The original title is La bohème.
An opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto (in Italian) by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, with significant participation by Giulio Ricordi and the composer himself, based on some episodes from Henri Murger's novel Scenes from the Life of a Bohemia.
Characters:
Mimi, seamstress (soprano)
Rudolf, poet (tenor)
Marcel, artist (baritone)
Collen, philosopher (bass)
Schaunard, musician (baritone)
Benoit, housekeeper (bass)
Alcindor, state councilor and admirer of Musetta (6ac)
Parpignol, traveling toy seller (tenor)
Customs Sergeant (bass)
Musetta, grisette (soprano)
Time period: around 1830.
Location: Paris.
First performance: Turin, Teatro Reggio, 1 February 1896.
Evening of February 1, 1896 in opera house in Turin. A brilliant society gathered to hear the world premiere of the new opera by Giacomo Puccini, the author of the national success Manon Lescaut. The conductor is twenty-eight-year-old Arturo Toscanini, whose reputation is already such that American critics wrote after his performance of Twilight of the Gods that “in all New York he was the only one who had the honor of being invited to conduct this opera.” Under such favorable circumstances, the premiere of the opera, which later became one of the most beloved Italian operas, was expected to be a stunning success. This, however, did not happen. The opera did not fail, but the audience's reception was, one might say, a little better than indifferent (cold), and the critics were by no means unanimous in expressing their sympathy for it. One of them went so far as to call her "empty, completely childish." The premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in 1900 received several even worse epithets. “La Bohème,” wrote the Tribune, “is low in plot, noisy and empty in music, stupid and illogical... an opera.”
But not all critics shared this erroneous assessment. Despite the opinions of many musicians, professional critics in the eyes of their descendants, they are more often right in their judgments than wrong. In this particular case, no one appreciated the significance of the opera more accurately than Puccini's publisher Giulio Ricordi. Three months before the premiere, Ricordi, who directly intervened in the work of the composer and librettist throughout the three years while the opera was being created, wrote: “Dear Puccini, if you don’t create a masterpiece this time, I will change my profession and go sell sausage!”
ACT I
In the attic
(Puccini prefaced each act of the opera with a short quotation from the novel by Henri Murger as an epigraph. Here is the one that refers to the first act:
“...Mimi was a graceful girl of twenty-two years old; small, delicate. She fully corresponded to Rudolf's ideals. Her delicate face seemed like an elegant sketch of an aristocratic portrait. Young blood was in full swing and gave her a charming pale pink, velvety camellia tone, but... not strength and health... This is how Rudolf fell in love with her. Mimi's hands especially delighted him. She knew how, despite her work, to preserve their enchanting tenderness and whiteness..."
The first act of the opera takes place in Paris on Christmas Eve in the 1930s. years XIX century. The curtain rises with the first sounds of the orchestra. The attic of Rudolf and Marcel, two of four friends belonging to an artistic fraternity, carefree and poor. Through the large window you can see snow-covered roofs of houses and chimneys. The entrance is in the middle left. Table, bed, four chairs. Books and papers are scattered everywhere; two candlesticks. Marcel - that's the name young artist, of course, a genius - he looks contemplatively out the window. He is currently working on the painting “Crossing the Red Sea.” His hands are chilly, he rubs them every now and then and often changes position. He complains to his friend, the poet Rudolf, also a genius, about the terrible cold. There has been no wood in the fireplace for a long time. Rudolf comes up with a brilliant idea: he will light it with the paper on which he wrote his five-act tragedy. Collen, a philosopher (brilliant), completely numb on the street, arrives, he warms his hands. The last is Schaunard, who miraculously managed to get food and wine. He tries to tell how he did it: one Englishman hired him to play (he is a brilliant musician) for... his parrot until the bird dies (no one listens to the musician, everyone is in a hurry to start eating). So Schaunard played for three days, but the parrot did not die. And then Schaunard prepared a parsley potion for the parrot, after which the bird immediately died. It was then that the Englishman paid for playing music. In the midst of the general fun, Benoit, the housekeeper, appears in the attic of four friends and demands payment for housing. He is treated to wine and soon kicked out - rather unceremoniously - from the room without paying anything. Schaunard, Marcel and Collin go to the Momu cafe, leaving Rudolf at home, who explains that he has to finish one article. After a while there is a hesitant knock on the door. This is a lovely young neighbor whose candle has gone out. Rudolph invites her to come into the room. She sits down, holding back a coughing fit, and Rudolf treats her to a glass of wine. He lights a candle for her and she leaves, but soon returns because she thinks she dropped her key here. Rudolph kindly looks for him. While they are looking for the key, the candle goes out and Rudolf squeezes her hand tightly. This is an occasion to sing the wonderful aria “Che gelida manina” (“Cold Little Hand”), in which he talks about his life and work. When he finishes his story, the girl answers him with the equally expressive aria “Mi chiamano Mimi” (“My name is Mimi”); this time it is her story about her life as a seamstress. Rudolph and Mimi are now completely in love with each other. At that moment, they hear the loud voices of friends downstairs in the cafe. Rudolf gives the girl his hand, and they go to join a cheerful group of friends at the Momyu cafe.
ACT II
In the Latin Quarter
"...Gustav Collen, great philosopher; Marseilles, great painter; Rudolf, great poet, and Schaunard, great musician(such, of course, were their dreams), they regularly visited the Momyu cafe. They were nicknamed there “the four musketeers,” because they were inseparable, they came together, sat together, played and left, sometimes owing money, also together... Musette was twenty years old, a lot of coquetry, a fair amount of pride and no spelling. The soul of society at the parties of the Latin Quarter; now a luxurious carriage, now just an omnibus, now an apartment on Breda Street, now a room in the Latin Quarter. What do you want me to do? Every now and then I need to turn around and breathe. My life is a song. Whatever the stanza - new love... But Marcel is a red line in it.”)
The second act of the opera takes place on the street. Latin Quarter of Paris. Square at the crossroads. Various shops, on the left is the Momyu cafe. Evening. Christmas Eve. Sellers and shopkeepers loudly praise their wares. Rudolph and Mimi are in the crowd. Collin near the saleswoman of an old dress. Schaunard examines the pipe and horn near the junk dealer.
Marcel is scurrying in all directions. Several people are sitting in front of the cafe. The benches are hung with lanterns. Now friends meet at the Momyu cafe and sit at a table here. The introduction to the second act is primarily musical description fun on the eve of Christmas. All in festive mood and for this occasion they buy all sorts of trinkets (completely unnecessary to them). Rudolph presents his new girl friends, and also a rich gentleman named Alcindor who joined them, and now the merry and enlarged company occupies a table next door. The girl Alcindor brought with him is Musetta, Marcel’s former passion. She's tired of shedding tears with this rich old suitor of hers and is desperately trying to restore her relationship with her former lover. At first Marcel doesn't pay attention to her, but when she sings her famous song to the rhythm of the waltz “Quando m’en vo’ soletta per la viva” (“I’m cheerful, everyone knows me like that...”), he gives up.
Suddenly Musetta screams shrilly: her shoe, she says, is just a punishment for her. This is a cunning trick: this way she wants to get rid of Alcindor at least for a few minutes by sending him with the shoe to the shoemaker. When he leaves, dissatisfied, to find another pair of shoes, Musetta happily joins his artistic friends. You can hear the sounds of a cheerful military band marching down the street, led by a drum major. The street boys and everyone else are running after him. Our artist friends and both of their girlfriends join the cheerful procession. Returning Alcindor finds the cafe empty, and the bill on the table is quite high. a large amount for everyone who had fun here.
ACT III
At the outpost
(“Mimi’s voice echoed with a special sound in Rudolf’s heart: there was something mournful in it. However, Rudolf loved her jealously, strangely, hysterically... Twenty times they were ready to separate. It must be admitted that their living together was unbearable, but among the stormy outbursts of disagreement they still found an oasis mutual love... The next morning the same arguments. Due to a hereditary illness or simply instinct, Musetta suffered from a weakness for dress. This curious creature, as soon as it saw the light of God, should have demanded a mirror. If the feeling of love was available to Musetta, then she loved only Marcel - and only because he alone knew how to make her suffer. Pleasure was for her the vital question of life...")
Quite a cold morning at one of the outposts of Paris. Straight ahead is a lattice fence, behind the bars is a boulevard, and in the depths you can see the road to Orleans, lost among tall buildings in the February fog; in the depths there is a guardhouse to the left - a tavern and the gates of the outpost, to the right - the beginning of the street leading directly to the Latin Quarter. Above the entrance to the tavern, instead of a sign, there is a painting of Marseille “Crossing the Red Sea” under which in large letters it says “City of Marseille”. When the curtain rises, the blossoming dawns a little. The workers demand - and eventually receive - permission from sleepy customs officers to enter the city. The transparent, cold sounds of the orchestra perfectly convey the atmosphere, which makes you literally shiver from the cold. Poor Mimi, very sick, calls from the inn of Marseille; he lives here with Musetta. She plaintively tells the artist about her constant bickering with the jealous Rudolf, who now, after their next quarrel, abandoned her and is here in the tavern. When Rodolfo leaves, she hides behind a tree and hears her lover telling Marcel how hopelessly ill Mimi is and how wise it would be for them to separate. Suddenly he hears her cough and turns towards her with compassion. Marcel, meanwhile, goes into the house because he hears Musetta’s cheerful laughter and suspects that she is flirting with someone again. In her touching aria “Addio, senza rancor” (“Farewell and don’t be angry”), Mimi invites Rudolf to break up. In the poignant duet that follows this conversation, they express the hope that in the spring they will be together again. But the duet develops into a quartet when their conversation is joined by replicas of the quarreling Marcel and Musetta, coming from the tavern. The contrasting sound of the parts of a quarreling couple and another, who is overwhelmed by passionate feelings, creates a magnificent ending to this action - one of the most wonderful quartets in the whole Italian opera. And before it ends, Rudolph and Mimi decide to stay together, while the other couple definitely breaks up.
ACT IV
In the attic
(“Time has passed, and our friends are again alone and in the same attic. Meanwhile, Musetta has become almost an important person. Marcel has not met her for four months. Mimi too. Rudolph did not hear anything about her, but he could not forget her In moments of melancholy and loneliness, he took out the scarf she left behind and covered it with kisses.”)
In the final act of the opera, we again find ourselves in the attic of Marcel and Rudolf. An artist tries to draw, a poet tries to write. But they cannot help but think about Mimi and Musette, from whom they are now separated again. That’s why they sing the duet “Ah, Mimi tu piu non torni” (“Oh Mimi! You won’t come back”). The whole atmosphere changes when their friends, Collin and Schaunard, return with provisions. All four are now acting like children: they pretend that they are at a party with the king. They are dancing funny dancing. Such an aristocratic celebration cannot happen without a “knightly match,” and a comic duel breaks out. But this fun immediately stops when a breathless Musetta runs into the room. Along with her is their former friend Mimi. Musetta is very afraid for her, as she feels that life is leaving Mimi. With great difficulty, the poor girl enters with a staggering gait, and she sinks onto the bed, exhausted. While she quietly tells Rudolf how cold she is, the others try their best to help her. Musette asks Marcel to send her to sell her earrings, to buy her the muff she dreams of to warm her hands, and to pay for the doctor. Collen, in a small touching aria “Vecchia zimarra” (“The old, unchanged cloak...”) says goodbye to his cloak - he intends to sell it for Mimi, this is the only thing he can do for her. Two: the lovers are finally left alone and sing a sad duet about their former happiness. Mimi, losing strength, falls asleep, and when the others return, Musetta is preparing medicine. While Rudolph hangs Mimi's cloak on the window so that the light does not shine so brightly, Schaunard leans towards her and is convinced - to his horror - that she is dead. At first, no one dares to tell Rudolf about this. But he sees the expressions on their faces and shouts in despair: “Mimi, Mimi!” (“Mimi, Mimi!”). He rushes across the room and rushes to the bedside of the girl he desperately loved.
Postscriptum regarding historical circumstances. In his extensive essay entitled “The Prototypes of La Bohème,” Georges Marek identified the prototypes of the opera's characters. Much of the information below is taken from this essay.
Rudolf. This was Henri Murget, the author of the autobiographical novella Scenes from the Life of Bohemia, published in 1848 and which served as the source for the libretto. In his youth, much like Rudolf, he would pee unsuccessfully. He shared with his friends not only a squalid home, but also a single pair of trousers. The play, which he co-wrote with Barrier based on his novel, brought him such success that Murger was able to part with the bohemians, which he did.
Mimi. Her main model was a sickly grisette named Lucia. And indeed, Mimi in the opera tells us her real name - Lucia. She was charming, did not have a very easy character and died of pulmonary tuberculosis. This happened not in the attic, but in the hospital, and Rudolf-Murge did not find out about it in time and therefore could not take the body. It was handed over for dissection in medical students' classes.
Marseilles. This image was created as a result of combining characteristic features two friends of Murger, both artists - one named Lazarus, the other Tabar. Lazarus was very successful (for a bohemian) and Tabar was very talented. Perhaps there is some moral in this.
Collen. Another product of the combination of two characters - philosopher-writers named Jean Vallon and Trapadox. The latter wore the costume that Collen usually wears on stage - a tall hat and a long green frock coat. But it was Vallon who always carried books with him, as Collin does in Act II of the opera.
Schaunard. His real name was Alexander Shanne, a little artist, a little writer, a little musician. (In Act II of the opera he buys a French horn). His autobiography, Souvenirs of Schaunard, describes his bohemian friends. But by the time of its creation, he, however, had become involved with bohemians and became a successful manufacturer of all kinds of toys.
Musetta. It is copied to a large extent from a certain model, which, to quote Marek, “had inconsistent connections with regular customers" She subsequently drowned while traveling on a ship across the Mediterranean Sea.
Benoit. This is the real name of the homeowner. His house was on Rue de Cannette. Mimi-Lucia, and not Rodolphe-Murger, was his guest before she died.
Cafe "Momu". This is the real name of a favorite establishment among Parisian bohemians. His address was: 15 Rue des Pretres, St. Germain l'Auxerrois.
Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maikapara)
D. Puccini opera “La Bohème”
Giacomo Puccini's opera "" was written according to famous work Henri Murger "Scenes from the Life of Bohemia." Libretto authors: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The opera shows the life of young and very talented people who are independent, full of hopes and dreams, but live very poorly. The composer masterfully conveyed the atmosphere of Paris, its Latin Quarter and the attic where young artists live.
Brief summary of the opera Puccini "Bohemia" and many interesting facts Read about this work on our page.
|
Characters |
Description |
|
| Marseilles | baritone | poor artist |
| Musetta | soprano | singer, coquette |
| Rudolf | tenor | poet |
| Mimi | soprano | seamstress |
| Schaunard | baritone | musician |
| Collen | bass | philosopher |
| Benoit | bass | homeowner |
| Alcindor | bass | state councilor |
Summary of “La Boheme”
All events in the opera take place in the Latin Quarter of Paris, in 1830. Four friends gather in a small attic in the evenings. Many people know them and are sometimes jokingly called “musketeers”: Rudolf (poet), Collin (philosopher), Schaunard (musician), Marcel (artist). With their friendly quartet, they often visit the Momyu cafe, where regulars gather - free artists. The guys often joke and try to approach everything with humor, even the problems that constantly arise on the path of life.
Their room is cold as always, and there is no money even for food, but the guys do not lose heart, because they will always find a way out of any situation. They even manage to avoid paying rent to their tenant for a long time.
The musician Schaunard somehow managed to earn some money and his friends immediately go to a small tavern to celebrate this event. Only Rudolph remains to work on his next article. Suddenly his neighbor, the beautiful Mimi, comes to visit him. The young people meet and realize that mutual feelings flare up between them. The girl now spends her time free time with your loved one and his friends.
However, not everything turns out so smoothly; disagreements unexpectedly arise between Rudolf and Mimi.Their main reason is that the young man was very jealous of his beloved when he saw her dancing with a stranger. Mimi did not expect such behavior from the always gentle and kind Rudolph and even decided to turn to his friend Marcel for help. However, completely unexpectedly for everyone it opens terrible truth– Rudolf’s beloved is sick with consumption. The girl is in despair and is forced to be separated from her beloved. Subsequently, the lovers find themselves together again when the dying Mimi is brought to the attic by a friend. Alarmed young people immediately rush to the girl, call a doctor, try to warm her up, but it is too late. Mimi dies, and Rodolfo suffers inconsolably nearby.
| Duration of the performance | |||
| Act I | Act II | III Act | Act IV |
| 40 min. | 20 minutes. | 30 min. | 30 min. |
Photo:
Interesting Facts
- The main characters have their own historical prototypes. Even the legendary Cafe Momu was a very popular establishment among Parisian bohemians. And the image of Rudolf is copied from the author of the novel, Henri Murget.
- It is curious that L. Illik and D. Giacosa worked on the libretto for about 2 years, and the composer wrote the music itself in just eight months, he was so fascinated by his work.
- In 1957, one curious manuscript was unexpectedly discovered among the librettist’s papers. She turned out to be full version libretto, which included the missing fragment before Act 3. It told why Rudolph was jealous of his beloved Mimi. It turns out that four friends threw a small party right on the street, where Mimi was invited. Musetta lent her a beautiful red dress and introduced her to the Viscount, who immediately invited the beauty to dance. Seeing this, Rudolf could not contain his feelings and became very jealous of his beloved.
- Composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo proposed his version of the libretto, but having met a refusal, he wrote another “La Bohème,” which, to avoid confusion, was also staged under the title “Life of the Latin Quarter. After this, the composers' friendship ended.
- The unsuccessful premiere did not prevent the further performance of the play; by 1903, La Bohème had been performed a hundred times on the stage of the Opéra-Comique.
- Despite the worldwide success of the work, the author often heard reproaches from critics who considered the music too difficult or not sophisticated enough. So, in 1951, the composer Benjamin Britten wrote: “After four or five performances, I would never want to hear La Bohème again.” Despite all the smoothness, I was terribly tired of her primitive and soulless music.”
- The famous tenor Enrico Caruso and his common-law wife Ada Giachetti met while working on La Bohème and named their sons after the characters they played: Rudolf and Enrico (nicknamed Mimi).
- The word “bohemian” comes from the French “bohèmiens” (“Bohemians”), which is exactly the term used to call gypsies in France, often former actors and musicians.
- When the composer was working on the opera, a kind of circle of friends formed around him, which was called the “Bohemian Club”. They gathered in a forest hut near a lake, a place called Torre del Lago in northern Italy. The guests joked, played cards or played music. Puccini often began to enthusiastically work on the opera La Bohème, simultaneously consulting with friends about any details. But sometimes he was too distracted by hunting, which made his wife and close friends too worried
- By the way, the composer was very dissatisfied with the chosen theater for the premiere of the opera in Turin. According to him, the acoustics are very bad, and encores are prohibited.
- It is noteworthy that it was the role of Rudolf that became iconic for the famous Luciano Povarotti and it was in this role that he made his stage debut. It is not surprising that he performed it throughout solo career on many stages in Europe. Spectators still remember his performance at La Scala at the same console with Kleiber. IN last scene, he got so accustomed to the role of the suffering Rudolf that he cried real tears.
Popular arias from the opera La Bohème
Rudolf's aria "Che gelida manina" - listen
Mimi's aria "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" - listen
Musetta's aria "Quando m'en vò" - listen
Duet of Rudolf and Mimi "O soave fanciulla" - listen
History of creation
The plot of the opera is taken from the novel Scenes from the Life of Bohemia by Henri Murger, which tells the story of the lives of unusually talented, but very poor artists. This is the most famous work French writer. It is noteworthy that two composers liked it at once - Puccini and Leoncavallo. Moreover, the second of them even started working on the opera earlier. But this did not stop Puccini; he began work on his play. The libretto was entrusted to two authors at once - L. Illica and D. Giacosa. It is no secret that they delayed the delivery of the work somewhat, so Puccini wrote some of the numbers based on his own text and included them in the performance.
Productions
The opera premiered on February 1, 1896 at the Teatro Reggio in Turin. The performance was conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who was 28 years old at that time. The first reaction of the public turned out to be quite cool, and some critics even attacked with sarcastic remarks. One of them wrote in a review that the opera turned out to be “empty, completely infantile.” The composer was very saddened by this, however, after just one year the production in Palermo was amazing. The audience was delighted with the music and the plot, much to the delight of Puccini.
In Russia, the premiere of La Bohème took place in 1897. Much of the credit for this event goes to the performers Private Opera Savva Mamontov, among all the artists, Nadezhda Zabela, who performed the part of Mimi, and Fyodor Chaliapin, who performed the part of Schaunard, stood out noticeably.
At the Bolshoi Theater, La Bohème began to be performed in 1911, thanks to Leonid Sobinov, who translated the text and acted as Rudolf. He was also a production director.
In 1996, the Bolshoi Theater hosted new production“La Bohemes” in honor of the centenary of the Turin premiere, under the direction of conductor Peter Feranec. The premiere went well and critics praised the performance.
In cinema, the opera film by Robert Dornhelm stands out. The budget of one and a half million euros was fully paid off, the work turned out great. Such famous performers as Anna Netrebko and Ronaldo Williamson took part in it.
One is enough funny case associated with one of the productions of La bohème in Philadelphia and the performer Enrico Caruso. His range was unusually wide, and this literally saved the performance. There is a recording of him performing the bass part, Collen's famous aria. She is also called Aria with a Cloak from Act 4. The fact is that during the performance, Andreas de Sigerola, the performer of the role of Collen, suddenly became hoarse. Caruso decided to cover for his comrade and, pulling his hat lower over his eyes, went on stage in his place. The public did not notice the replacement; critics were delighted with this performance, but conductor Pollaco was clearly unhappy with such deception.
The production in February 2012 at the Salzburg Festival was also not without surprises. Piotr Beczala, one of the greatest tenors of our time, who performed the role of the main character Rudolf, suddenly felt unwell. There was an urgent need to find a replacement, as the performance was in danger of being cancelled. Unfortunately, there were no free soloists at that time. We managed to find only Jonas Kaufmann, the most famous performer, he had a small window between performances and he was relaxing with his family on the lake. Unfortunately, there was no time for stage introductions and he had to sing from behind the scenes, and Piotr Beczala played on stage and only opened his mouth to such a “phonogram”.
In December 2015, La Bohème was staged for the first time musical theater « New Opera" Producing director Fabio Mastrangelo has prepared a lot of surprises for listeners in his new version. Decades passed between the actions, and the heroes appeared unexpectedly successful and rich.
Why is the opera "" so beloved by the public? It's all about wonderful music? Of course, she plays a huge role in this work, but the audience also liked Touching story love that ended tragically for the heroes. This opera introduces everyone to the bright and interesting paintings from life wonderful artists, talented writers who fall in love, have fun, work and try to overcome all the hardships of such a carefree life with humor. It is no coincidence that La Bohème is officially recognized by critics as one of the best and most popular operas in the world. Are you ready to find out what real bohemia is and immerse yourself in life free artists? Then we invite you to watch the opera right now and feel the feelings for legendary heroes, stroll through the cramped streets of Paris in the Latin Quarter and visit the famous Momu cafe together with the “musketeers”.
The opera premiered in Turin in 1896, and since then it has not left the stage. the best theaters world, although its creator was overcome by hesitation and doubt. But thanks to La Boheme, the whole world started talking about the composer. Her summary will be presented here.
Puccini, La Bohème first action
Paris, the thirties of the 19th century, the eve of Christmas is the time when the action in the opera takes place. On the stage there is a room under the roof (attic), in which the poet Rudolf and the artist Marcel live. They unrecognized geniuses, are in complete poverty, but extremely carefree. From the large window you can see the roofs of Paris and the chimneys on them with curling smoke. The room is sparsely furnished. It just has a table, a bed and chairs. There is no order - their books and papers are lying around. The room is as cold as outside. Marcel, working on the painting, continually rubs his hands, as they are mercilessly freezing, walks around the room, goes to the window, trying to warm up while moving, sees smoke coming from other people's chimneys and is jealous. He complains to Rudolf about the terrible cold. Rudolph donates his own for kindling brilliant creation- tragedy. Without hesitating a minute longer, Rudolf, also frozen, begins to light the fireplace, saying that it will burn fiery passions heroes of the drama, and they will warm the room. This is how “La Bohème” begins - an opera, the summary of which we begin to present. At this time, their friend, the philosopher Collen, arrives, who is also completely frozen on the street. Finally, the joyful musician Schaunard runs in and, like a magician, lays out food and bottles of wine on the table.
He is trying to tell the story of how he earned money from a rich Englishman. Nobody listens to Schaunard, since everyone greedily attacked the food. But then the general fun is interrupted, as Benoit’s owner comes and demands payment of the debt for the apartment. His friends just show him the money, ply him with wine, and then unceremoniously throw him out the door. Three friends, without Rudolph, who must finish the article, go to the Latin Quarter. In the silence of the empty room, Rudolf hears a timid knock on the door. His sweet young neighbor Mimi's candle has gone out, and she asks for help to light it. Rudolph falls in love almost at first sight with this charming creature, who also lost the keys to her apartment in his room. While they are looking for the keys, Rudolph puts out his candle. The darkness in the room allows the young people to explain themselves. The young people instantly fell in love with each other and go to a cafe together.
Act Two - Latin Quarter
And on the elegant street, fun and life are in full swing - Christmas is coming. Friends meet and the five of them go to their favorite cafe.
They are joined by their wealthy friend Alcinor, who came with the flirtatious Musetta. A pretty but flighty girl, in the past she was fond of the artist Marcel, and now she is not averse to renewing their romance. So, La Bohème continues, the opera, the second act of which is now briefly summarized. Musette is fed up with the old man she came with and comes up with a trick with a shoe that is uncomfortable for her. Musetta sends her companion to the shoemaker and flirts with the artist with all her might. The whole company leaves the cafe, leaving an unpaid bill, which the rich abandoned Alcinor had to pay for.
Act three - on the outskirts of Paris
On the stage is the outskirts of the city and a tavern, the sign for which was written by Marcel. Marcel lives here with Musetta, and Mimi came to them to tell them that she and Rudolf had quarreled again. Passions for the third act are already heating up. This is shown by La Bohème, an opera whose third act summary is that Rudolf thinks that he should break up with Mimi, she is very ill. He tells Marcel about this, but Mimi accidentally overheard their conversation.
She piteously begs Rudolf not to leave her, and at this time Musetta and Marcel argue fiercely. It is clear that this couple has no future, while everything will work out for Mimi and Rudolf, since they both truly love. Puccini's opera La Bohème is filled with tenderness and hidden tragedy.
Act four - in the attic
Again the same familiar room as in the first act. Marcel stands thoughtfully at the easel, he doesn’t paint, and Rudolf doesn’t paint anything either. Rudolph dreams that Mimi will return. But Collin and Schaunard come and set the table. Everyone is having fun and pretending that they are at a reception with the king. The action does not foretell a tragic outcome. However, La Bohème, the opera, a summary of which is presented here, will turn out to be a completely different side for the listener. The young people dance and pretend to be a duel, but their fun is immediately interrupted when Musetta enters the room with Mimi, completely weak from illness. The patient is laid on the bed and she falls asleep, and at this time Musetta gives away her earrings to sell them, buy medicine and call a doctor, Collen leaves to sell a cloak, and Rudolf curtains the windows so that the light does not hit Mimi’s face. At this time, Schaunard leans towards her and sees that she has died. From the faces of his friends, Rudolf understands that something irreparable has happened. He rushes across the room to Mimi and freezes on his knees by the bed.
History of creation
Two authors wrote the libretto based on French melodrama. Puccini was very demanding. He wanted an organic combination of music and text, since, apparently, the melodies were already sounding in his head and were just asking to be put down on paper. He achieved what he wanted. Giacomo Puccini wrote the music itself, as they say, “in one breath.” It didn't even take him a year. Premiere secular society and was received very coldly by criticism. Only time has shown the fallacy of all judgments.
Having become Giacomo Puccini's first success in this genre, the composer is thinking about choosing a plot for a new work. His attention is drawn to the cycle of short stories by the French writer Henri Murger, “Scenes from the Life of Bohemia.”
Bohemia... in the first half of the 19th century this word was by no means associated with creative personalities. Perhaps the most adequate translation of this word is “gypsyism,” and this was the name given to people who are characterized by an asocial (“gypsy”) lifestyle: tramps, thieves. Nose light hand A. Murger, who was called the “Homer of Parisian bohemia”, such a name stuck to the inhabitants of the Latin Quarter - unrecognized and therefore poor, but talented artists and poets.
This topic was undoubtedly close to G. Puccini - after all, he did not spend his youth in luxury. But he was not the only one who was interested in the work of A. Murger - a little earlier than him, another person began working on an opera based on this plot Italian composer, . But G. Puccini managed to complete his opera earlier - and he could not forgive this: believing that G. Puccini “stole” the plot from him, he even stopped communicating with him.
The libretto for the opera, entitled La Bohème, was created by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, with whom the composer had already collaborated on the creation of his previous opera. However, G. Puccini began work on La Bohème without even waiting for the libretto to be completed - the text for some fragments was written by the composer himself (this applies, in particular, to Musetta's Waltz). When reworking the work of A. Murger into the libretto, much was changed. The image of Musetta became more vivid, Mimi was endowed with greater spiritual subtlety, who in the literary source looks like a very pragmatic girl trying to get comfortable in life. The image of the poet Rudolf has also undergone changes; A. Murger’s is not without some posturing - in the opera this character looks more noble. The ending was changed: if in A. Murger Rudolf and the artist Marcel “noisily celebrate their entry into the world,” and Musetta marries an official, then the opera ends with the death of Mimi, and the future still does not promise anything good for the rest of the characters.
Some features connect the opera La Bohème with Italian verismo - attention to the world of “little people”, rejection of sublime pathos in favor of depiction Everyday life, but it also has a number fundamental differences from verist operas. Literary source does not belong to the pen of an Italian verista writer, and the action takes place not in Italy, but in France. The main difference is that verist operas - such as P. Mascagni's "Honor Rusticana" or - are, as a rule, short in duration, while "La Bohème" consists of four acts.
This lyric opera does not have some features that the public is accustomed to - for example, there is no overture or any other symphonic episodes. Vocal numbers naturally “flow” into one another as the action progresses. The main form-building factors are contrast and reprisal. The opera is a symmetrical structure: the action of the first and final acts takes place in the attic, and the second and third - outside, with the two middle acts contrasting each other. In the second act in continuous musical development Almost with “cinematic” speed, episodes depicting the holiday in the Latin Quarter follow. In the third act, subtle sound design (a chain of fifths against a tremolo background in the bass) depicts a cold morning during which Mimi, aware of her fatal illness, says goodbye to Rudolf. Even more dramatic is the contrast between the first act, where Rudolf and Mimi meet for the first time, and the last, where Mimi dies: both acts begin in C major, in both the leitmotif of love appears in D major - and this gives a contrast between the happiness of the lovers and the collapse of all their hopes has a particularly tragic connotation. A special role in musical dramaturgy The opera “La Bohème” is played by an orchestra: in intimate and lyrical scenes the main role is given to strings, while brass is used to a greater extent in the second act to create a festive atmosphere.
The opera La bohème was first staged in 1896 in Turin. G. Puccini was not particularly happy about this - he did not like the acoustics of the Turin theater, as well as the fact that encores were prohibited there. However, the latter turned out to be irrelevant: the audience did not try to call anyone for an encore, limiting itself to “polite” applause. Critics were no more favorable to the new work, branding the opera as “empty” and “infantile.” The mediocrity of the performers played a significant role in the failure of the opera - Rudolf was played far from best singer, and the performer of the role of Marcel was not endowed with acting talent. But if G. Puccini in this case If he wasn't lucky with the singers, he was definitely lucky with the conductor - it was.
According to G. Puccini, after the first performance of the opera La bohème, he “spent a terrible night.” But soon he was fully rewarded for his suffering: already in April 1897, the opera was staged with great success in Palermo.
Musical Seasons
Opera "La bohème"
- lyric opera by Giacomo Puccini. Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illic.
The premiere took place on February 2, 1896 in Turin, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illic wrote the libretto for the opera for about two years. It took the composer approximately eight months to compose the music.
The opera is based on a drama, the plot of which is borrowed from the novel “ Scenes from the life of a bohemian» French poet and writer Henri Murget. The book tells about the lives of talented artists - writers, musicians, artists.
They live in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The main characters love life, dream, have hopes for better times. But life does not strive to reward their expectations in full: happiness seems so close, but turns out to be completely unattainable.
The play describes the relationship in detail characters, emphasizing certain points with many details. The public carefully and sympathetically follows the development of events, however, anticipating a tragedy.
Mimi's story "My name is Mimi..." performed by the divine Maria Callas
At the center of the production are two loving couples who set off each other: Marcel and Musetta constantly scold, the more tender the tremulous feelings of Rudolf and Mimi look.
Atmosphere " Bohemians" breathes youth and passion. The characters do not hide their views, thoughts and feelings. Musical accompaniment only enhances the frankness of the picture. The composer showed the talent of a real psychologist. With the help of music, he focuses the viewer's attention on the character traits of the main characters: the orchestra plays on the viewer's feelings, enhancing his emotions (joy, sadness, sympathy, hope).
Rudolf's aria performed by the soloist Bolshoi Theater Denis Korolev (recorded in 1967)
The lyrical, even sentimental melody gives way to fast-paced and lively themes. But no matter how the opera is filled with a thirst for life, death takes its toll: Rudolf’s beloved dies.
Opera La bohème by Puccini shows the public not only the personal tragedy of the heroes. It reveals vivid scenes from the lives of artists who try to cheerfully and carefree overcome all the hardships of poverty. La Bohème is recognized as one of the world's most famous operas.
Zeffirelli's production at the Metropolitan Opera
Fun facts:
The term “bohemia” comes from the French “bohèmiens” (literally “Bohemians”), which was the name used earlier in France for gypsies, who themselves were often actors, musicians or singers;
Biographer Georges Richard Marek argues that the personalities of the main characters are quite real people from the life of Henri Murget. Rudolf is Murger himself. Having written a book and staged his own play based on its plot, the writer was finally able to part with the bohemian lifestyle. Mimi is the author's friend Lucia, who died of tuberculosis.
Marseille is a symbiosis of the characters of Murger's artist friends: the successful Lazar and the talented Tabar. Musetta is a certain model familiar to the writer.
Musetta's Waltz performed by Bolshoi Theater soloist Klara Kadinskaya (recorded in 1956)
Schaunard's prototype was Alexandre Schanne (a writer, musician, artist, who later became a successful toy manufacturer). Benoit is a real landlord on the Rue de Cannette, but in life his guest was Lucia, not Rudolph (Henri Murget).
. Performs music Symphony Orchestra Bavarian Radio under the leadership of Bertrand de Billy. The conductor also directs the Bavarian Radio Choir and the Children's Choir State Theater on Gartenplatz in Munich.
ABOUT THE FILM
The combination of one of the most beloved operas by the public and one of the most popular opera duets in the world is a recipe for guaranteed success. Puccini's La Bohème has rarely been performed by such a photogenic and charming duet. The film, directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Dornhelm, is "a combination of powerful emotions, strong voices, great opera and amazing cinema,” as one of the Vienna daily publications writes. If the sets and costumes are distinguished by realism, then in the film itself Dornhelm creates a whimsical atmosphere with a mixture of bright colors, black and white flashbacks, light washes and other special effects. And yet the film rests entirely on Netrebko and Villazon. From the very beginning, Dornhelm made it clear that he wanted to erect a monument to the two singers, and a budget of five million euros helped him achieve his goal.
