James Tobin wrote: >it is a regrettable historical fact that Puccini was made an honorary >member of the Fascist Party, which came to power in 1922 and, in 1924, >the year he died, he was made Senatore del Regno. Toscanini also flirted w/ fascism in the early 20s before its horrors were fully appreciated. Puccini may have died too soon to realize that or to be faulted for not realizing it. >for anyone interested, the author's argument was based on Puccini's >harmony, particularly in Tosca, Act II. I probably don't know enough about Puccini's harmony to understand the article if I did read it, but Tosca, fascist? Come onnn! If the opera is anything politically, it's an attack on the authoritarian police state. Walter Meyer