La Bohème
By Kristina Rakestraw (Cal Poly State University)
“Che gelida manina.” – what a cold little hand. The works of Puccini continue to be praised throughout Italy, echoing a story of talent not yet forgotten. Tonight, Florence’s Teatro Comunale opens its doors to recognize the genius of La Bohème, the opera that Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa introduced to the world many years ago.
Perhaps if you are unfamiliar with “La bohème” – you might have heard of Rent, the film and musical written by Jonathan Larson. This well-known production was based on Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème. However, rather than taking place in the Latin Quarter of Paris, Rent paints a story of the struggles a particular group of artists and musicians face in Lower East Side, New York.
Greatly influenced and inspired by Henri Murger’s novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème, La bohème intertwines various chapters from the novel in an extraordinary fashion – even to the extent that the book’s characters themselves are combined. One of the main roles of the opera, Mimì, is a combination of two characters in the novel – Mimì and Francine.
The opera has four acts that portray the bohemian life of Paris. The central focus revolves around the love relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì. Despite the love-at-first-site encounter between Mimì and Rodolfo, the audience becomes part of the ensuing jealousies and various emotions experienced by these characters.
It is impossible not to love this operatic classic by Puccini. When was the last time you went to the opera?
Wednesday November 30 at 8:30 pm
Friday December 2 at 8:30 pm
Saturday December 3 at 8:30 pm
Where: Teatro Comunale
Corso Italia, 16
50123 Firenze, Italy
To buy tickets, go to:
Ticket Office
Corso Italia 16 – Florence, Italy – fax: +39 055 287222
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10:00-16:30, and Saturday 10:00-13:00
or online at:
www.maggiofiorentino.com
tickets@maggiofiorentino.com
I found the Opera to be incredible. The music and singing mixed so well into one single unit. In Act One, when Rodolfo pretended to be looking for Mimi’s key, but really had it hidden in his pocket was the first moment where I felt pulled into the opera and no longer felt that I was of the audience. Act two was full of energy and a real sense of being in the midst of a crowd. What I was most intrigued by in Act three was the various duets that took place simultaneously between two sets of “lovers.” When the focus is not one person’s aria, it begins to feel more like real life and less like a performance. Lastly, the misfortunate ending of the play was paired with incredible acting and a really sense of emotional tragedy – especially in the case of Rodolfo. Overall, a must see.
Since a very young age, I have known the Opera La Boheme. Though Iʼve yet to see Pucciniʼs masterpiece, I know itʼs sweet and tragic melodies through tapes played on
my motherʼs CD player, as well as her favorite film, Moonstruck.
La Boheme is Giacommo Pucciniʼs greatest and most famous Opera, The Libretto, written by Luigi Illica and Guissepe Giacosa, is based it on Henri Munnigers
Scènes de la vie de bohème. It is the story of love and loss, in the lives of young
Bohemians of the 1840ʼs living in Parisʼs Latin Quarter.
The Opera will play at the Maggio from the end of November through December
third. Conducted by Carlo Montanaro, this is sure to be a fantastic show.
I canʼt wait to experience a night at the Opera in Florence.