Organization

Singer

Soprano

Eleanor Lyons

Mimi

Nardus Williams

Tenor

Kyungho Kim

Rodolfo

Galeano Salas

Vuvu Mpofu

Musetta

Maria Chabounia

Baritone

Vincenzo Neri

Marcello

Kartal Karagedik

Dean Murphy

Schaunard

Luvuyo Mbundu

Bass

Justin Hopkins

Colline

Leonard Bernad

Thierry Vallier

Benoît

Alcindoro

Erik Dello

Parpignol

William Helliwell

A vendor

Thomas Mürk

A customs sergeant

Simon Schmidt

A customs officer

Stage director

Robert Carsen

Conductor

Kristiina Poska

Jef Smits

Lighting designer

Jean Kalman

Costume designer

Michael Levine

Set designer

Chorus master

Jan Schweiger

Hendrik Derolez

Revival

Frans Willem de Haas

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Others

Choeur Opéra Vlaanderen

Orchestra

Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Italian

La Bohème

Ghent

Belgium

Opera Gent (Operagebouw)

Antwerp

Opera Antwerp

Public

Approved

Puccini LA BOHÈME | Marcello

"La jeunesse n'a qu'un temps" (youth comes only once) wrote the poet Henri Murger in 1862. Thirty-four years later, Giacomo Puccini was inspired by Murger's Scènes de la vie de bohème to compose his opera La bohème. The wintry story of the four young bon vivants and their sweethearts, their love and suffering, would from then on serve as a model for the romantic image we have of the bohemian. The universal, timeless and enchanting character of this opera has rarely been portrayed more aptly than by director Robert Carsen. One of our showpiece productions, La bohème returns – after a triumphant worldwide tour – to Antwerp and Ghent once again.

The opera does not tell a structured story, but sketches an atmosphere in four scenes. The poet Rodolfo and his sweetheart Mimì, the painter Marcello and his singing Musetta, the composer Schaunard and the philosopher Colline: they form a group of creative souls who taste every moment as the most intense and unique in their lives.



Euphoria and deep misery are never far apart. The unforgettable and poignant ending of the opera, with the death of Mimì, immediately marks the end of this unique time in life.



Giving shape to a snapshot like this, of the finitude of the one-time, breathless moment, calls for a new opera form. Puccini therefore let the atmosphere of the individual scenes dictate the musical structure. Where the shivering-cold friends' discussions grow animated, so does the music. When the snowflakes fall from the sky in the third scene, Puccini lets the flutes and harp flutter gently into the carpet laid down by the celli. The score is a perfectly fitting osmosis of realism, humour and romance.

English

La Bohème by Puccini, From (2021/2022), Directed by Robert Carsen,, Conductor Kristiina Poska, Jef Smits, Opera Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues