View source for La bohème

{{Short description|1895 opera by Giacomo Puccini}}
{{About||Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera of the same name|La bohème (Leoncavallo){{!}}''La bohème'' (Leoncavallo)|other uses|La bohème (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox opera
| name              = La bohème
| genre_header      = Opera
| composer          = [[Giacomo Puccini]]
| image             = La Boheme poster by Hohenstein.PNG
| image_upright     = 1.2
| alt               = 
| caption           = Original 1896 poster by [[Adolfo Hohenstein]]
| librettist        = {{plainlist|
* [[Luigi Illica]]
* [[Giuseppe Giacosa]]
}}
| based_on          = [[Henri Murger]]'s ''[[Scenes of Bohemian Life|Scènes de la vie de bohème]]''
| language          = Italian
| premiere_date     = {{Start date|1896|02|01|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[Teatro Regio (Turin)|Teatro Regio]], Turin
}}

'''''La bohème''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|l|ɑː|_|b|oʊ|ˈ|ɛ|m}} {{respell|LAH|_|boh|EM}},<ref>{{Dictionary.com|La Bohème}}</ref> {{IPA|it|la boˈɛm|lang}}) is an opera in four acts,<ref group=N>Puccini called the divisions ''[[:wikt:quadro|quadri]]'', ''[[wikt:tableau|tableaux]]'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts).</ref> composed by [[Giacomo Puccini]] between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian [[libretto]] by [[Luigi Illica]] and [[Giuseppe Giacosa]], based on ''[[La Vie de Bohème|Scènes de la vie de bohème]]'' (1851) by [[Henri Murger]].{{sfn|Groos|Parker|1986|p=1}} The story is set in Paris around 1830 and shows the [[Bohemianism|Bohemian lifestyle]] (known in French as "{{lang|fr|la bohème}}") of a poor seamstress and her artist friends.

The world premiere of ''La bohème'' was in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the [[Teatro Regio (Turin)|Teatro Regio]],{{sfn|Budden|2002|p=494}} conducted by the 28-year-old [[Arturo Toscanini]]. Since then, ''La bohème'' has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title= Opera Statistics on operabase.com |url= http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en#opera |publisher= Operabase |access-date= 18 May 2012 |archive-date= 5 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150905080732/http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en#opera |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In 1946, 50 years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a commemorative performance of it on radio with the [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]]. A recording of the performance was later released by [[RCA Red Seal|RCA Victor]] on vinyl record, tape and compact disc. It is the only recording ever made of a Puccini opera by its original conductor.

==Origin of the story==
[[File:Rodolfo from La Boheme (1896).jpg|thumb|upright|Rodolfo, costume design by Adolfo Hohenstein for the premiere at the [[Teatro Regio (Turin)|Teatro Regio]], 1896]]
[[File:La Boheme Costume Mimi.jpg|thumb|Mimì's costume for the premiere]]

As credited on its title page, the libretto of ''La bohème'' is based on [[Henri Murger]]'s 1851 novel, ''[[La Vie de Bohème|Scènes de la vie de bohème]]'', a collection of vignettes portraying young [[Bohemianism|bohemians]] living in Paris in the 1840s. Although often called a novel, the book has no unified plot. Like the 1849 play drawn from the book by Murger and [[Théodore Barrière]], the opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into the single character of Mimì. Early in the composition stage Puccini was in dispute with the composer [[Ruggero Leoncavallo]], who said that he had offered Puccini a completed libretto and felt that Puccini should defer to him. Puccini responded that he had had no idea of Leoncavallo's interest and that having been working on his own version for some time, he felt that he could not oblige him by abandoning the opera. Leoncavallo completed [[La bohème (Leoncavallo)|his own version]] in which Marcello was sung by a tenor and Rodolfo by a baritone. It was not as successful as Puccini's and is now rarely performed.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|first=Colin|last=Kendell|title=The Complete Puccini: The Story of the World's Most Popular Operatic Composer|publisher=Amberley Publishing|date=2012|asin=B0B2578RCL}}</ref>

Much of the libretto is original. Major sections of acts two and three are the librettists' invention, with only a few passing references to incidents and characters in Murger. Most of acts one and four follow the book, piecing together episodes from various chapters. The final scenes in acts one and four—the scenes with Rodolfo and Mimì—resemble both the play and the book. The story of their meeting closely follows chapter 18 of the book, in which the two lovers living in the garret are not Rodolphe and Mimì at all, but rather Jacques and Francine. The story of Mimì's death in the opera draws from two different chapters in the book, one relating Francine's death and the other relating Mimì's.{{sfn|Groos|Parker|1986|p=1}}

The published libretto includes a note from the librettists briefly discussing their adaptation. Without mentioning the play directly, they defend their conflation of Francine and Mimì into a single character: "Chi può non confondere nel delicato profilo di una sola donna quelli di Mimì e di Francine?" ("Who cannot confuse in the delicate profile of one woman the personality both of Mimì and of Francine?"). At the time, the book was in the public domain, Murger having died without heirs, but rights to the play were still controlled by Barrière's heirs.<ref>{{cite Grove|author=[[Julian Budden]]|title=Bohème, La(i) ('Bohemian Life')|id=O900607|year=2002}}</ref>

==Performance history and reception ==

===Initial success===
The world première performance of ''La bohème'' took place in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the [[Teatro Regio (Turin)|Teatro Regio]]{{sfn|Budden|2002|p=494}} and was conducted by the young [[Arturo Toscanini]]. The role of Rodolfo was played by [[Evan Gorga]] with [[Cesira Ferrani]] as Mimi, but Gorga was unable to accommodate the high [[tessitura]] and the music had to be transposed down for him.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ClWcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |title=A Dictionary of Opera Characters |first= Joyce |last=Bourne |page=255 |publisher=Oxford University Press|edition= Revised |date= 2010|isbn=978-0-19-955039-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Phaidon Book of the Opera: A Survey of 780 Operas from 1597|first=Catherine |last=Atthill|publisher=Phaidon|date= 1979 |page=314}}</ref> The initial response of the audience at the first performance was subdued and critical responses were polarized.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Alexandra|title=The Puccini Problem|date=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|page=40|url=http://m.friendfeed-media.com/67b67f43de31fce512151e9e74467deeeb65dcb1|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref> Despite this varied introductory response, the opera quickly became popular throughout Italy and productions were soon mounted by the following companies: The [[Teatro di San Carlo]] (14&nbsp;March 1896, with Elisa Petri as Musetta and [[Antonio Magini-Coletti]] as Marcello); The [[Teatro Comunale di Bologna]] (4&nbsp;November 1896, with Amelia Sedelmayer as Musetta and Umberto Beduschi as Rodolfo); The [[Teatro dell'Opera di Roma|Teatro Costanzi]] (17&nbsp;November 1896, with Maria Stuarda Savelli as Mimì, Enrico Giannini-Grifoni as Rodolfo, and [[Maurizio Bensaude]] as Marcello); [[La Scala]] (15 March 1897, with Angelica Pandolfini as Mimì, [[Camilla Pasini]] as Musetta, [[Fernando De Lucia]] as Rodolfo, and Edoardo Camera as Marcello); [[La Fenice]] (26 December 1897, with Emilia Merolla as Mimì, Maria Martelli as Musetta, [[Giovanni Apostolu]] and Franco Mannucci as Rodolfo, and Ferruccio Corradetti as Marcello); [[Teatro Regio (Parma)|Teatro Regio di Parma]] (29 January 1898, with [[Solomiya Krushelnytska]] as Mimì, Lina Cassandro as Musetta, Pietro Ferrari as Rodolfo, and Pietro Giacomello as Marcello); [[Paris Opera]] (13 June 1898); and the Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo (21 August 1898, with Emilia Corsi as Mimì, Annita Barone as Musetta, Giovanni Apostolu as Rodolfo, and Giovanni Roussel as Marcello).<ref name="Amadeus">{{Almanacco|match=La bohème|label=''La bohème''}}<!-- The website doesn't deal with accents; this template needs to be specified by date for each instance. --></ref><ref>{{cite news|title=La prima della Boheme a Parigi|newspaper=[[La Stampa]]|date=14 June 1898|page=2|language=it}}</ref>

The first performance of ''La bohème'' outside Italy was at the [[Teatro Opera|Teatro de la Ópera]] in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 June 1896. The protagonists were [[Hariclea Darclée]] and [[Emilio De Marchi (tenor)|Emilio De Marchi]], conducted by [[Edoardo Mascheroni]].<ref>Sala, Juan Andrés (1969), "Actividad musical en Buenos Aires antes de la inauguración del actual Teatro Colón", in Caamaño, Roberto, [https://books.google.com/books?id=eZCfAAAAMAAJ ''La historia del Teatro Colón'', vol. 1], pp. 78–79. Buenos Aires: Editorial Cinetea.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://opera.stanford.edu/Puccini/LaBoheme/history.html|title = OperaGlass Index|website=opera.stanford.edu}}</ref>

The opera was performed in Alexandria, Lisbon, and Moscow in early 1897. The United Kingdom premiere took place at the [[Theatre Royal, Manchester|Theatre Royal]] in Manchester, on 22 April 1897, in a presentation by the [[Carl Rosa Opera Company]] supervised by Puccini.<ref name=mg>''[[The Manchester Guardian]]'', 23 April 1897, p.&nbsp;6{{Nonspecific|date=January 2020|reason=Title? Author? Quote?}}</ref> This performance was given in English and starred [[Alice Esty (soprano)|Alice Esty]] as Mimì, Bessie McDonald as Musetta, Robert Cunningham as Rodolfo, and [[William Paull (baritone)|William Paull]] as Marcello.<ref name=mg/> On 2 October 1897 the same company gave the opera's first staging at the [[Royal Opera House]] in London and on 14 October 1897 in Los Angeles for the opera's United States premiere. The opera reached New York City on 16 May 1898 when it was performed at [[Wallack's Theatre]] with Giuseppe Agostini as Rodolfo.<ref name="NYC premiere">Brown, Thomas Allston. [https://play.google.com/books/reader?printsec=frontcover&output=reader&id=9aoUZnD4UIIC&pg=GBS.PA359 ''A History of the New York Stage, Vol. 3.''] (Dodd, Mead and Company; New York; 1903), p. 359; and [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/05/17/102525400.pdf "Musical and Dramatic. Puccini's ''La bohème'' Sung in Italian Last Night at Wallack's Theatre,"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', 17 May 1898</ref> The first production of the opera actually produced by the Royal Opera House itself premiered on 1 July 1899 with [[Nellie Melba]] as Mimì, [[Zélie de Lussan]] as Musetta, [[Fernando De Lucia]] as Rodolfo, and [[Mario Ancona]] as Marcello.<ref name="Amadeus" />

''La bohème'' premiered in Germany at the [[Kroll Opera House]] in Berlin on 22 June 1897. The French premiere of the opera was presented by the [[Opéra-Comique]] on 13 June 1898 at the [[Théâtre de la Ville|Théâtre des Nations]]. The production used a French translation by [[Paul Ferrier]] and starred Julia Guiraudon as Mimì, Jeanne Tiphaine as Musetta, [[Adolphe Maréchal]] as Rodolfo, and [[Lucien Fugère]] as Marcello.<ref name="Amadeus" /> The Czech premiere of the opera was presented by the [[National Theatre (Prague)|National Theatre]] on 27 February 1898.

===20th and 21st centuries===
''La bohème'' continued to gain international popularity throughout the early 20th century and the Opéra-Comique alone had already presented the opera one hundred times by 1903. The Belgian premiere took place at [[La Monnaie]] on 25 October 1900 using Ferrier's French translation with Marie Thiérry as Mimì, [[Léon David]] as Rodolfo, Eugène-Charles Badiali as Marcello, sets by Pierre Devis, Armand Lynen, and Albert Dubosq, and Philippe Flon conducting. The [[Metropolitan Opera]] staged the work for the first time on 26 December 1900 with [[Nellie Melba]] as Mimì, Annita Occhiolini-Rizzini as Musetta, [[Albert Saléza]] as Rodolfo, [[Giuseppe Campanari]] as Marcello, and [[Luigi Mancinelli]] conducting.<ref name="Amadeus" /> ''La bohème'' was the last opera performed at New York's Metropolitan Opera's [[Metropolitan Opera House (39th Street)|original 1883 building]] on 16 April 1966, conducted by [[George Schick]].<ref>[http://www.operatoday.com/content/2012/02/an_aria_of_linc.php "An Aria of Lincoln Center – The Metropolitan Opera"] by Veronica Shine, ''Opera Today'', 3 February 2012; [http://69.18.170.204/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch31.r?Term=1966&limit=500&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&xsdate=&xedate=&theterm=1966&xhome=&xhomepath=&x=0 Met performances 1966] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316024549/http://69.18.170.204/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch31.r?Term=1966&limit=500&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&xsdate=&xedate=&theterm=1966&xhome=&xhomepath=&x=0 |date=16 March 2022 }}</ref>

The opera was first performed in Brazil at the [[Theatro da Paz]] in Belém on 21 April 1900 with the Brazilian soprano Tilde Maragliano as Mimì, Maria Cavallini as Musetta, Giuseppe Agostini as Rodolfo and Alessandro Modesti as Marcello. The conductor was Giorgio Polacco.<ref>Páscoa, Márcio: Cronologia Lírica de Belém, p. 145</ref>

The following year ''La bohème'' was presented at the [[Amazon Theatre|Teatro Amazonas]] in [[Manaus]], Brazil, on 2 July 1901 with Elvira Miotti as Mimì, Mabel Nelma as Musetta, Michele Sigaldi as Rodolfo, and Enrico De Franceschi as Marcello. Other premieres soon followed:
* Melbourne: 13 July 1901 ([[Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne|Her Majesty's Theatre]]; first performance in Australia){{sfn|Irvin|1985|p={{page needed|date=August 2018}}}}
* Monaco: 1 February 1902, [[Opéra de Monte-Carlo]] in Monte Carlo with Nellie Melba as Mimì, [[Enrico Caruso]] as Rodolfo, [[Alexis Boyer]] as Marcello, and Léon Jehin conducting.<ref name="Amadeus" />
* [[Prato]]: 25 December 1902, Regio Teatro Metastasio with Ulderica Persichini as Mimì, Norma Sella as Musetta, Ariodante Quarti as Rodolfo, and Amleto Pollastri as Marcello.<ref name="Amadeus" />
* [[Catania]]: 9 July 1903, Politeama Pacini with Isabella Costa Orbellini as Mimì, Lina Gismondi as Musetta, Elvino Ventura as Rodolfo, and Alfredo Costa as Marcello.<ref name="Amadeus" />
* Austria: 25 November 1903, [[Vienna State Opera]] in Vienna with [[Selma Kurz]] as Mimì, [[Marie Gutheil-Schoder]] as Musetta, Fritz Schrödter as Rodolfo, Gerhard Stehmann as Marcello, and [[Gustav Mahler]] conducting.<ref name="Amadeus" />
* Sweden: 19 May 1905, [[Royal Dramatic Theatre]] in Stockholm, presented by the [[Royal Swedish Opera]] with [[Maria Labia]] as Mimì.<ref name="Amadeus" />

Puccini died in Brussels on 29 November 1924, and the news of his death reached Rome during a performance of ''La bohème''. The opera was immediately stopped, and the orchestra played [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]]'s [[Piano Sonata No. 2 (Chopin)|''Funeral March'']] for the stunned audience.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2012/11/29/the-death-of-giacomo-puccini-brussels-29-november-1924/ |title=The Death of Giacomo Puccini |publisher=The British Newspaper Archive |date=29 November 2012 |access-date=16 January 2015}}</ref>

The first production of ''La bohème'' at the [[Salzburg Festival]] did not occur until as late as July 2012. However, that festival has not shown much interest in the operas of Puccini, only ever having one production each of ''[[Tosca]]'' and ''[[Turandot]]'' in its entire history.<ref>[http://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/archive_detail/programid/4577 Salzburg Festival]. Retrieved 28 October 2014</ref>

===Critical reception===
Despite the opera's popularity with audiences, Puccini has been the target of condescension by some music critics who find his music insufficiently sophisticated or difficult.{{sfn|Groos|Parker|1986|p=127}} The composer [[Benjamin Britten]] wrote in 1951, "[A]fter four or five performances I never wanted to hear ''Bohème'' again. In spite of its neatness, I became sickened by the cheapness and emptiness of the music."<ref>Britten, Benjamin. "Verdi – A Symposium", ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'' magazine, February 1951, pp. 113–114</ref>

==Roles==
[[File:La Boheme Rappezzatrice Costume.jpg|thumb|Act 2 costume design for "la rappezzatrice" (the clothes mender) for the world premiere performance.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast, 1 February 1896<ref>{{Almanacco|dmy=1 February 1896|match=La bohème}}</ref><br/>Conductor: [[Arturo Toscanini]]
|-
|Rodolfo, ''a poet''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Evan Gorga]]
|-
|Mimì, ''a seamstress''
|[[soprano]]
|[[Cesira Ferrani]]
|-
|Marcello, ''a painter''
|[[baritone]]
|[[Tieste Wilmant]]
|-
|Musetta, ''a singer''
|soprano
|[[Camilla Pasini]]
|-
|Schaunard, ''a musician''
|baritone
|[[Antonio Pini-Corsi]]
|-
|Colline, ''a philosopher''
|[[bass (voice type)|bass]]
|Michele Mazzara
|-
|Benoît, ''their landlord''
|bass
|[[Alessandro Polonini]]
|-
|Alcindoro, ''a state councillor''
|bass
|Alessandro Polonini
|-
|Parpignol, ''a toy vendor''
|tenor
|Dante Zucchi
|-
|A customs Sergeant
|bass
|Felice Foglia
|-
| colspan="3"|''Students, working girls, townsfolk, shopkeepers, street-vendors, soldiers, waiters, children''
|}

== Synopsis ==
:Place: Paris
:Time: Around 1830.{{sfn|Melitz|1913|pp=173–175}}

===Act 1===
{{listen|image=none|help=no|type=music|filename=La Scala Orchestra and Chorus - Poli, Gigli, Baronti - La Bohème - Act 1 - Questo Mar Rosso - Hmv-db8452-2ba2362.ogg|title=Opening, "Questo mar rosso"|description=[[Afro Poli]] (Marcello),<br />[[Beniamino Gigli]] (Rudolfo),<br />Duilio Baronti (Colline) – 1938}}
''In the four bohemians' [[garret]] (Christmas Eve)''

Marcello is painting while Rodolfo gazes out of the window. They complain of the cold. In order to keep warm, they burn the manuscript of Rodolfo's drama. Colline, the philosopher, enters shivering and disgruntled at not having been able to [[pawnbroker|pawn]] some books. Schaunard, the musician of the group, arrives with food, wine and cigars. He explains the source of his riches: a job with an eccentric English [[gentleman]], who hired him to play his violin to a parrot until it died. The others hardly listen to his tale as they set up the table to eat and drink. Schaunard interrupts, telling them that they must save the food for the days ahead: tonight they will all celebrate his good fortune by dining at Cafe Momus, and he will pay.

The friends are interrupted by Benoît, the landlord, who arrives to collect the rent. They flatter him and [[Wikt:ply#Verb 2|ply]] him with wine. In his drunkenness, he begins to boast of his amorous adventures, but when he also reveals that he is married, they thrust him from the room—without the rent payment—in comic moral indignation. The rent money is divided for their evening out at Cafe Momus.   This was a cafe in Rue des Prêtres St Germain l’Auxerrois.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://parisianfields.com/2021/03/21/finding-cafe-momus/ |title=Finding Café Momus |website=parisianfields.com |date=2021-03-21}}</ref>

{{Listen|type=music|image=none|help=no|
|filename=PDP-CH - Beniamino Gigli, Tenor - La bohème - Che gelida manina - Puccini - Hmv-db1538-8769a.flac|title="Che gelida manina"|description=Beniamino Gigli (1931)
|filename2=Puccini Mi chiamano Mimì par Claudia Muzio.ogg|title2="Sì, mi chiamano Mimì"|description2=[[Claudia Muzio]] (1911)
|filename3=Enrico Caruso - Nellie Melba - La bohème - O soave fanciulla (restored).ogg|title3="O soave fanciulla"|description3=[[Enrico Caruso]], [[Nellie Melba]] (1907)}}
Marcello, Schaunard and Colline go out, but Rodolfo remains alone for a moment in order to finish an article he is writing, promising to join his friends soon. There is a knock at the door. It is a girl who lives in another room in the building. Her candle has blown out, and she has no matches; she asks Rodolfo to light it. She is briefly overcome with faintness, and Rodolfo helps her to a chair and offers her a glass of wine. She thanks him. After a few minutes, she says that she is better and must go. But as she turns to leave, she realizes that she has lost her key.

Her candle goes out in the draught and Rodolfo's candle goes out too; the pair stumble in the dark. Rodolfo, eager to spend time with the girl, to whom he is already attracted, finds the key and pockets it, feigning innocence. He takes her cold hand (''[[Che gelida manina]]''—"What a cold little hand") and tells her of his life as a poet, then asks her to tell him more about her life. The girl says her name is Mimì (''Sì, mi chiamano Mimì''—"Yes, they call me Mimì"), and describes her simple life as an embroiderer. Impatiently, the waiting friends call Rodolfo. He answers and turns to see Mimì bathed in moonlight (duet, Rodolfo and Mimì: ''[[O soave fanciulla]]''—"Oh lovely girl"). They realize that they have fallen in love. Rodolfo suggests remaining at home with Mimì, but she decides to accompany him to the Cafe Momus. As they leave, they sing of their newfound love.

===Act 2===
''Cafe Momus (same evening)''
[[File:Al quartiere latino, bozzetto di Adolf Hohenstein per La Bohème (1896) - Archivio Storico Ricordi ICON000086 - Restoration.jpg|thumb|Set design by [[Adolfo Hohenstein]] for act 2 in the première|upright=1.3]]
A great crowd, including children, has gathered with street sellers announcing their wares (chorus: ''Aranci, datteri! Caldi i marroni!''—"Oranges, dates! Hot chestnuts!"). The friends arrive; Rodolfo buys Mimì a bonnet from a vendor, while Colline buys a coat and Schaunard a horn. Parisians gossip with friends and bargain with the vendors; the children of the streets clamor to see the wares of Parpignol, the toy seller. The friends enter the Cafe Momus.

As the men and Mimì dine at the cafe, Musetta, Marcello's former sweetheart, arrives with her rich (and elderly) government minister admirer, Alcindoro, whom she is tormenting. It is clear she is tired of him. To the delight of the Parisians and the embarrassment of her patron, she sings a risqué song (Musetta's waltz: ''[[Quando me'n vo']]''—"When I go along"), hoping to reclaim Marcello's attention. The ploy works; at the same time, Mimì recognizes that Musetta truly loves Marcello. To be rid of Alcindoro for a bit, Musetta pretends to be suffering from a tight shoe and sends him to the shoemaker to get her shoe mended. Alcindoro leaves, and Musetta and Marcello fall rapturously into each other's arms.

The friends are presented with their bill. However, Schaunard's purse has gone missing and no one else has enough money to pay. The sly Musetta has the entire bill charged to Alcindoro. The sound of a military band is heard, and the friends leave. Alcindoro returns with the repaired shoe seeking Musetta. The waiter hands him the bill and, dumbfounded, Alcindoro sinks into a chair.

===Act 3===
[[File:Advertisement for the music score of La Bohème, 1895.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for the music score, showing the quartet that ends act 3]]
''At the toll gate at the Barrière d'Enfer (late February)''

Peddlers pass through the barriers and enter the city. Mimì appears, coughing violently. She tries to find Marcello, who is currently living in a little tavern where he paints signs for the innkeeper. She tells him of her hard life with Rodolfo, who abandoned her the night before, and of Rodolfo's terrible jealousy (''O buon Marcello, aiuto!''—"Oh, good Marcello, help me!"). Marcello tells her that Rodolfo is asleep inside, and expresses concern about Mimì's cough. Rodolfo wakes up and comes out looking for Marcello. Mimì hides and overhears Rodolfo first telling Marcello that he left Mimì because of her coquettishness, but finally confessing that his jealousy is a sham: he fears she is slowly being consumed by a deadly illness (most likely [[tuberculosis]], known by the catchall name "consumption" in the nineteenth century). Rodolfo, in his poverty, can do little to help Mimì and hopes that his pretended unkindness will inspire her to seek another, wealthier suitor (''Marcello, finalmente''—"Marcello, finally").

{{Listen|type=music|image=none|help=no|filename=Puccini - Melba - Donde lieta usci (La Bohème) - 1907.ogg|title=Addio di Mimì ("Donde lieta usci")|description=[[Nellie Melba]], 1907 (3:03)}}
Out of kindness towards Mimì, Marcello tries to silence him, but she has already heard all. Her weeping and coughing reveal her presence, and Rodolfo hurries to her. Musetta's laughter is heard and Marcello goes to find out what has happened. Mimì tells Rodolfo that she is leaving him, and asks that they separate amicably (Mimì: ''Donde lieta uscì''—"From here she happily left"); but their love for one another is too strong for the pair to part. As a compromise, they agree to remain together until the spring, when the world is coming to life again and no one feels truly alone. Meanwhile, Marcello has found Musetta, and the couple quarrel fiercely about Musetta's flirtatiousness (quartet: Mimì, Rodolfo, Musetta, Marcello: ''Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina!''—"Goodbye, sweet awakening in the morning!").

===Act 4===
''Back in the garret (some months later)''
{{Listen|type=music|image=none|help=no|
|filename=La bohème, O Mimì, tu più non torni (Caruso, Scotti).ogg|title="O Mimì, tu più non torni"|description=[[Enrico Caruso]], [[Antonio Scotti]] (1907)
|filename2=Puccini La Boheme Vecchia zimarra.ogg|title2="Vecchia zimarra"|description2=[[Feodor Chaliapin]]
|filename3=La Scala Orchestra and Chorus - Poli, Gigli, Baronti - La Bohème - Act 4 - Dorme? Riposa - Hmv-db8452-2ba2383.ogg|title3="Dorme? Riposa." (finale)}}
Marcello and Rodolfo are trying to work, though they are primarily talking about their girlfriends, who have left them and found wealthy lovers. Rodolfo has seen Musetta in a fine carriage and Marcello has seen Mimì dressed like a queen. The men both express their nostalgia (duet: ''O Mimì, tu più non torni''—"O Mimì, will you not return?"). Schaunard and Colline arrive with a very frugal dinner and all parody eating a plentiful banquet, dance together and sing, before Schaunard and Colline engage in a mock duel.

Musetta suddenly appears; Mimì, who took up with a wealthy viscount after leaving Rodolfo in the spring, has left her patron. Musetta found her that day in the street, severely weakened by her illness, and Mimì begged Musetta to bring her to Rodolfo. Mimì, haggard and pale, is assisted onto a bed. Briefly, she feels as though she is recovering. Musetta and Marcello leave to sell Musetta's earrings in order to buy medicine, and Colline leaves to pawn his overcoat (''Vecchia zimarra''—"Old coat"). Schaunard leaves with Colline to give Mimì and Rodolfo some time together. Mimì tells Rodolfo that her love for him is her whole life (aria/duet, Mimì and Rodolfo: ''Sono andati?''—"Have they gone?").

To Mimì's delight, Rodolfo presents her with the pink bonnet he bought her, which he has kept as a souvenir of their love. They remember past happiness and their first meeting—the candles, the lost key (Mimi playfully confesses that she had figured out that Rodolfo had pocketed it). Mimì is overwhelmed by a seizure of coughing. The others return, with a gift of a muff to warm Mimì's hands and a cordial to soothe her cough. Mimì gently thanks Rodolfo for the muff, which she believes is a present from him, reassures him that she is better, and falls asleep. Musetta prays. Schaunard discovers that Mimì has died. Rodolfo rushes to the bed, calling Mimì's name in anguish. He sobs helplessly as the curtain falls.

==Instrumentation==
''La bohème'' is scored for:
* [[Woodwind instrument|woodwinds]]: [[piccolo]], 2 flutes, 2 oboes, [[cor anglais]], 2 clarinets (A, B-flat), [[bass clarinet]] (A, B-flat), 2 bassoons
* [[brass instrument|brass]]: 4 [[French horn|horns]] in F, 3 trumpets in F, 3 trombones, [[bass trombone]]
* percussion: [[timpani]], [[snare drum]], [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], [[cymbal]]s, [[bass drum]], [[xylophone]], [[glockenspiel]], [[Tubular bells|chimes]]
* [[String instrument|strings]]: [[harp]], violins I, II, viola, cello, double bass
* off-stage (end of act 2): 4 [[piccolo]]s, 6 trumpets, 2 [[snare drum]]s (occasionally on-stage)<ref>{{Cite web |title=La bohème, SC 67 (Puccini, Giacomo) – IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/La_boh%C3%A8me,_SC_67_(Puccini,_Giacomo)#IMSLP43676 |access-date=16 October 2022 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>

==Recording history==
{{main|La bohème discography{{!}}''La bohème'' discography}}
{{Multiple image|align=right|direction=vertical|footer=Prop designs for act 2 of ''La bohème'' for the world premiere performance|width=220|image1=La Boheme Act II props 1.jpg|image2=La Boheme Act II props 2.jpg}}
The discography of ''La bohème'' is a long one with many distinguished recordings, including the 1972 Decca recording conducted by [[Herbert von Karajan]] with [[Luciano Pavarotti]] as Rodolfo and [[Mirella Freni]] as Mimì (made before Pavarotti became an international superstar of opera),{{sfn|Greenfield|Layton|2009|p=806}} and the 1973 RCA Victor recording conducted by [[Georg Solti|Sir Georg Solti]] with [[Montserrat Caballé]] as Mimì and [[Plácido Domingo]] as Rodolfo which won the 1974 [[Grammy Award]] for Best Opera Recording. The 1959 recording conducted by [[Tullio Serafin]] with [[Renata Tebaldi]] as Mimì and [[Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)|Carlo Bergonzi]] was included in the soundtrack of the 1987 movie ''[[Moonstruck]]''.

The earliest commercially released full-length recording was probably that recorded in February 1917 and released on [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master Voice]]'s Italian label [[La voce del padrone|La Voce del Padrone]].<ref>Operadis, [http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLPUBOHE.HTM ''La bohème discography''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128011231/http://operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLPUBOHE.HTM |date=28 November 2010 }}</ref> [[Carlo Sabajno]] conducted the [[La Scala]] Orchestra and Chorus with [[Gemma Bosini]] and [[Reno Andreini]] as Mimì and Rodolfo. One of the most recent is the 2008 [[Deutsche Grammophon]] release conducted by [[Bertrand de Billy]] with [[Anna Netrebko]] and [[Rolando Villazón]] as Mimì and Rodolfo.{{sfn|Greenfield|Layton|2009|p=806}}

There are several recordings with conductors closely associated with Puccini. In the 1946 RCA Victor recording, [[Arturo Toscanini]], who conducted the world premiere of the opera, conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra with [[Jan Peerce]] as Rodolfo and [[Licia Albanese]] as Mimì. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera by its original conductor. [[Thomas Beecham]], who worked closely with Puccini when preparing a 1920 production of ''La bohème'' in London,<ref>[[Anthony Tommasini|Tommasini, Anthony]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/arts/theater/22TOMM.html?pagewanted=all "Look What They're Doing to Opera"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 22 December 2002</ref> conducted a performance of the opera in English released by Columbia Records in 1936 with [[Dora Labbette|Lisa Perli]] as Mimì and [[Heddle Nash]] as Rodolfo. Beecham also conducts on the 1956 RCA Victor recording with [[Victoria de los Ángeles]] and [[Jussi Björling]] as Mimì and Rodolfo.

Although the vast majority of recordings are in the original Italian, the opera has been recorded in several other languages. These include: a recording in French conducted by Erasmo Ghiglia with [[Renée Doria]] and [[Alain Vanzo]] as Mimì and Rodolfo (1960);<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLPUBOHE.HTM#66 |title=Details at Operadis |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128011231/http://operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLPUBOHE.HTM#66 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a recording in German with Richard Kraus conducting the [[Deutsche Oper Berlin]] Orchestra and Chorus with [[Trude Eipperle]] and [[Fritz Wunderlich]] as Mimì and Rodolfo (1956); and the 1998 release on the [[Chandos Records|Chandos Opera in English]] label with [[David Parry (conductor)|David Parry]] conducting the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] and [[Cynthia Haymon]] and [[Dennis O'Neill (tenor)|Dennis O'Neill]] as Mimì and Rodolfo.

[[Enrico Caruso]], who was closely associated with the role of Rodolfo, recorded the famous aria "Che gelida manina" in 1906. This aria has been recorded by nearly 500 tenors in at least seven different languages between 1900 and 1980.<ref>Shaman, William et al., [https://books.google.com/books?id=En3QYRnApqMC&q=%22gelida+manina%22 ''More EJS: Discography of the Edward J. Smith recordings''], Issue 81 of ''Discographies Series'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, pp.&nbsp;455–56. {{ISBN|0-313-29835-1}}</ref> In 1981 the A.N.N.A. Record Company released a six [[LP record|LP]] set with 101 different tenors singing the aria.

==The missing act==
In 1957 Illica's widow died and his papers were given to the Parma Museum. Among them was the full libretto to ''La bohème''. It was then discovered that the librettists had prepared an act which Puccini decided not to use in his composition.<ref>{{cite web | last =Kalmanoff | first =Martin | year = 1984 | url =http://oq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/2/3/121 | archive-url =https://archive.today/20120526191838/http://oq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/2/3/121 | url-status =dead | archive-date =26 May 2012 | title = The Missing Act| access-date =21 September 2009}}</ref> It is noteworthy for explaining Rodolfo's jealous remarks to Marcello in act 3.

The "missing act" is located in the timeline between the Café Momus scene and act 3 and describes an open-air party at Musetta's dwelling. Her protector has refused to pay further rent out of jealous feelings, and Musetta's furniture is moved into the courtyard to be auctioned off the following morning. The four Bohemians find in this an excuse for a party and arrange for wine and an orchestra. Musetta gives Mimì a beautiful gown to wear and introduces her to a Viscount. The pair dances a quadrille in the courtyard, which moves Rodolfo to jealousy. This explains his act 3 reference to the "moscardino di Viscontino" (young fop of a Viscount). As dawn approaches, furniture dealers gradually remove pieces for the morning auction.

[[Ruggero Leoncavallo]] composed [[La bohème (Leoncavallo)|an opera]] based the same source material, also titled ''La bohème''; this episode is included in Leoncavallo's treatment which premiered in 1897.

==Derivative works==
In 1959 "[[Quando me'n vo'|Musetta's Waltz]]" was adapted by songwriter [[Bobby Worth]] for the pop song "[[Don't You Know?]]", a hit for [[Della Reese]].<ref name="MRI">{{cite web | last =Ginell | first =Cary | year =2008 | url =https://www.musicreports.com/content_article.php?article_id=70 | title =Smart Licensing: Where Have I Heard That Before? | publisher =Music Reports Inc | access-date =14 August 2008 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Earlier, it was used for another song, "One Night of Love".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1969 in Paris, American free-jazz pianist [[Dave Burrell]] recorded his [[La Vie de Bohème (album)|''La Vie de Bohème'']] with a seven-piece group of European and American musicians. The music on the double-LP is improvised and experimental, but the listener can still discern Puccini's themes, as well as the narrative arc of the complete opera.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000877035|title=David Burrell: ''La Vie de Bohème''|first=Brandon|last=Burke|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>

The opera was adapted into a 1983 short story by the novelist [[V. S. Pritchett]] for publication by the [[Metropolitan Opera]] Association.{{sfn|Pritchett|1983}}

===Modernizations===
[[File:La Boheme Act1 by Gray crop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Stage design for act 1 of ''La bohème'', [[Reginald Gray (artist)|Reginald Gray]], 2010]]
[[Baz Luhrmann]] produced the opera for [[Opera Australia]] in 1990<ref name="BBCBaz1">{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2305609.stm|title=Baz's Broadway opera|access-date=15 August 2008|date=10 July 2002|author=Maggie Shiels|ref=none|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> with modernized [[Surtitles|supertitle]] translations, and a budget of only [[Australian dollar|A$]]60,000 (A$130,545.17 in 2022). A DVD was issued of the stage show. According to Luhrmann, this version was set in 1957 (rather than the original period of 1830) because "...[they] discovered that 1957 was a very, very accurate match for the social and economic realities of Paris in the 1840s."<ref name="BBCBaz1"/> In 2002, Luhrmann restaged his version on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. The production won two awards at the [[57th Tony Awards]] out of six nominations: [[Catherine Martin (designer)|Catherine Martin]] for [[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design|Best Scenic Design]] and [[Nigel Levings]] for [[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Design]] as well as a special award, the [[Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre]]. [[Joe Jonas]] appeared in this production in the children's chorus.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sd-et-music-joe-jonas-interview-20170106-story.html | title=Joe Jonas talks DNCE, 'Cake by the Ocean', Miles Davis and Mariah Carey | date=11 January 2017|newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]}}{{subscription}}</ref><ref name="IBDB13346">{{IBDB title|13346|La bohème|8 December 2002 – 29 June 2003}}</ref> To play eight times a week for 228 performances, three casts of Mimìs and Rodolfos ([[Alfred Boe]], Jesús García, [[David Miller (tenor)|David Miller]]), and two Musettas (Jessica Comeau, Chloë Wright) and Marcellos (Eugene Brancoveanu, Ben Davis), were used in rotation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/reviews/2346351.stm|title=Baz's brilliant ''La Bohème''|access-date=15 August 2008|date=21 October 2002|author=Maggie Shiels|ref=none|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="IBDB13346" /> ''La bohème'' was then a key source for the plot of Luhrmann's 2001 [[jukebox musical]] film ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Conner Bennett|first=Kathryn|title=The gender politics of death: Three formulations of ''La Bohème'' in contemporary cinema|journal=[[Journal of Popular Film and Television]]|volume=32|issue=3|page=114|date=2004|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01956051.2004.10662056|doi=10.1080/01956051.2004.10662056|s2cid=154025769|issn=1930-6458|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'', a 1996 musical by [[Jonathan Larson]], is based on ''La bohème''. Here the lovers, Roger and Mimi, are faced with AIDS and progress through the action with songs such as "Light My Candle", which have direct reference to ''La bohème''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/theater/theather-the-seven-year-odyssey-that-led-to-rent.html|title={{sic|Th|eather|nolink=y}}; The Seven-Year Odyssey that Led to ''Rent''|access-date=17 July 2008|date=17 March 1996|author=Anthony Tommasini|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|author-link=Anthony Tommasini}}</ref> Many of the character names are retained or are similar (Rodolfo is Roger, Colline is Collins, the character Angel is given the surname "Schunard", Benoit is Benny) and at another point in the play, Roger's roommate and best friend Mark makes a wry reference to "Musetta's Waltz", which is a recurring theme throughout the first act and is played at the end of the second act. The story is set amongst artists living in New York City at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Gioia |first=Michael |date=5 February 2016 |title=The Creation of ''Rent''—How Jonathan Larson Transformed an Idea into a Groundbreaking Musical |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-creation-of-rent-how-jonathan-larson-transformed-an-idea-into-a-groundbreaking-musical |access-date=6 February 2024|magazine=[[Playbill]]}}</ref>  

A TV movie was released in 1965 directed by {{ill|Wilhelm Semmelroth|de}} and designed by [[Franco Zeffirelli]], based on the latter's previously directed version for stage. It starred [[Gianni Raimondi]] in the role of Rodolfo and [[Mirella Freni]] as Mimi. The soundtrack, however, was pre-recorded and lip-synced, and conducted by [[Herbert von Karajan]].

[[Robin Norton-Hale]] directed a new production at the [[Cock Tavern Theatre]], Kilburn, for [[OperaUpClose]] in December 2009.<ref>Stephen Moss, [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/dec/03/operaupclose-puccini-pub "OperaUpClose: Puccini in the pub"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' (London), 3 December 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2012</ref><ref>Anna Picard, [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/la-bohegraveme-cock-tavern-theatre-kilburn-londonbrjansons--royal-concertgebouw-orchestra-barbican-london-1845572.html "''La Bohème'', Cock Tavern Theatre, Kilburn, London: A tiny and youthful production of ''La Bohème'' has authenticity..."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145524/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/la-bohegraveme-cock-tavern-theatre-kilburn-londonbrjansons--royal-concertgebouw-orchestra-barbican-london-1845572.html |date=24 September 2015 }}, ''[[The Independent]]'' (London), 21 January 2012</ref> For act 2 the entire audience and cast moved downstairs to the pub itself, with the pub's patrons serving as extras in the Cafe Momus scene. In 2010 the production was transferred to the West End's [[Soho Theatre]] and won a [[Laurence Olivier Award]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12728768 "Puccini in a pub triumphs at Olivier Awards"] by Tim Masters, [[BBC News]], 14 March 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2012</ref>

A 2019 production by Canada's Against the Grain Theatre featured a translated English libretto, and transposed the story to a contemporary Canadian urban setting.<ref name=cbc>[https://www.cbc.ca/arts/this-reimagined-version-of-la-boheme-is-set-in-a-toronto-bar-and-you-can-watch-it-live-1.5306003 "This reimagined version of La Bohème is set in a Toronto bar"]. [[CBC Arts]], 2 October 2019.</ref> This production toured several Canadian cities before its production at [[Toronto]]'s Tranzac Club was livestreamed by [[CBC Gem]] on 13 October.<ref name=cbc/> The CBC broadcast received two [[Canadian Screen Award]] nominations at the [[9th Canadian Screen Awards]] in 2021, for Best Performing Arts Program and Best Direction in a TV Movie.<ref>Brent Furdyk, [https://etcanada.com/news/762146/television-nominees-announced-for-2021-canadian-screen-awards-schitts-creek-leads-the-pack-with-21-nominations/ "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, 'Schitt's Creek' Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401224918/https://etcanada.com/news/762146/television-nominees-announced-for-2021-canadian-screen-awards-schitts-creek-leads-the-pack-with-21-nominations/ |date=1 April 2021 }}. ''[[ET Canada]]'', 30 March 2021.</ref>

==Notes==
<references group=N />

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|author-link=Julian Budden|last=Budden|first=Julian|title=Puccini: His Life and Works|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-19-816468-5}}
* {{cite book|editor1-link=Arthur Groos|editor2-link=Roger Parker|editor1-last=Groos|editor1-first=Arthur|editor2-first=Roger|editor2-last=Parker|title=Cambridge Opera Handbooks|chapter=''La bohème''|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1986|isbn=0-521-26489-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/giacomopuccinila0000groo}}
* {{cite book|last=Irvin|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Irvin|title=Dictionary of the Australian Theatre 1788–1914|publisher=Hale & Iremonger|year=1985|isbn=978-0-86806-127-6}}
* {{cite book|author1-last=Greenfield|author1-first=Edward|author-link1=Edward Greenfield|author2-last=Layton|author2-first=Robert|editor1-last=March|editor1-first=Ivan|editor2-last=Czajkowski|editor2-first=Paul|year=2009|title=The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2010|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-14-104162-9|title-link=The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music}}
* {{cite book|last=Melitz|first=Leo|author-link=:de:Leo Melitz|translator=Richard Salinger|year=1913|title=The Opera Goer's Complete Guide|publisher=Dodd, Mead and Company|place=New York|url=https://archive.org/stream/operagoerscomple00meliuoft#page/172/mode/2up|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite book|last=Pritchett|first=V. S.|author-link=V. S. Pritchett|title=La bohème|location=London|publisher=[[Michael Joseph (publisher)|Michael Joseph]]|year=1983|isbn=0-7181-2303-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|La bohème}}
* {{IMSLP|work=La bohème, SC 67 (Puccini, Giacomo)|cname=''La bohème''}}
* [http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/bhq3853/index.html "Vocal score"], [[ William and Gayle Cook Music Library]], Indiana University School of Music
* [https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/discover/education/educator-guides/boheme-la/laboheme.13-14.guide.pdf "A Guide to ''La bohème''"], 30-page study guide (April 2014), [[Metropolitan Opera]]
* [https://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=4315 "San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: ''La bohème''"]
* [http://opera.stanford.edu/Puccini/LaBoheme/libretto.html "Libretto"] (in Italian) ''OperaGlass'', opera.stanford.edu
* [https://opera-inside.com/la-boheme-by-giacomo-puccini-the-opera-guide/ "Opera guide and synopsis"], opera-inside.com

{{Giacomo Puccini}}
{{La Vie de Bohème}}
{{Arturo Toscanini}}
{{OlivierAward OperaProduction 2001–2025}}
{{Portal bar|Opera}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boheme, La}}
[[Category:1896 operas]]
[[Category:Italian-language operas]]
[[Category:Opera world premieres at the Teatro Regio (Turin)]]
[[Category:Operas based on Scenes of Bohemian Life]]
[[Category:Operas by Giacomo Puccini]]
[[Category:Operas set in Paris]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis in fiction]]
[[Category:Operas adapted into films]]
[[Category:Libretti by Luigi Illica]]