La bohème (1978)

The opera takes place in Paris in the early 1830s.The main characters are four young men who aspire to be artists and intellectuals, their young neighbor Mimi, and another woman Musetta, who is perhaps more worldly than the others, a special friend to one of the men, and a friend to all the rest as well.

Scene 1: It is late afternoon on a bleak Christmas Eve. Marcello, an impoverished painter, and his friend Rodolfo, a poet, try to work in their garret. They are so cold that Rodolfo tokes the manuscript of a play he has written and burns it page by page in their empty stove. During the fire, Colline, a young philosopher, arrives, and, when the flames quickly subside, Schaunard, a musician and the fourth member of the quartet, comes in. He has just had better luck than the rest, since he brings money, food, wine, and real firewood. The men ore exuberant, and while they are celebrating, the landlord appears demanding the rent, but he is soon intimidated into leaving without it. Pleased with their cleverness and their new affluence, all but Rodolfo leave to dine at a nearby cafe; he promises to join them later, after he has finished an article he has been writing. While he is working on it he is interrupted by his neighbor Mimi, whom he has never seen before and who needs a light for her candle. The conspiracy of a lost key, a draft that blows out her candle again, and an instant mutual infatuation cause them to find themselves on their hands and knees. holding hands and telling each other about their lives. Together they go off to join the others in celebrating Christmas Eve.

Scene 2: At a vendor’s stand in the street, Rodolfo buys Mimi a new hat and introduces her to his three friends who have been waiting. All five settle into a table at the cafe. Musetta, Marcello’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, sweeps in with her new admirer, a rich old man named Alcindoro, and they sit down at another table. Upset at Marcello for pretending not to notice her, Musetta tries to attract his attention by singing a song. She attracts everyone else’s attention first, but she finally succeeds in attracting his, and as she does she feigns a sore foot and dispatches Alcindoro to get her shoe repaired. As Alcindoro returns, the others run away to join a midnight celebration in the street, leaving him to pay the bill.

It is early morning in late February, near one of the gates of Paris. As the city awakens. Mimi comes lookinq for the inn where Musetta and Marcello are now living and pursuing their still tempestuous relationship. She tells Marcello that Rodolfo is jealous and is leaving her Rodolfo himself then emerges from the inn, and as Mimi scurries aw ay to hide, he tells Marcello that Mimi is ill and dying, and that they must separate, since her disease can only progress faster in the poverty in which they are living. Mimi overhears this and then reveals herself to say goodbye to Rodolfo. The two reminisce of happier days and then vow, after all, to stay together until spring.

It is now summer. In the garret, Rodolfo and Marcello are alone again, separated once more from Mimi and Musetta, and they try to work. without success. Their friends Colline and Schaunard arrive and try to cheer them up, until Musetta suddenly breaks in to report that Mimi has collapsed outside on the landing and appears gravely ill. She is brought inside, and all but Rodolfo leave to find medicine and other things to comfort her. When they return, she is calm and thanks them, and she appears to fall asleep. Soon her friends realize that she has died.