Puccini La Bohème (#5)

The Opera

First performed in 1896, the music is in the broad category called verismo.
The plot is a tragic love affair among the artist colony of Paris.


Everyone loves Puccini's La Bohème, an Italian opera despite the French title. This is a good place to begin with opera because the music is consistently beautiful throughout, the characters are well drawn, they laugh, they fall in love, they quarrel and they die in great style.  It is a complete arc of emotion, and the plot is never confusing.  In the spirit of verismo we see starving artists Rodolfo, the poet, and Marcello, the painter, Mimi, a girl who embroiders flowers and another girl, Musetta, who makes a living from men with money, in short a professional mistress.

The Story

Act I

This act takes place in Paris in the garret of some starving artists on Christmas Eve.  Everyone but Rodolfo goes out to a restaurant to celebrate the holiday and the fact that one of them has a job.  When Rodolfo is alone, Mimi from upstairs stops by to complain that her candle has gone out.  By the end of the act they are telling each other "te amo." [I love you.]  You can decide for yourself if she is really there to get him to light her candle or just to meet him.

This was Luciano Pavarotti's favorite opera. He was one of the gods of opera.

Hit Tunes

Probably the most famous singer who performs this opera today is the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko.  She has made a movie of this which can be viewed below.  If you care not at all about realism in the staging, here is a sample from a strange staging from Salzburg where the starving artists live under an overpass. This complete film is also available on YT. 



Notice how she first pulls the tempo forward and then holds it back.  It is my favorite.

Act II

The starving artists with the addition of Mimi are starting their dinner in the Cafe Momus when Musetta appears with her current gentleman.  She sings Musetta's waltz, "I love the way men stare at me when I walk through the streets. It makes me happy."

Hit Tune

In this film the man with the packages is the gentleman. Musetta flirts her way from man to man. Marcello still loves her and persuades her to dump the suitor, who gets the check.

Act III

Musetta and Marcello are living in the country where he has a job painting a sign.  Both Mimi and Rodolfo show up to complain about the other.  Because Rodolfo knows Mimi is ill, he pretends to fight with her so she can live better than he can afford.

Act IV 

The opera ends back at the garret.  Mimi shows up and is clearly very ill.  Rodolfo still has the cap he bought Mimi in Act II.  Musetta buys Mimi a muff but it is too late.  She dies.

Complete Film

The opera is staged for this film in a very traditional way and attempts to recreate the Paris of the period.  When the death of the parrot is described in Act I, we see it.  That has to be a first.  If you like realism in your opera, this is a good place to start.




This movie is a lot of fun, but Anna Netrebko as Mimi, Rolando Villazon as Rodolfo and Nicole Cabell as Musetta are the only ones who both act and sing their roles.



If you watched the long film above and loved it, try Puccini Manon Lescaut.

If you loved that it was a movie, try Puccini Tosca.

If you didn't really like it or prefer a more classical musical style, try Mozart Don Giovanni.