La bohème is one of those operas that everybody knows. It’s right up there with Verdi’s La traviata, Bizet’s Carmen, and maybe Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. It’s one of those masterpieces that’s universally beloved and has had countless productions.
As a conductor, my first exposure to it was at the Montreal Opera with the Orchestre Métropolitain in the pit, maybe 15 years ago. It’s the only opera where I can say that every night I conducted it, I became emotional and teary-eyed. We all know that it doesn’t end well and yet the way Puccini was able to have the magnificent, massive orchestra scaled down to the most delicate, youthful, and profound intimacy is unbelievable and extraordinary. Having The Philadelphia Orchestra play such great opera scores like we did together a few years ago with Puccini’s Tosca and Strauss’s Salome is so special because the musicians of the Orchestra have a unique way of singing when they play lyrical lines. This is going to add so much special color to the already unique orchestration of La bohème.
Puccini’s La bohème will be performed June 7 and 9, 2024.
Photo: Jeff Fusco