Puccini's publisher tried to discourage his plans to write an opera based on Abbe Prevost's 1731 novel, citing the success of Jules Massenet's Manon, but Puccini famously replied, "A woman like Manon can have more than one lover." And indeed she does. Puccini's sensuous score beautifully drives this story about a troubled country girl who finds fame and fortune in Paris, but ends with her exile and death. The humiliating boarding of the ship for the penal colony in America and the tragic, heartbreaking conclusion in Louisiana continue to grip audiences worldwide to this day.

Its premiere was an immense success which spread outside of Italy. At this glorious moment, the compser told a friend, "I think I understand well the operatic language ad the operatic stage. I'm sure I'll succeed in this art."