La bohème by Giacomo Puccini

When Giacomo Puccini turned to Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, who had collaborated fruitfully with him on the libretto of "Manon Lescaut" shortly before, he struggled with turning into a convincing structure the "Scènes de la vie de bohème", written by the French literary realist Henry Murger (1822-1861). When the completed opera was finally premiered in Torino in 1896, it even received unfavourable reviews in spite of Toscanini’s conducting.

To us, the four short acts of "La bohème" feel well balanced, their mixture of lightness, exuberance, lyricism, true feeling and heart-rendering sadness perfect. The orchestral writing is colourful but always to the point, the sung parts conversationally natural but interspersed with some of the most memorable tunes in opera history. 

Opera in four scenes
Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on Henry Murger's "Scènes de la vie de bohème" (1849)
Premiere: Turin, Teatro Regio, 1 february 1896

Puccini Centenary Festival

Coproduction with the Royal Opera of Muscat, Oman
 

• Mimi (8, 10, 13 Nov.): Anna Netrebko
• Musetta (8, 10, 13 Nov.) & Mimì (19 Nov.): Nino Machaidze 
• Musetta (19 Nov. : Mariam Battistelli 
• Rodolfo: Yusif Eyvazov 
• Marcello: Florian Sempey 
• Schaunard: Biagio Pizzuti
• Colline: Giorgi Manoshvili
• Benoît: Fabrice Alibert
• Alcindoro: Matteo Peirone

• Production team: Marco Armiliato
• Director: Jean-Louis Grinda
• Sets: Rudy Sabounghi
• Costume Designer: David Belugou
• Lighting design: Laurent Castaingt
• Choirmaster: Stefano Visconti

Choir of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
Children's choir of the Académie de musique Rainier III