1 February: La Bohème

On 1 February 1896 Giacomo Puccini's Opera La Bohème, premièred in Turin. 10 things you might not know about this opera.

1. La Bohème is an Opera in four acts. Puccini wrote the Music; the libretto was written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The title is pronounced "La bo-EM", and translates as “The Bohemian”.
2. The opera is based on a book by Henri Murger called Scenes from Bohemian Life. Murger was a Bohemian himself, having given up his job as a secretary to become a journalist. The book wasn’t selling well, so Murger was happy to accept an offer from playwright Théodore Barrière to turn it into a play – which was a success.
3. Puccini wasn’t the only person who decided to turn the story into an opera. Ruggero Leoncavallo also decided to write an opera based on the book. They both claimed they thought of the idea independently, and Leoncavallo went as far as to suggest that Puccini had stolen the idea from him, which made things a tad awkward when the two of them met in a café. Puccini said, “Let the public decide which one they like best!” Which ultimately turned out to be his. Leoncavallo’s version is virtually forgotten.
4. The process of writing it didn’t go smoothly. This was partly because Puccini was working from home, Torre del Lago, a village in Tuscany, so communication between him, his publisher and the two librettists had to be done by letter. No Zoom calls in them days! Not only that but Puccini seemed to be suffering from another common issue faced by people working from home – not being able to focus on the task in hand. He started writing another work called La Lupa (The She-Wolf), which didn’t go down well with the librettists, especially since he’d been accusing them of taking too long with their part of the project. Not only that, but the David Belasco play Tosca had caught his eye as another potential project, so he took still more time out to go and see Sarah Bernhardt perform the play in Florence.
5. La Bohème was first performed in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896 at the Teatro Regio, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. In 1946, Toscanini conducted a Radio performance which was released on record and later compact discs. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera by its original conductor.
6. The first performance outside of Italy was in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1896. The first performance in UK was in Manchester, on 22 April 1897, and in the US on October 14, 1897 in Los Angeles, California.
7. So what’s the plot? (Spoiler alert). The story is based in 19^th century Paris a round a bunch of poor Bohemians (Rodolfo, Marcello, Schunard and Colline) living in an attic. They are so poor that they have to burn a manuscript Rodolfo has written. Schunard, however, has hit a lucky streak and got a job, so arrives with food, firewood, Wine, cigars and Money. Even so, when their landlord arrives to collect the rent, they get him drunk and throw him out rather than pay up. Then they divide up the money so they can go out and have a good time. Rodolfo has an article to finish, so he says he’ll catch up with them. After they’ve gone, Mimi, a seamstress who lives in the flat below, comes up to borrow a match because her candle has gone out. Rodolfo fancies Mimi and tricks her into staying longer by hiding her door key in his pocket. His friends call up to him, however, asking him to join them. So he and Mimi go together. Flushed with cash for once, he buys Mimi a bonnet.
8. A month or two passes in which Mimi and Rodolfo have an affair and Marcello moves into tavern near the toll gate. All is not hunky dory, however, as Mimi gets sick. She is seen passing through the toll gate, coughing. She runs into Marcello and tells him Rodolfo has dumped her. Rodolfo comes out of the tavern looking for Marcello. Mimì hides, and overhears their conversation. Rodolfo tells Marcello why he left Mimi – she is dying, and he thinks that if she’s not tied to a poor man who can’t afford medical treatment for her, she might be able to take up with a rich man who can pay for a doctor for her. Mimi starts coughing again and so Rodolfo discovers her. They talk (or rather, sing, since this is an opera) and agree that they should separate, but not until the spring. Rodolfo brings Mimi back to his attic room and his friends rally round, pawning things to get money for medicine. They return with a muff to warm Mimi’s hands and say the doctor is on his way, but it’s too late. Mimi dies.
9. When it was first performed, La Bohème was considered quite scandalous, since Rodolfo and Mimi are clearly living together without being married.
10. The Broadway musical, Rent, is based on the story of La Bohème. The protagonists in Rent are called Mimi and Roger, and another character is called Angel Schunard. While presumably Mimi expires from TB in La Bohème, in Rent, the deadly disease is AIDS. The film Moulin Rouge! Was also heavily influenced by Puccini’s opera. It has even been suggested that the TV show Friends was inspired by it as well.

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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