Organization

Conductor

Herbert von Karajan

Stage director

Franco Zeffirelli

Set designer

Costume designer

Marcel Escoffier

Singer

Soprano

Mirella Freni

Musetta

Baritone

Rolando Panerai

Marcello

Bass

Ivo Vinco

Colline

Bayerische Staatsoper

Italian

La Bohème

Munich

Germany

The career of the Italian theatre, film and opera director Franco Zeffirelli, born February 12, 1923 in Florence, spans more than half a century. When he saw Lawrence Olivier in the film "Henry V" in the late 1940s, he gave up his architecture studies and turned to the theater. He began as an actor in various theatrical productions by Luchino Visconti. He later worked as Visconti's assistant and began his career as a set designer and director in the 1950s. In 1965 his first film was released: Puccini's "La Bohème" under the musical direction of Herbert von Karajan. It is based on Zeffirelli's Milan production of 1963 and is still considered a classic of opera films. Zeffirelli became known far beyond the field of opera with his Shakespeare film adaptations "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) and "Romeo and Juliet", for which he was nominated for an Oscar as best director in 1969. To this day he is a successful director and set designer in the world of film, opera and drama.

For his fourth opera, Giacomo Puccini chose the novel "La vie de Bohème" by the French writer Henri Murger. Here the life of bohemians in Paris is portrayed in a realistic way: their daily struggle for survival, their love affairs, poverty, deprivation and death. Puccini's worldwide success as an opera composer began with "Manon Lescaut" (1893), three years later he consolidated and increased it with "La Bohème". With regard to a convincing, precise musical description of all persons, scenes and situations, he reached his peak as a composer here. In 1896 Arturo Toscanini conducted the world premiere of "La Bohème", which has become an integral part of the repertoire of every opera house.

Four friends live together in a miserable attic in Paris: the poet Rudolf, the painter Marcel, the musician Schaunard and the philosopher Colline. They are bohemians and have little money. It's Christmas. They want to go to Café Momus and celebrate there. But Rudolf stays in the apartment to work. Then someone knocks on the door: It's an enchantingly beautiful girl. Her name is Mimi and she asks for a light for her candle. Rudolf and Mimi fall in love; they go to the café together with friends. Musette, a former lover of Marcel, also comes to Café Momus. She is with her elderly admirer Alcindoro, but soon she sits down at Marcel's table and turns his head. When the friends leave the café, Alcindoro stays behind and is allowed to foot the bill for everyone. But the couples soon separated and the four men are living in their attic again. Suddenly Musette comes to them; she brings the terminally ill Mimi with her...

La bohème Puccini

Public

German

Approved

Production booklet

Further reading