THE BELOVED AND TIMELESS OPERA LA BOHEME BY PUCCINI
is currently playing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The theatre has an excellent acoustic. Patrons experiment where they want to sit the next time they see a show by picking a seat near the stage, at the mezzanine and balcony. A few people did not want to sit too close near the stage because of the orchestra and not able to see an overview of the whole stage and the performers. The parking near the venue is very reasonable with just a flat rate of $20. Days before I was praying for a good night unlike the February 2nd of 2011 when Chicago had the great blizzard which I luckily escaped while touring southeast Asia. Having arrived an hour early at the Lyric I attended the La Boheme lecture hosted by wfmt, a classical music radio station in Chicago. The opera was first performed at Teatro Regio, Turin on February 1, 1896. First performed by Lyric Opera on November 6, 1954. The Italian opera is translated into English seen above the stage while the performers are acting and singing:
Aria: Che gelida manina
Aria: Mi chiamano Mimi
Duet: O soave fanciulla
Waltz: Quando m'en vo
Duet: O buon Marcello, aiunto!
Aria: Mimi e una civetta
Aria: Donde lieta usci
Quartet: Addio, dolce svegliare
Duet: O Mimi, tu piu non torni
Aria: Vecchia zimarra
Scenery construction and painting by the San Francisco Opera Scenic Shop. The production is owned by San Francisco Opera Association.
The place is Paris in Mid-19th century.
Act One: A garrett. It's Christmas Eve
Rodolfo and Marcello
Act Two: The Cafe Momus, in the Latin Quarter
The singing by Musetta and Marcello were my favorite
Act Three: The Barrier d'Enfer, a city gate
Act Four: A garret
Mimi's Bohemian friends were all present when she died
Performers (January, February dates)
ANA MARIA MARTINEZ - MIMI
DMITRI PITTAS - RODOLFO
ELIZABETH FUTRAL - MUSETTA
LUCAS MEACHEM - MARCELLO
ANDREA SILVESTRELLI - COLLINE
DALE TRAVIS - BENOIT, ALCINDORO
BRAVO! PERFECTION!
This opera is highly recommended - my girlfriends have seen La Boheme 3 or 4 times!!!!
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| Gaye, regular patron of Lyric Opera |
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