Rosa Raisa newspaper that she had playfully told Puccini that he "better be sure to put in plenty of high C's." On October 7, 1924, less than two months before Puccini died, Angelo Scandiani, administrative director of La Scala, wired Herbert Johnson of the Chicago Opera that Puccini and Toscanini had cast three Chicago Opera artists, Rosa Raisa, Edith Mason, and Giaccomo Rimini, for the lead roles in the upcoming "Turandot". At that time it was thought that the premiere would take place in April 1925, but Puccini's death at the end of November 1924 postponed these plans; Franco Alfano was selected
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