Important ALS in Italian signed “G. Puccini,” one page, 6 x 9.75, February 21, 1904. Puccini writes to Alfredo Vandini, his friend since childhood, in Rome. In full (translated): “The press, the public, may say what they will, they may throw any stones at me like St. Stephen, but they will not succeed in burying me nor killing off my Butterfly which will rise again alive and more healthy than ever—you will see whether I am right—but now I should not take it to Rome—Rome, to which I am bound by so many memories of kind and forthright receptions—this is not the time—besides, I have some little touches to put to the opera and just now I don’t feel like getting at it—I’ll give it in a smaller theater—but I don’t know where—There is talk of Turin, of Bologna, but so far it’s all talk—Within a week or so I’ll be at Torre del Lago. Ciao….” Though it has survived as one the most popular and enduring of Puccini’s operas, Madama Butterfly was a disaster upon its premiere at La Scala on February 17, 1904. The singers had been compelled, partly through aggressive secrecy imposed by Puccini’s publisher, Ricordi, to learn their parts from proofs sent a few pages at a time. Contrary to popular practice, Ricordi further barred the press from the traditional “open rehearsal,” sparking resentment and a bloodthirsty attitude among many critics. When detractors sensed that Puccini had borrowed one melody from his earlier La Bohème—a serious offense in the Byzantine Italian opera protocol of the time—detractors in the auditorium erupted in hisses and catcalls and continued to disrupt the remainder of the opera. The composer was so devastated by the poor reception—one newspaper headline deemed it “Diabetic Opera, the Result of an Automobile Accident”—that he insisted that it be withdrawn and returned his fee of 20,000 lire to his publisher. Puccini soon overcame his despair; after he revised the score and staged the opera in a smaller theater—both actions he describes in the letter—Madama Butterfly enjoyed a wildly successful “second premiere” at the Teatro Grande in Brescia on May 28, 1904. The performance was hailed with 32 curtain calls, and King Victor Emanuele III attended a performance on the following night. The reverse of the letter bears the integral address panel. The letter is quoted and discussed in Puccini: A Biography by Howard Greenfield, Music Since 1900 by Nicolas Slonimsky, and elsewhere. A hint of subtle soiling and handling wear, and nearly invisible professional tissue reinforcements along the reverse of the mailing folds, otherwise fine, clean condition. A most remarkable and historic document of one of the most beloved staples of the operatic repertory! JSA/John Reznikoff Auction LOA and RRAuction COA.
