"Puccini's Manon Lescaut: La Scala, 1930"

Dr. Roger Parker, a widely published Italian opera scholar, will be on the University of Richmond campus February 12 through February 14 for the Neumann Lectures on Music, named in honor of longtime faculty member Frederick "Fritz" Neumann (1907-1994). This lecture will focus on a recording of Manon Lescaut by a conductor who had worked closely with Puccini, exploring whether recordings offer credible evidence that should be taken into consideration when a music edition is prepared.

Dr. Parker studied at both Goldsmiths' College and King's College in London, and he is currently Thurston Dart Professor of Music at King’s College. His books include Giacomo Puccini: La bohème (1986, with Arthur Groos), Leonora's Last Act: Essays in Verdian Discourse (1997), and Remaking the Song: Operatic Visions and Revisions from Handel to Berio (2007). He has prepared critical editions of operas by Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini.

The Department of Music invites one distinguished music scholar each year to address the university community, the scholarly community and to spend time with our students. These lectures offer a further opportunity to expand our vision of the University of Richmond as a location for serious dialogue about music, the arts and society.