For the holiday season, Iâll be publishing a popular Opera Daily throwback and a reader favorite today. See you next week for something special. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Hi friends,
It may have a sad ending, but La Bohèmeâs first two acts set on Christmas Eve felt like the perfect choice for this week.
Today weâre listening to selections from Act I of the Italian opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. La Bohème was first performed in 1896 in Turin, Italy.
Rodolfo is a poet, sharing a small room in Paris with his friends Marcello, a painter; Schaunard, a musician; and Colline, a philosopher. They live in a cardboard box, with little to their names, but they pursue their art and are happy!
On Christmas Eve, a girl named MimĂŹ knocks on their door looking for a light for her candle (hers has blown out), as the group keeps warm by feeding their stove with pages from Rodolfoâs (row-DOLL-foe) latest poem.
MimÏ and Rodolfo fall in love (not so fast this is opera, remember?), but soon it becomes clear that MimÏ is sick. La Bohème is one of those great love stories that make us believe, no matter how predictable the outcome.
In Act I, Rodolfo introduces himself to MimĂŹ in the aria âChe gelida maninaâ(âWhat a frozen little handâ). She responds with an aria of her own, âMi chiamano MimĂŹ (âYes, they call me Mimiâ), and then they sing of their newly found love in the duet âO soave fanciullaâ (âOh lovely girlâ).
We are listening to Luciano Pavarotti sing the role of Rodolfo (tenor) and Mirella Freni sing the role of MimĂŹ (soprano). If the first piece sounds familiar, âChe gelida maninaâ was the first aria we ever shared on Opera Daily. It felt appropriate to come back to the music that started it all on July 22nd when I wrote to a list of precisely zero subscribers! To think we are a group of over 5,000 today blows my mind, but more importantly, I am grateful to all of you beyond words. đđź
đ§ Listen here: âChe gelida maninaâ (4 minute listen)
YouTube / Apple Music / Spotify
đ§ Listen here: âMi chiamano MimĂŹâ (6 minute listen)
YouTube / Apple Music / Spotify
đ§ Listen here: âO soave fanciullaâ (3 minute listen)
YouTube / Apple Music / Spotify
It has been said that Puccini was inspired by his poor student days as he wrote this opera. He said, âI lived that Bohème...â
The plot is simple: The two couples fall in love, out of love, and back in love again until, in the end, someone dies. Yes, it sounds simple(!), but Puccini, given the genius he is, can depict the charactersâ personalities and their relationship dynamics in detail. While the opera has four acts, Puccini didn't call them âactsâ. He thought of them as âimagesâ.
Want more?
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924) was one of the most famous Italian opera composers (after Verdi, of course!). He wrote 16 operas, most still performed today, including Tosca, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot.
We hinted at the verismo period (Italian for ârealismâ, from vero, meaning "true") when we covered La Rondine, another Puccini opera. The term describes a style that became popular in the last decade of the 19th century. Puccini was probably the most prominent of the verismo composers. In contrast to the characters of earlier operas, in verismo, Puccini is portraying everyday people in his worksâlike the artists of La Bohème. Puccini once said his success was his ability to put âgreat sorrows in little soulsâ.
La Bohème has influenced everything from the Broadway musical Rent to The Simpsons. Jonathan Larsonâs 1994 musical Rent is based directly on the opera, changing the setting from Paris to New York City, where a group of young artists struggle in the Lower East Side. Another aria from opera, Musettaâs Waltz was adapted for Bobby Worthâs 1959 R&B hit Donât You Know, sung by Della Reese. The 1987 romantic comedy Moonstruck is filled with La Bohème references.
âQuando mâen voâ (also known as âMusetta's Waltzâ) is another famous aria sung by Musetta (soprano) in the time signature of a waltz. Itâs very well known, especially amongst young sopranos. Musetta attempts to make her boyfriend Marcello jealous and sings how everyone notices her beauty when she goes out. This is a famous aria, so many interpretations are floating around. Here are several if you are curious: Anna Netrebko, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Anna Moffo.
When walking alone on the streets,
People stop and stare and examine my beauty
From head to toe and then I savor the cravings
which from their eyes transpires
And from the obvious charms they perceive the hidden beauties.
So the scent of desire is all around me, it makes me happy!
And you who know, who remembers and yearns, you shrink from me?
I know why this is: you do not want to tell me of your anguish,
But you feel like dying!
Thank you for reading (and listening), and Merry Christmas week,
Michele
â¤ď¸ Enjoyed this piece? Hit the heart to like it. It helps others find Opera Daily.
đA reminder that you can check out the complete Opera Daily archives and the playlist on YouTube for more selections. If you were forwarded this email by a friend, join us by subscribing:
Thank you for a fresh take on a golden chestnut.
That Pavarotti/Freni recording from early in their careers is IMO the best Boheme (I know, I know - many prefer the Bjoerling/de los Angeles - but I prefer Pavarotti's exuberance to Bjoerling's restraint). Their chemistry, having known each other for so long, is terrific. And always -- always -- I get chill bumps at "Couragio -- Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!" in the last act. Puccini remains in the repertoire when so many of his peers languish because he could do this to listeners.