puccini e la sua lucca international permanent festival

Knowing nothing about Puccini or opera I decided to buy a ticket on principle! I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction, the programme and the venue. The concert moved between a male singer then female singer and then a pianist so the variety suited me. The concert was a little over an hour and with a 7pm start easily fitted into our evening. Husband & son happily wandered the streets of Lucca!

The family holiday in Lucca was enhanced by attendance at numerous performances in the lovely little oratorio where the concerts are held in winter. The young performers are remarkably talented, responsive to the audience, and seem always intent on providing a lovely musical experience. These performances are a highlight of our Lucca visits.

We have attended various performances, the venue is delightful, the artists fabulous and the experience sublime. When in Lucca experiencing Puccini's music is a must and this is a glorious way to do so...

We were so impressed with the performance of the two sopranos and pianist we heard that we decided to return the following night when we heard a differnet soprano and a tenor . Both evenings were really delightful . The programme was different although a couple of arias were repeated;this was not a problem since it was intersting to hear how different artists addressed the same piece of music. The performances were not too long thereby allowing us to catch a restaurant for a late meal. Well worth the money given the price of opera tickets in London and other big cities It was good being in such close proximity to the singers and seeing their confidence grow with the warm reception of the audience. .

This is worth spending a few euros on! Just over an hour of gorgeous music by Lucca's famous composer Puccini - mixed in with some Mozart - and performed (in winter) in the lovely little Oratorio Di San Giovanni by several very good local opera singers and pianists. The Puccini 'festival' started in 2004 and is performed every single evening (summer performance in the adjacent church). Buy your ticket earlier to obtain a discount and make sure you pick up the receipt for this at the actual recital as it may entitle you to a free symphonic performance on another evening. A nice thing to do after a glass of wine at your local Enoteca and prior to dinner!

The Puccini festival endeavors to have a performance somewhere everyday. This was a tenors concert of favorite arias set in an historic church. Talented singers, lovely music, and fantastic setting. Try it

Certainly anyone visiting Italy would want to experience something operatic in the country so known for great opera!. We made reservations ahead for a Thursday night September 2014 performance of Puccini & Verdi. My son who is stationed in United States service in Italy near Pisa attended with me and a friend in the beautiful church of San Giovanni. The acoustics were perfect. The music was perfect. The performances were wonderful. Tears flowed as I sat next to my son in this perfect venue hearing this perfect performance. Thank you for this perfect continual festival for Puccini - certainly it is magical and not to be missed!

Even if you're not an opera fan, this is an absolute must. For one hour, in the most spiritual of surroundings, the Church of San Giovanni, hear the most angelic of voices! To be honest, I am not an opera buff, but this performance was literally spine tingling. Two performers sang, a soprano and baritone. They were accompanied by a brilliant pianist. They sang from a selection of operas and didn't miss a beat. It was simply beautiful!We had front row seats which made the experience very intimate. Buy your tickets earlier in the day and then arrive at about 6.30pm to line up, for good seats.

You cannot afford to miss this. I only found out about it on Tripadvisor 2 days before we left for Tuscany. We went on a Tuesday night and were so moved by the whole experience that we immediately booked again for the following evening. The voices of the 2 sopranos, Melissa di Biasio and Silvia Pacini were so powerful; even more so in the tiny church of San Giovanni. On Wednesday we were treated to a performance by baritone, Gabriele Spina alongside Melissa. Both nights featured pianist, Diego Fiorini. The trio on both evenings gave exceptional, dramatic performances. I was moved to tears by the purity and power of the singers. I felt privileged to be part of this intimate presentation in the stunning medieval town of Lucca, birthplace of Puccini. It is something I will carry in my heart for a long time.

Together with 9 firends whilst spending 3 weeks in Lucca we attended a Puccini Concert. It was amazing. Firstly the location in this magnificent church was so perfect. Every sound could be heard. The singers were excellent. We all agreed it would be another wonderful memory of our visit to Lucca. The concert is quite unique as it is held every single night of the year and if our experience is anything to go by it is full every night.. Although the concert last for a little over 1 hour it is well worth the money.

Every evening a Puccini concert is performed at the Church of San Giovanni at 7:00pm. We enjoyed listening to a tenor , baritone, and pianist. The also performed some Verdi numbers. The acoustics were incredible. We were familiar with most of the selections so it was all the more fun. It was such a fun experience to hear Puccini performed in his home town. We highly recommend adding this to your itinerary when in Lucca. We had stopped at a nearby cafe for a drink prior to the concert and the performers were there having a quick expresso.

We would not miss hearing Puccini in his home town. The acoustics were not the best, but the performers were earnest and talented. A real slice of Tuscan life from back in the day.

I found out about Puccini e la sua Lucca on Tripadvisor and decided to go for it. I was able to reserve a ticket via e-mail (no payment) by sending an e-mail to "info@musick.it". I got an answer promptly and my place was reserved.The concert takes place in the church of San Giovanni. The concert starts at 7:15 pm and you can pick up your reserved ticket at the church anytime between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. The ticket is 20 Euros, but if you go pick up your ticket before 6:00 pm, you only pay 18 Euros. On entering the church you are given an impressive pamphlet on the history of the festival and the life of Giacomo Puccini, and you're also given the concert's program. Each day is a different program, so if you're in Lucca more than one day, you can maybe attend more than one concert. I know I would had I stayed longer in Lucca. The concert I attended was performed by; Mezzosoprano: Sara Paone, Tenore: Nicola Mugnaini and Pianist: Diego Fiorini.They were all simply amazing and the program was superbe. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Lucca. This concert will surely be a highlight of your visit to this charming town. I would also recommend going as early as possible to enjoy a stroll in the old town's squares and going for another stroll after the concert by the medieval walls of Lucca, which are lit at night and look quite magical.

When my mom mentioned going to the Opera, my boyfriend and I rolled our eyes because all we could imagine was a 2 1/2 hour show in a language we could not understand but we were very pleasantly surprised by the Puccini Festival It was a very nice array of songs, we had a man and a woman who took turns singing, then sang 2 songs together, one at the end of each half. Each singer brought their own operatic style to the show and a couple of times I had goose bumps from the magnitude of their singing. The show itself was only about an hour or so in length so we were able to get to dinner and back t0 our hotel before it was too late as we were leaving the next day for Rome. We were pleased to learn the history of Puccini and the church where the concerts take place is quite lovely. My mom and stepfather ended up going back for a second show when my brother and his family arrived in Lucca and said that it was equally impressive.I would recommend the Puccini Festival for anyone going to Lucca.

Contrary to some of the concerts reviewed here, the one we heard was performed by very competent singers but their quality was badly undermined by the poor acoustics of the church. The organiser of this festival proudly told his audience that 99.9% of the attendees over the years have been foreigners. Could there be a reason opera-loving Italians don't go to it?