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Article: When Enrico Caruso met Giacomo Puccini
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 17, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The plot was not so much Italian opera as Hollywood musical. A
young man and woman are in love. She is to star in a show; he
wishes to play opposite her, but he is unknown. She challenges him
to audition before the composer himself; he accepts, overrides all
obstacles of protocol, and performs with such stunning artistry and
style that the role is instantly his. A promising stratagem, but
our lover did not look the part. He was short and tubby, with an
undistinguished moustache and an undesirable Neapolitan accent. It
was the composer who was handsome and debonair. What our lover did
have was the optimism of youth: with all the engaging audacity of a
film hero, Enrico Caruso, desirous of ...