Burrows) but sang the **** out if it; *Toscas* with much larger than life characters (Caballe and Pavarotti); Manon Lescaut with very miscast sopranos (Leontyne Price and Karita Matilla) and starry *Turandots* that were sensational in every respect (Caballe, Pavarotti, Leona Mitchell).

*Il Trittico* needs the operatic equivalent of character actors; every nun in *Suor Angelica*, the ancillary singers in *Il Tabarro*, and everybody in *Gianni Schichi*, bar none.

As for *Le Villi* and *Edgar*, never heard any of it; not on purpose, but I don't believe I missed anything.


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## ThaNotoriousNIC (Jun 29, 2020)

I am not as in-tune with Puccini as I am with Wagner and as of this year Verdi, but I am fairly familiar with a good chunk of the operas. At this point, I have not been able to give a listen to Manon Lescaut, Le Villi, La Rodine, or Edgar. Here is a rough ranking of my preferences of what I have listened to and enjoy:

*1) Tosca:* I listened to the famous Callas recording for the first time last year and fell in love with the opera. There are some lovely melodies and definitely some very tense, dramatic parts. Great times to shine for each of the main characters of the opera (Tosca, Cavaradossi, and Scarpia). Although I have not seen it through in person, the music does an excellent job in telling the story, which allows me to not be lost even if I am listening to to it on Spotify. For that reason, it is an opera that got a lot of replay in 2020.

Favorite Part: Act I Finale, Tre Sbirri, una carrozza: This is the main aria for Scarpia and as a lover of baritone/bass music and villain songs, this one is among my favorites in all of opera.

*2) Turandot:* Up until Liu dies and Puccini's music dies with it in Act III, the music of this opera catches my full attention. It is larger in scale compared to Tosca and La Boheme, but perhaps its uniqueness is among the things I like about it. I like the dissonance in the music and Eastern influence, which gives this opera a sound pallet unique from the rest besides maybe Madama Butterfly. I am not the biggest fan of Puccini's chorus parts but I find Turandot to be an exception for me. It is an opera I hope to see in person at some point and learn about the libretto more for. My only gripe is the change in quality after and turn in the story once Alfano took over from Puccini.

Favorite part: Act II, Gravi, enormi ed imponenti (Chorus): I believe I may have posted about this one in a Favorite Opera Choruses thread here on Talk Classical. If memory serves me correctly, this occurs before the arrival of Turandot's father, the Emperor. Liu's death scene in Act III is another big favorite of mine.

*3) La Boheme: *As of now, the only Puccini opera that I have seen in person (went to the Met's production back in 2019). Some very iconic arias and choruses in this one, held highly by me also for its heavy use in the 80s flick Moonstruck. The arc of Mimi is a bit cliched to me and reminiscent of Verdi's La Traviata, but I don't think this is an opera you are going to for a revolutionizing story. It plays to its strengths and has my favorite Puccini tenor role in Rodolfo. Che Gelida Manina still gives me slight chills every time I listen to it for being so emotionally touching. La Boheme is very good; however, it remains at third behind two operas I prefer the story and music more for.

Favorite Part: Act I: Che Gelida Manna (Rodolfo's Aria): See above

*4) La Fanciulla del West: *This is one that I have listened to a few times and I am still figuring out when it will fully click for me. I have heard a lot of praise of La Fanciulla in this forum in the past and have given it a couple goes. I definitely like it, but perhaps my admiration for it is still being limited from not seeing it yet. One of the gripes of listening to new opera through online streaming. I do get the impressions in the music of Minnie as a character and the general flow of the plot. I like the music for Dick Johnson as well.

Favorite part: Act III Che'lla mi creda (Dick Johnson's aria before his possible hanging)

*5) Madama Butterfly:* I find this opera to be a bit too dramatic and overly sad for me to enjoy. Pinkerton is really despicable and I tire of hearing Cio Cio San's optimizing knowing from the very beginning that she is screwed. There is some nice music here for sure, but the plot that goes with it doesn't cut it for my tastes.

*6) Il Trtico:* I haven't listened to it in a while but I do recall liking the music for Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica. I don't remember liking any particular part of Il Tabarro over the rest of it. Will need to give this one a fresher look.


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## Littlephrase (Nov 28, 2018)

I've listened to quite a lot of Italian opera in recent weeks (mostly Verdi, my favorite). I have never warmed too terribly much to Puccini. I enjoy, to varying degrees, the music of all of his major operas, but like Woodduck, I am not fond of his brand of heart-on-sleeve melodrama, especially his strange fixation on having the horrific suffering of women as his central dramatic subject. Do I agree with Kerman that _Tosca_ is merely a "shabby little shocker". No, the opera has considerable merit, but the fact remains that I am not yet moved by the stories of _Tosca_, or _Madama Butterfly_ or _Turandot_. I confess to an emotional susceptibility to _La bohème_, but that seems a personal exception.

On a musical level, I appreciate Puccini most as a superb and inventive orchestrator. There is no opera where that is better demonstrated (in my opinion) than_ La fanciulla del West_, so for that reason, it is my personal favorite. I also appreciate all three parts of _Il Trittico_ similarly.

As for a ranking:

1) _La fanciulla del West_
2) _La bohème_ 
3) _Tosca_
4) _Suor Angelica_
5) _Il tabbaro_
6) _Gianni Schicchi_
7) _Turandot_
8) _Manon Lescaut_
9) _Madama Butterfly_

I am not familiar with _La Rondine_.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Thanks for reminding me of La Rondine, which apart from a lovely aria, _Che Il bel sogno di Doretta_, is forgettable as i have proven in post #17.


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

1. La Boheme
2. Tosca
3. Madama Butterfly
4. The rest (not ranked)


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I'm really delighted to see La Fanciulla so high on most lists.
My top Puccini operas would be:

1 - La Fanciulla and Turandot, can't choose, equally glorious scores! Trivia time: Turandot actually includes an organ part which is frequently omitted in live performances.
2 - all the rest, including La Rondine and Le Villi, but except for...
...3 - Edgar, which is mainly for completists (myself included).

I started to appreciate all the advanced things Puccini did in his operas, his orchestration is masterful, sometimes even adventurous but always recognizable. He could pack quite an emotional punch in a 2-minute aria. He was a master of ambience and a sound-painter. He knew how to build dramatic climaxes. And he never been too long-winded which certainly helped to gain wider popularity


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I only recently watched a production of _La Fanciulla del West_, and enjoyed it a lot since it combines two of my favorite things: opera and westerns. But it is hard for me to place it among my favorites since I need to listen to it more and felt more arioso and less scene/aria structure watered down its effect, at least for me.

*La Boheme* has always been a favorite, despite its popularity.
*Manon Lescaut* was my first opera experience which truly moved me and got me hooked.
*Madama Butterfly*. I can't believe I left this off when I first made this list. I know Calls's '55 recording is considered the greatest, but I really like Victoria de los Angeles from 1959 with Jussi Björling.
*Turandot* I saw at the Met and was overwhelmed (actually I've seen all of these at the Met). It was only later that I found out that Puccini left it unfinished. No matter, still fantastic.
*Tosca* comes next in my preference list. 
_*La Fanciulla del West *_which could easily rise with more time with the work.

The rest are either completely unknown by me or only slightly so, which means only one thing. I have some Puccini listening to do.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Tosca 
Butterfly 
Turandot 
Fanciulla
Boheme 
Tabarro
Manon
Suor Angelica 
Gianni Schicchi 
Rondine


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Becca said:


> Can I rank them without the respective last acts which I mostly can't stomach?
> 
> OK, I thought not but I tried so...
> 
> ...


Especially distasteful to me is the Turandot ending (blech!)


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Especially distasteful to me is the Turandot ending (blech!)


Have you listened to Luciano Berio's version of the ending?


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

nina foresti said:


> Especially distasteful to me is the Turandot ending (blech!)


Puccini finished most of Act 3 including the orchestration. He also left behind 36 pages of sketches on 23 sheets for the end of _Turandot_. Some sketches were in the form of "piano-vocal" or "short score", including vocal lines with "two to four staves of accompaniment with occasional notes on orchestration."

Do you object to the completion done by Franco Alfano, thinking he departed too much from Puccini's wishes? Or do you not like Puccini's ideas for the ending?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

It would be fascinating and useful if some musicians would give us an actual performance of Puccini's sketches, at least with piano accompaniment, so that we could hear exactly what Alfano did with them. Alfano was a fine composer, and I suspect he did a good job given what he had to work with. We would want to compare Alfano's full original ending, not the truncated version that's been standard since Toscanini took an axe to it.


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## niknik (Oct 4, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> It would be fascinating and useful if some musicians would give us an actual performance of Puccini's sketches, at least with piano accompaniment, so that we could hear exactly what Alfano did with them. Alfano was a fine composer, and I suspect he did a good job given what he had to work with. We would want to compare Alfano's full original ending, not the truncated version that's been standard since Toscanini took an axe to it.


I have heard Alfano's original ending in Josephine Barstow's Final Scenes (DECCA 1989) and I loved it. It is pity that Toscanini's abridged ending for Turandot has been established.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

niknik said:


> I have heard Alfano's original ending in Josephine Barstow's Final Scenes (DECCA 1989) and I loved it. It is pity that Toscanini's abridged ending for Turandot has been established.


I prefer the full version too. It ends spectacularly, and it gives us a little more time to forget our misgivings about the plot.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

I have very strange relationship with Puccini. I'm not fond of him, I rarely listen to his music recorded, it's usually not my first choice when I'm planning a visit to the theater. But I enjoy them a lot when they are well performed. And there is another circumstance: I like certain operas, but my favorite singers sing others. That's because I repeatedly go and watch Tosca. Once I went to La Boheme because I previously had seen Mimi as Volkhova in Sadko. 
So, the rating... 
1. Turandot, of course. 
2. Suor Angelica. 
3. Manon Lescaut. 
4. Tosca. 
5. La Boheme. 
6. Gianni Schicchi. 
7. Madama Butterfly. 
8. Il tabarro. 
I haven't heard live the rest.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> It would be fascinating and useful if some musicians would give us an actual performance of Puccini's sketches, at least with piano accompaniment, so that we could hear exactly what Alfano did with them. Alfano was a fine composer, and I suspect he did a good job given what he had to work with. We would want to compare Alfano's full original ending, not the truncated version that's been standard since Toscanini took an axe to it.


You get a good impression of what the sketches contain by listening to the Alfano and Berio versions and the material that is in both. It would be good to know exactly what is there and what isn't though.

N.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

The Conte said:


> You get a good impression of what the sketches contain by listening to the Alfano and Berio versions and the material that is in both. It would be good to know exactly what is there and what isn't though.
> 
> N.


The final scene, after the death of Liu, works off of Puccini's fairly complete sketches, as well as reprises material from earlier in the opera. I would think there is little _absolutely new_ material aside from a line or two in the libretto which Puccini knew needed to be added, and the music to set that text. My guess most of the writing concerned the orchestration, texture, and arrangement of the reprised material. And my guess is that Berio was more liberal with his changes/additions.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The Conte said:


> You get a good impression of what the sketches contain by listening to the Alfano and Berio versions and the material that is in both. It would be good to know exactly what is there and what isn't though.
> 
> N.


I'd like to hear the sketches performed, to whatever extent is possible, in order, with uncomposed portions of dialogue read aloud, so that we can follow the scene and form our own impressions without reference to Alfano or Berio.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

SanAntone said:


> The final scene, after the death of Liu, works off of Puccini's fairly complete sketches, as well as reprises material from earlier in the opera. I would think there is little _absolutely new_ material aside from a line or two in the libretto which Puccini knew needed to be added, and the music to set that text. My guess most of the writing concerned the orchestration, texture, and arrangement of the reprised material. And my guess is that Berio was more liberal with his changes/additions.


Alfano was Puccini's near-contemporary. Even the original parts of his completion, though not exactly in Puccini's style, don't sound incongruous with it (although the differences seem to have irritated Toscanini). Berio came up with something I'd call "meta-Puccini." With Alfano you're not always sure who composed what. The ingredients of the soup have been put through the blender. With Berio you can see the carrots and the potatoes floating in the broth.


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