La Bohème

Opera in four acts composed by Giacomo Puccini.

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after Henri Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème.

The action takes place in 1830 in Paris, in the Latin Quarter.

ACT I

It is Christmas Eve. In their garret, the poet Rodolfo and the painter Marcello suffer from hunger and cold. The atmosphere becomes more joyous only when the other friends and garret neighbours arrive, the philosopher Coline and the musician Schaunard, bringing a basket of food and wine. Someone knocks at the door. Benoit, the landlord, has come to collect the rent. Trying to make him not think of the money, the young men offer him a drink and entice the old fool to speak of his love adventures. Afterwards, pretending indignation at the landlord’s frivolousness, they chase him away, without the rent payment. The young men decide to leave for the Café Momus. Only Rodolfo stays some more minutes, in order to finish an article for the newspaper. Shy knocks at the door interrupt him. It is Mimi, his neighbour, whose candle has gone out. Overcome with faintness and in a fit of cough, the young woman is staggering. Rodolfo offers her a seat, then they introduce each other (Rodolfo and Mimi’s arias). The candles have gone out, but the beams of the moon illuminate the shabby room. Holding each other, Rodolfo and Mimi confess to their unexpectedly arisen love (duet). The two young people leave together to the Café Momus, where the friends are waiting for Rodolfo.

ACT II

The streets of the Latin Quarter are full of people. Rodolfo buys a pink bonnet to Mimi from a vendor. The girl is introduced to the three friends, who welcome her. They all sit around a table in the café. Parpignol, the toy seller, passes by, surrounded by the happy clamour of children. Musetta, Marcello’s former girlfriend, enters the café. She wears an expensive and elegant outfit and is accompanied by a silly, but rich old man, named Alcindoro. Musetta is still in love with Marcello. The painter also is deeply shaken by this meeting. In order to catch his attention, Musetta sings a waltz where she outlines her grace and coquettishness (aria). Marcello is more and more distraught. Pretending a foot awfully hurts her, Musetta sends Alcindoro to buy another pair of shoes. Then, with no hesitation, she falls into Marcello’s arms. Happy and content, the six young people leave the café. Their bill will be paid by… Alcindoro.

ACT III

In an inn at the periphery of Paris, Mimi came to look for Marcello. She tells the painter how Rodolfo avoids her for no reason. As the poet appears, Mimi hides. Rodolfo lets Marcello know that he has decided to leave Mimi. But his voice breaks and, with a sigh, the young man confesses to the truth: their miserable life aggravates Mimi’s lung disease, and, hence, he feels he has the obligation to let her free (duet). Mimi comes out of hiding and happily falls into her lover’s arms. Their love is as powerful and sincere as always. Marcello and Musetta come out of the inn quarrelling and they break up, reproaching things to one another. Rodolfo and Mimi remember their happy times (quartet) and postpone the breakup until spring.

ACT IV

Alone again in their small attic, Rodolfo and Marcello think of their girlfriends Mimi and Musetta. Colline and Schaunard, who have not found work, arrive. The four young people try to make fun of their misery, as Musetta appears, announcing that Mimi is downstairs, gravely ill and too weak to climb the stairs herself. Rodolfo comes down in a hurry. Musetta tells them how, in love, Mimi wanted to see her beloved for the last time, since she feels the end is coming. Exhausted from the effort, Mimi crashes on the bed. Marcello and Musetta go to sell a pair of earrings in order to buy medicines. Colline says goodbye to his old and only overcoat, which he will sell to help his friends (aria). Rodolfo and Mimi remember their happy times. The small pink bonnet is in the hands of the poor girl. The friends come back. They have bought a warm muff for the sick girl, which she had wanted for a long time. With a happy smile on her lips, alongside Rodolfo, Mimi closes her eyes forever.

*Grigore Constantinescu & Daniela Caraman-Fotea, Ghid de operă, Bucharest, 1971

**Ana Buga & Cristina Maria Sârbu, 4 secole de teatru muzical, Bucharest, 1999

***Ioana Ștefănescu, O istorie a muzicii universale, Vol. IV, Bucharest, 2002