Puccini reportedly wrote the short string quartet movement he called Crisantemi (“Chrysanthemums”) in a single evening in January 1890, and named it for the traditional Italian flower of mourning. Crisantemi also appears in his third opera, Manon Lescaut (1893) in which the soaring main theme that opens the quartet serves as the orchestral backdrop for much of the action of Act IV, when Manon and des Grieux are wandering to their deaths in the desert, while Crisantemi’s soloistic second theme underscores the Act III prison duet between the ill-fated lovers.Notes by Jason S. Heilman
Classical Music | Music for Quartet
Giacomo Puccini
Crisantemi Play
Recorded on 10/07/2015, uploaded on 06/02/2016
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Puccini reportedly wrote the short string quartet movement he called Crisantemi (“Chrysanthemums”) in a single evening in January 1890, and named it for the traditional Italian flower of mourning. Crisantemi also appears in his third opera, Manon Lescaut (1893) in which the soaring main theme that opens the quartet serves as the orchestral backdrop for much of the action of Act IV, when Manon and des Grieux are wandering to their deaths in the desert, while Crisantemi’s soloistic second theme underscores the Act III prison duet between the ill-fated lovers. Notes by Jason S. Heilman
More music by Giacomo Puccini
Guardate, pazzo son guardate, from Manon Lescaut
Nessun dorma, from Turandot
Recondita armonia, from Tosca
E lucevan le stelle, from Tosca
Donna non vidi mai, from Manon Lescaut
Ah, Manon, mi tradische, from Manon Lescaut
Selections from Turandot
Turandot: In questa reggia
O mio babbino caro
Quando m'en vo - La bohème
Performances by same musician(s)
Polka, for String Quartet
String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10
Elegy, for String Quartet
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
Courtesy of International Music Foundation.