A Life of Art and Love – The Life and Works of Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini is one of the most popular of all operatic composers, though more cherished by the public than the critics. His ability to convey strong emotion through the power of the human voice and his unique handling of the orchestra earned him a place among the most important musical figures of the 20th century. His own life was as colourful as one of his operatic plots. This lecture, which is illustrated with recordings of some of the greatest opera singers of the 20th and 21st centuries, explores the life and works of this fascinating man.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Mr Roger Askew

Roger was a chorister at Wells Cathedral School and a choral scholar at Magdalen College,
Oxford, where he graduated with an honours degree in English. He combined a teaching
career with professional singing in London, and after obtaining a further degree in Music
became Director of Music at Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College in Edinburgh.
After retiring in 2003 he returned to the south of England. He is President Emeritus of The
Stoke Poges Society.