Franco Alfano Domingo in the title role. In 1921, "La Leggenda di Sakùntala" appeared, described by some as his most important stage work, and while it was successful enough to have Arturo Toscanini recommend Alfano for the completion of Puccini's posthumous Turandot, the performance materials were thought destroyed in an air raid during the Second World War. Alfano reconstructed it in 1952 as "Sakùntala", after "Abhijñānaśākuntalam" ("The Recognition of Sakuntala"), the Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Subsequently, the original version was recovered in 2005, with the two versions available for performance today. The second version of Sakùntala was performed in New York City
Simonetta Puccini Simonetta Puccini Simonetta Puccini, born Simonetta Giurumello (2 June 1929, Pisa16 December 2017, Milan) was the last surviving acknowledged descendant of the composer Giacomo Puccini. She dedicated her life to her grandfather's memory, and owned and restored the composer's home, Villa Museo Puccini. Giacomo Puccini's only son, Antonio, had no children by his wife, but fathered an illegitimate daughter, Simonetta Giurumello, who was born in 1929. She graduated from the University of Milan and was a teacher until 1973. The composer had died in 1924, leaving a large fortune in property and royalties. In 1995, after a legal battle that