La bohème (Leoncavallo)

Opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo

La bohème

Opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo

Poster for the premiere

Librettist| Leoncavallo
Language| Italian
Based on| Scènes de la vie de bohème
by Henri Murger
Premiere|

6 May 1897 (1897-05-06)

La Fenice, Venice

La bohème is an Italian opera in four acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger. The opera received a successful premiere at the Teatro la Fenice, Venice, on 6 May 1897.

Leoncavallo wrote his opera La bohème contemporaneously with Giacomo Puccini's own treatment of the same story. Leoncavallo later revised the work, titling it Mimì Pinson, but despite initial respect, it did not survive. Puccini's version has become a standard in the operatic repertoire, whereas Leoncavallo's opera is rarely performed.[1] Leoncavallo's version did not receive its UK premiere until May 1970.[2]

Allan Atlas has analysed in detail the different treatments of the death of the Mimì character in both Leoncavallo's and Puccini's versions of La bohème, contrasting the historical success of Puccini's opera and the relative failure of Leoncavallo's.[3]

## Roles

[edit]

Roles, voice types, premier cast Role  | Voice type | Premiere cast, 6 May 1897
Conductor: Alessandro Pomè [Wikidata]

|
|

Schaunard, a musician | baritone[4] | Jacques [Gianni] Isnardon
Marcello, a painter | tenor[4] | Giovanni Beduschi
Rodolfo, a poet  | baritone[4] | Rodolfo Angelini-Fornari
Mimì  | soprano | Rosina Storchio
Musetta  | mezzo-soprano | Elisa "Lison" Frandin
Gaudenzio  | tenor  | Enrico Giordani
Loafer  | tenor  |
Colline, a philosopher  | bass  | Lucio Aristi
Eufemia  | mezzo-soprano  | Clelia Cappelli
Barbemuche  | bass  | Giuseppe Frigiotti
Durand  | tenor  | Enrico Giordani
Students, working girls, townsfolk, shopkeepers, street-vendors,
soldiers, waiters, women and children – chorus

## Synopsis

[edit]

Scene from La bohème at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris on 10 October 1899

Place: Paris.
Time: one year from Christmas, 1837 to Christmas, 1838.

### Act 1

[edit]

Café Momus

The innkeeper Gaudenzio tries in vain to eject the Bohemians, who never pay and are continually up to no good. During the conversation another piece of horseplay on their part is discovered. They sit down to dine, while Musette gaily sings. (Canzonette: "Mimì is the name of my sweet blonde.") Naturally when they are asked to pay the bill, they have no money. A comic fight ensues between them and the innkeeper, who has called his servants to assist him. It is ended by Barbemuche, who offers to pay the bill.

### Act 2

[edit]

The courtyard of Musette's house

"Io non ho che una povera stanzetta"

From act 2; sung by Enrico Caruso

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musette's lover has left her, refusing any longer to pay her debts. In consequence, her furniture has been confiscated and is carried down to the courtyard. When this has been done, she returns home. She expects guests but cannot entertain them in any other way than by receiving them in the courtyard. Here the Bohemians, who arrive in large numbers, celebrate joyously. The neighbours, awakened from sleep, protest in vain and the scene ends in a general fight between the two factions.

### Act 3

[edit]

Marcello's garret room

Musette, who can no longer bear the sufferings of hunger and want, determines to leave Marcello. During the festivities in the courtyard, Mimì has allowed herself to be carried off by Count Paul, but she returns, motivated by love for Rodolfo. Musette begs her to go with her, but she refuses. Angrily, Marcello and Rodolfo force both women to leave the apartment.

### Act 4

[edit]

Rodolfo's garret room

Mimì returns to Rodolfo, at the brink of death. Musette, who accidentally meets her there, sacrifices her jewels to procure fuel to warm the room for Mimì. As the Christmas chimes are heard, Mimì dies.

## Noted arias

[edit]

* "Musette!...Testa adorata" (Marcello)
* "Io non ho che una povera stanzetta" (Marcello)
* "Musette svaria sulla bocca viva" (Mimì)
* "Da quel suon soavemente" (Musette)
* "Scuoti, o vento fra i sibili" (Rodolfo)
* "Mimi Pinson la biondinetta" (Musette)

## Recordings

[edit]

Year  | Cast:
Schaunard, Marcello, Rodolfo, Mimì, Musette  | Conductor, chorus and orchestra  | Label

|
|
|

1958 | Walter Monachesi, Doro Antonioli, Ettore Bastianini, Mafalda Masini, Rosetta Noli  | Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Teatro di San Carlo Chorus and Orchestra (Naples)  | CD: Myto Cat: 169
1964 | Orazio Gualtiero, Antonio Annaloro, Guido Mazzini, Mazza Medici, Nedda Casei  | Alberto Zedda, Orchestra Filarmonica de Sanremo, Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna  | LP: Cetra Cat: 1269
1975 | Jacques Trigeau, Alain Vanzo, Robert Currier-Christesen, Edith Tremblay, Anita Terzian  | Nino Bonavolantà, Orchestre Lyrique de l'O.R.T.F., Chorale Lyrique de l'O.R.T.F.  | CD: DPV Cat: 30.9010
1981 | Alan Titus, Franco Bonisolli, Bernd Weikl, Lucia Popp, Alexandrina Milcheva | Heinz Wallberg, Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus, Munich Symphony Orchestra | CD: Orfeo Cat: 23822
1990 | Bruno Praticò, Mario Malagnini, Jonathan Summers, Lucia Mazzaria, Martha Senn  | Jan Latham-Koenig, Teatro La Fenice Chorus and Orchestra (Venice)  | CD: Nuova Era Cat: 223304
2002 | Urban Malmberg, Mikail Davidoff, Vittorio Vitelli, Juanita Lascarro, Katia Lytting  | Marco Guidarini, Klangbogen Wien  | DVD Premiere Opera Cat: 6601

## References

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ Klein, John W. (May 1970). "The Other 'Bohème'". The Musical Times. 111 (1527): 497–499\. doi:10.2307/956015. JSTOR 956015.497-499&rft.date=1970-05&rft_id=info:doi/10.2307/956015&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/956015#id-name=JSTOR&rft.aulast=Klein&rft.aufirst=John+W.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:La+bohème+(Leoncavallo)" class="Z3988">
2. ^ Dean, Winton (July 1970). "Festivals: 'La Bohème'". The Musical Times. 111 (1529): 733. ISSN 0027-4666. JSTOR 956571.
3. ^ Atlas, Allan W. (Winter 1996). "Mimì's Death: Mourning in Puccini and Leoncavallo". The Journal of Musicology. 14 (1): 52–79\. doi:10.1525/jm.1996.14.1.03a00030. ISSN 0277-9269. JSTOR 763957.52-79&rft.date=1996&rft.issn=0277-9269&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/763957#id-name=JSTOR&rft_id=info:doi/10.1525/jm.1996.14.1.03a00030&rft.aulast=Atlas&rft.aufirst=Allan+W.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:La+bohème+(Leoncavallo)" class="Z3988">
4. ^ a b c Holden, p. 489

Sources

* Holden, Amanda, ed., The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 2001
* Melitz, Leo [de], The Opera Goer's Complete Guide, 1921 version as source for the synopsis
* "La bohème by Ruggiero Leoncavallo recordings, operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

* v
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Ruggero Leoncavallo

Operas|

* Chatterton (1876)
* Pagliacci (1892)
* I Medici (1893)
* La bohème (1897)
* Zazà (1900)
* Der Roland von Berlin (1904)
* Zingari (1912)
* Are You There? (1913)
* Edipo re (1920)

Arias and songs|

* "Mattinata"
* "Vesti la giubba"

* Category
* Audio

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Henri Murger's Scenes of Bohemian Life

Opera|

* La bohème (Puccini)
* La bohème (Leoncavallo)

Film|

* La Bohème (1926 silent)
* Mimi (1935)
* La Vie de bohème (1945)
* La Bohème (1965)
* La Vie de Bohème (1992)

Rent|

* Rent (1996 musical)
* Rent (2005 film)
* Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2008 film)
* Rent: Live (2019)
* Albums

Music|

* La Vie de Bohème (1969 album)
* La bohème discography
* "La Vie Bohème"
* "Seasons of Love"
* "Take Me or Leave Me"
* "Finale B"

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data

Other|

* MusicBrainz work

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