5. La Bohème. When Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) adapted Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger as an opera in 1896, his version received only modest acclaim; his rival Ruggiero Leoncavallo did better with his adaptation the following year. Posterity has totally reversed that evaluation. Puccini's opera is essentially an intimate story involving a handful of people, all young and struggling to make a place for themselves. Ever since Franco Zeffirelli directed the opera at La Scala in 1963 (a production remounted at the Met in 1982), his style of romantic ultra-realism has shaped the expectations of generations of opera-goers. We shall contrast scenes from that production with those from a much more recent one from Berlin by the Australian director Barrie Kosky, who throws out Zeffirelli-type spectacle in favor of a closer focus on the characters and their feelings. At stake is the question of what is more important in opera, production or people? rb.

 
The script, videos, and images will be posted immediately after class.