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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
October 6 - 20, 2018
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La bohème:
After the Curtain Falls
Your opera experience doesn't have to end here!
When the performance is over, you can continue your exploration of
La bohème
in conversation with
your companions. Here are some topics to consider:
• What captivated you most about the opera, whether musically or
theatrically?
• Parpignol, the toy vendor in Act Two, has no direct relationship with
the protagonists or the plot. Why do you think he was included in the
opera?
• Mimì and Rodolfo sing two wonderful duets: one when they first meet
in Act One, and the other as Mimì lies on her deathbed in Act Four.
Which do you think you’ll especially remember and why?
• Why do you think Marcello and Musetta get back together?
• What points does the opera make about trust in relationships?
• The last few lines of the final scene are meant to be spoken in rhythm,
rather than being actually sung. What effect does this choice by
Puccini have on the drama?
To continue exploring
La bohème
, Lyric dramaturg and program editor Roger Pines suggests the following performances:
CD
Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Rolando Panerai, Elizabeth Harwood,
Nicolai Ghiaurov, Gianni Maffeo; Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Oper
Berlin and Chorus, cond. Herbert von Karajan (Decca)
Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi, Ettore Bastianini, Gianna d’Angelo,
Cesare Siepi, Renato Cesari; Academy of Santa Cecilia Orchestra and
Chorus, cond. Tullio Serafin (Decca)
Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Björling, Robert Merrill, Lucine Amara,
Giorgio Tozzi, John Reardon; RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra and
Chorus, Robert Shaw Chorale, cond. Sir Thomas Beecham (EMI)
Leontina Vaduva, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson, Ruth Ann
Swenson, Samuel Ramey, Simon Keenlyside; Philharmonia Orchestra,
London Voices, cond. Antonio Pappano (EMI Classics)
DVD
Nicole Car, Michael Fabiano, Mariusz Kwiecień, Simona Mihai, Luca
Tittoto, Florian Sempey; Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera
House Covent Garden, cond. Antonio Pappano, dir. Richard Jones
(Opus Arte)
Ileana Cotrubas, Neil Shicoff, Sir Thomas Allen, Marilyn Zschau,
Gwynne Howell, John Rawnsley; Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal
Opera House Covent Garden, cond. Lamberto Gardelli, dir. John
Copley (Kultur Video)
Teresa Stratas, José Carreras, Richard Stilwell, Renata Scotto, James
Morris, Allan Monk; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, cond.
James Levine, dir. Franco Zeffirelli (DG)
Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Boaz Daniel, Nicole Cabell, Vitalij
Kowaljow, Stéphane Degout; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and
Chorus, cond. Bertrand de Billy, dir. Robert Dornhelm (Kultur Video)
DAN REST
Dimitri Pittas (Rodolfo) and Ana María Martínez (Mimì)
in Act One of
La bohème
, Lyric, 2012/13 season.