A fascinating and unusual journey "behind the scenes" of the genius from Torre del Lago. On Thursday, June 4th, at 9:00 pm, the auditorium of the "Boccherini" Conservatory will host a special concert dedicated entirely to the piano works of Giacomo Puccini . This unmissable event will reveal a hidden and previously unseen side of the great opera composer, through musical works created far from the stage. The event is part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the G. Puccini Study Center in Lucca, for which the Associazione Musicale Lucchese is collaborating with this concert, featuring pianist Simone Soldati .
Far from being a piano virtuoso – an instrument that Puccini used primarily as a support for composition and for interpreting the classics – the Maestro left behind a series of small pieces, sometimes truly occasional riens , capable however of revealing his most intimate personality.
The concert will span Puccini's entire biography, exploring a surprising repertoire, enriched by recent archival rediscoveries. The program ranges from the Fugue for Three Voices and the reworking of Bellini's Sonnambula to the youthful influences of the Waltz in A-flat Major , a reconstruction of Puccini's student days when he played in Lucca's dance orchestras.
The academic rigor of the Adagio will give way to the surprising Calmo e molto lento of 1916, written during the dark years of the war, an almost expressionist miniature, suspended outside the traditional tonal boundaries. There will also be brilliant and imaginative pieces such as the march Scossa elettrica , written in 1899 for the centenary of the Volta battery, and the evocative piece Torre del Lago , created in 1904 amidst contemplation of nature and playful jokes among friends. Finally, the celebrated Piccolo valzer , a gem that audiences will immediately recognize: it was from these notes, in fact, that Musetta 's famous aria in La Bohème was born.
A regular performer at prestigious institutions, Simone Soldati has collaborated with major international artists. His connection to Puccini brought him, together with the Quartetto della Scala, to the stage of Teatro alla Scala in 2022 with the production "E comunque Puccini è plurale," a compelling dramaturgy with text and direction by Mario Acampa that retraced the extraordinary history of the Puccini family. He has made numerous recordings for RAI. His recordings dedicated to Domenico and Giacomo Puccini and Alfredo Catalani have received the compliments of Riccardo Muti. A member of the Centro Tempo Reale founded in Florence by Luciano Berio, Soldati is the artistic director of the Associazione Musicale Lucchese, for which he curates the Lucca Classica Music Festival. A professor at the "Luigi Boccherini" Conservatory in Lucca, he has directed the Master Madamm program, collaborated with the Treccani Cultural Events program, and held chamber music masterclasses at the Royal College of Music in London.
The concert is part of the program with which the Giacomo Puccini Study Center celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, a significant milestone that encompasses three decades of research, dissemination, and love for the Maestro's work.
In addition to this event, round tables with leading Italian music institutions, book presentations, and the launch of new digital research tools are scheduled for June 4th to 6th .
TICKET: SINGLE SEAT €5
Tickets can be purchased at the Auditorium starting at 8:15 PM.