La bohème livestream concert programme

SYNOPSIS
The opera is based
on Henry Murger’s
Scènes de la vie de
bohème (Scenes of
Bohemian Life) and
depicts life in the
Latin quarter in Paris
around 1830.
ACT I
We find ourselves in a garret where the artist Marcello is painting a
picture while Rodolfo, a poet, is busy on the last act of his new drama.
It is very cold and as they have no fire they use the manuscript of
Rodolfo’s play for fuel. The unexpected happens. After Colline,
a philosopher, arrives with books he hasn’t been able to sell, he
is followed by the musician Schaunard, who brings home food
and wine and relates the story of his good fortune. The others are
too hungry to listen, but just go on eating and drinking. They are
interrupted by a knock at the door. It is the landlord Benoît, who is
calling to collect the rent. The bohemians sit him down and ply him
with enough drink to get him drunk. He tells them about some of his
amorous episodes, and when he incidentally remarks that he is a
married man, they fake indignation and throw him out. The quartet
decide to spend the rent money on dinner at the neighbourhood’s
Café Momus. Three of them head off while Rodolfo remains to put
the finishing touches to his drama. He makes little progress, and
indeed is rather glad to find his work interrupted by the entrance
of the seamstress Mimì, a neighbour, whose candle blew out as
she was going upstairs. Rodolfo lights it and she goes off, only to
return again, saying she has forgotten her key. Then both candles
go out, and the pair stumble against one another in their search
for it. Rodolfo finds the key and conceals it in his pocket so they
can spend more time together. They start sharing parts of their
life-stories. From outside they hear the voices of Rodolfo’s friends
calling. The two, who have fallen for each other, decide to go
together to the café. They leave, declaring their everlasting love.
ACT II
We are brought to the Café Momus, which is situated in a busy street.
There is a great crowd of people, buying and selling. The bohemians
are enjoying the good things provided by the café. Musetta, an old
flame of Marcello’s, arrives with her latest
conquest, Alcindoro, a rich, elderly sugardaddy.
After several vain attempts to attract
Marcello’s attention, she pretends to suffer from
the effects of a tight shoe, and while her new
admirer is away at the shoe-makers to have the
shoe stretched, Musetta and Marcello become
reconciled. When the time comes to pay the bill
they realise that that Schaunard’s money is all
gone. Musetta solves the problem by leaving
her rich admirer to settle it. They all traipse off
following a band which is passing down the
street. After they’re gone, the old man arrives
back with Musetta’s shoe. The waiter hands him
the bill. Alcindoro is staggered by the amount.
ACT III
We are at a toll gate on the Orléans road into
Paris. It is early morning and the pedlars are
arriving, each declaring to the guards the
contents of their baskets. The snow is falling,
covering the steps of the little tavern where
Marcello has been hired to paint signs for the
innkeeper. Rodolfo is staying at the inn, but
the course of his love for Mimì has not run
smoothly, and they broke up the previous night.
Mimì comes to see him, and, encountering
Marcello, tells him of her troubles. As they talk
Rodolfo is heard approaching from the inn.
Mimì conceals herself behind a tree. Rodolfo
tells Marcello he wants a separation from Mimì.
But he gets no sympathy from his friend, who
instead upbraids him for stubbornness and
bad temper. Rodolfo then seeks to explain
his conduct by revealing the fact that Mimì
is too delicate, and, in fact, is dying from
consumption. The unfortunate Mimì overhears
all this and her coughing betrays her presence.
Rodolfo is stricken with remorse and pity,
and although the lovers patch things up, they
agree they will part in the spring. Musetta, in
the meantime, has another violent quarrel with
Marcello and leaves him in anger.
ACT IV
We are back in the garret in the Latin quarter.
Again we see Marcello seeming to paint and
Rodolfo seeming to write poetry. They are both
out of sorts, so when Schaunard and Colline
arrive with the dinner, they are glad of an
excuse to abandon all pretence of work. The
four engage in a burlesque of a great banquet,
and when their fun is at its climax, Musetta
and Mimì appear in the doorway. Mimi,
who had taken a new lover, some well-to-do
individual, has left him to return to spend her
last moments with Rodolfo. Her disease has
left her with scarcely strength enough to climb
the stairs. They assist her to bed, and when
Rodolfo and Mimì are left alone they recall
their past happiness. Gradually Mimì sinks
and dies in the arms of her lover.
Adapted from Irish composer Harold R White’s
Stories of the Operas, printed for the Carl Rosa Opera
Company, the company which gave the Irish premiere
of La bohème in 1897.
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