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Happy Birthday, Fanciulla: The Man Who Inspired the Opera

868 views · Published 19 January 2011 · 29:27 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: Boston University · 2011 · Education

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La Fanciulla del West, Puccini's best, least-known opera, recently turned 100. The rollicking spaghetti Western — which takes place during the California Gold Rush — premiered December 10, 1910, at New York City's Metropolitan Opera. But despite its initial success, it didn't prove to be as popular as La Bohème, Tosca, or Madama Butterfly. 

In celebration of the opera's centennial, Boston University's College of Fine Arts, in conjunction with the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, hosted "Fanciulla 100: Celebrating Puccini," a symposium that featured numerous musical experts and historians, including set and costume designer John Conklin. An instructor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and artistic advisor to the Boston Lyric Opera, Conklin has designed for the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Shakespeare Festival, and Broadway and off-Broadway productions.

In the video above, Conklin recalls David Belasco, whose 1908 play The Girl of the Golden West inspired Puccini's opera. "Belasco is remembered most for his connection with Puccini," he says, "and this celebration of the premiere of Fanciulla brings him back into the limelight." 

Hosted by the College of Fine Arts and the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center on December 6, 2010.

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