Boston University Musicology Releases ‘The Finales of Turandot: Puccini’s Last Act’

Boston University musicologist Deborah Burton has published “The Finales of Turandot: Puccini’s Last Act,” a study examining the various completions of Puccini’s unfinished opera from 1925 to the present. The 304-page book, out Sept. 21, 2026, from Routledge, explores the social and musical contexts behind each completion, including Franco Alfano’s 1925 version written under fascist Italy, Luciano Berio’s 2001 finale {…}

CD Review: Sondra Radvanovsky’s ‘Puccini Heroines’

“Puccini Heroines,” “Puccini’s Heroines,” “Heroines”—or “Eroine”—of Puccini. This myriad of near-identical album titles reflects the indiscriminately amorous fascination the composer’s female protagonists have exerted upon a century of operatic singers and spectators alike (after all, 2026 marks the centennial of “Turandot”). Therefore, another “Puccini Heroines”—this time from Pentatone—comes as little surprise. It features Sondra Radvanovsky, whose career has followed the {…}