Don’t neglect to listen to the off-stage high notes at the end!Īct II takes place in an open air Parisian cafe, and introduces us to Musetta, a fiery beauty whose on-again, off-again relationship with Rodolfo’s friend Marcello plays as counterpoint to the tender romance of Rodolfo and Mimi. No subtitles, but you can find the text and translation here. It is sung here by Jussi Bjorling and Renata Tebaldi, in a performance from 1956. It is probably my favourite section of music in the opera. This clip is long the aria begins at 4:25.Īnd here is the young Mirella Freni singing the response, Si, mi chiamano Mimi.Īfter a short transitional section, the first Act closes with a famous duet for Rodolfo and Mimi, O soave fanciulla ( O gentle maiden), in which the pair sing of the love that has suddenly blossomed between them. Here is Che gelida manina, sung by Luciano Pavarotti, with English subtitles. The music of both arias is integral to the score of La bohème, reappearing in various guises as the story develops. Rodolfo begins, singing Che gelida manina ( What a cold little hand), and, with hardly a beat wasted, Mimi responds with Si, mi chiamano Mimi ( Yes, they call me Mimi). The two arias in which they introduce themselves to one another must be among the greatest back-to-back arias in the operatic tradition. Mimi knocks on the door of Rodolfo’s flat, her candle having gone out. This yields to the first meeting of the opera’s principal romantic leads, Rodolfo and Mimi. It opens with a scene of warm, intelligent, and heartening male camaraderie, the likes of which we do not often see in our contemporary popular entertainments. There are few operas that I enjoy more than this. It is a wonderful piece: tender, tragic, big-hearted, yet written to a human scale, and awash in gorgeous melodies. It is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, and has been since its 1896 premiere.
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