This is definitely the most discussed and most loved opera by Giacomo Puccini. A fiery protagonist finds herself trapped between her allegiance to her rebel lover and the scheming of a treacherous police chief who will stop at nothing in his lust for her. The unbearable situation leads to intense drama and an unexpected, quite bloody grand final.

The story was originally written by the French dramatist Victorien Sardou during the second half of 1800. For years Giacomo Puccini tried to get the copyright on this libretto, but more than once he gave up; he seemed not too sure about the subject, and the legal issues between the author and other potential artists interested in transforming it into operadidn't help. But when he finally had the story into his hands, he decided to make it passionate, endearing, merciless and, most of all, realistic.

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Fonte: L'italo-Americano