Puccini's 'La Boheme' transposed to indie scene
By Antonio C. Hila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:23:00 08/04/2008
LA BOHEME," ONE OF THE well-loved operas by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), who is one of the most popular composers in the history of opera, goes on stage on Oct. 3, 4 and 5, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater.
The production is a collaboration of the Philippine Opera Company and the CCP.
Karla Patricia T. Gutierrez, artistic and managing director of the Philippine Opera Company (POC), says that the production is done "to carry on the wonderful tradition of presenting fully staged opera production."
The production seeks to realize the avowed aims of the POC when it was founded a decade ago: to promote public understanding and enjoyment of opera; and to provide exposure to the country's local classical singers.
"La Boheme" is staged because the POC "has the voices for it," says Gutierrez.
It hopes to attract the young audience as they are familiar with "Rent," a Broadway production based on the opera, she adds.
It promises a unique take on Puccini's immortal love story. Using the original libretto, the production is set in a modern-day colony of young independent artists searching for their respective places under the sun. The tragic love story of Mimi and Rodolfo, the lead characters, is set against a vibrant, tempestuous indie art scene.
"La Boheme" is the story of the doomed love affair between the tuberculosis-stricken Mimi and the bohemian Rodolfo. Encompassing romance, drama and melodious music, of which Puccini is known for, the opera has been dubbed the "world's most popular opera" by the New York Times and is ranked one of the top operas that has been performed by New York's Metropolitan Opera, together with the works of Verdi and Bizet.
Puccini's year
Incidentally, the world celebrates this year the 150th birth anniversary of Puccini.
The libretto is written in Italian by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on Henry Murger's novel "Scenes de la Vie de Boheme," which concerns with the starving young artists on Paris' Left Bank in the 1830s. It had its world premiere on Feb. 1, 1896, at Turin's Teatro Regio with the legendary Arturo Toscanini as conductor.
The music of Puccini moves from revelry to romance as it carries the story toward its tragic conclusion. The composer is known for the great gift he has for "perfumed melody," and special sympathy for his women characters.
Rodolfo, Marcello, Colline and Schaunard are the original starving artists who shared an attic apartment. The tragic love between the ailing Mimi and Rodolfo provided an emotional pivot that deepened their fellowship.
What makes "La Boheme" popular is the point it drives home: Life is not just about flesh and blood but also acts of kindness and love, so well-admired in the gallant efforts of Muzetta, Marcello and Colline to make Mimi's passage to the Great Beyond a little more comfortable.
For inquiries, call CCP Box Office at 8323704, 8321125, loc. 1409 or Ticketworld, 8915946 and 8919999.
|
