This Autumn Il trittico triumphantly returned to Welsh National Opera’s stage after its sizzling Summer Season debut. Puccini’s triptych consists of three one act operas rarely performed together, Il tabarro (The Cloak), Suor Angelica(Sister Angelica) and Gianni Schicchi. The performance of these three operas in one evening, as the composer intended, treated audiences to an unforgettable rollercoaster of high emotion, intense drama, and black comedy, and if you attended any of our performances of Il trittico, you would have heard soprano Haegee Lee’s breathtaking rendition of the world-famous aria, O mio babbino caro (Oh, my dear Papa).
O mio babbino caro is from Gianni Schicchi, the final of the three operas and is a plea from Lauretta to her father for his permission to marry her love, Rinuccio. Gianni Schicchiis a light-hearted comic opera and, unusually for Puccini, there are few truly lyrical moments, making the lilting melodies of O mio babbino caro stand out.
Audiences may recognise this piece due to its appearances in popular culture, having appeared in many movie, TV and advertisement soundtracks. One example is the key role that O mio babbino caro played in the 2021 Disney Pixar film Luca. Puccini’s aria appears at the beginning of the film where two fishermen are listening to the piece on a gramophone. As the gramophone gets knocked into the ocean by a monster, it introduces viewers to Luca, the protagonist, and his powers.
Audience members may also recognise the piece due to its popularity as a solo for operatic voices. Soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performed the piece in an episode of Downton Abbey, and during the 2023 Britain’s Got Talent semi-final, judge Bruno Tonioli was moved to tears as 13-year-old Malakai Bayoh gave his rendition of Puccini’s aria.
O mio babbino caro has also firmly secured its place as a popular musical choice for figure skaters in both reality and fiction. Those who have used the piece for performances include Carolina Kostner and Michelle Long, as well as cartoon character Peppermint Patty in an episode of Peanuts.
A further particularly well-known appearance of O mio babbino caro is in the 1985 Helena Bonham Carter film A Room with a View. This film is synonymous with Puccini’s aria which features as a motif throughout and is heard in full in the final scene.
The famous tune has appeared in many more films and TV soundtracks including Mr Bean’s Holiday, Strictly Come Dancing and Captain Correlli’s Mandolin, and it’s also a popular choice for use in advertising. O mio babbino caro was used in a Grand Theft Auto III trailer and in April 2024, McDonalds shared a snippet of the piece to advertise that their new burger recipes are now ‘A Little More Mmm.’
You can hear O mio babbino caro in the double act Sour Angelica and Gianni Schicchiin Southampton this November, and Haegee Lee will return in our Opera Favourites concert with WNO Orchestra as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata.
