Puccinis La Boheme Tickets

About the Play

La Bohème is an opera based on Henri Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème. Its libretto is Italian and constructed by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica while the opera is composed by the great Giacomo Puccini. The world premiere of La bohème took place in 1896 at the Teatro Regio in Turin. It was conducted then by Arturo Toscanini. In the US, it premiered in 1897 in Los Angeles. Since then, the opera has become a part of American repertory and is one of the most performed operas ever. In fact, it is a frequently performed opera globally as well.

On the play’s 50th anniversary, it was recorded for radio by the NBC Symphony Orchestra. This performance was later released on records and later on the compact disc. It is the only recorded evidence of a Puccini opera by Toscanini, its original conductor.

About the Piece

The opera depicts vignettes of Bohemians living in the Latin Quarters of Paris during the 1840s. The libretto focuses the relationship between Mimi and Rodolfo and its tragic end in Mimi’s death. The initial book on which the opera is based on was also turned into a play before this version which transgressed from the plot of the original story in between. The opera follows this format as well, and while Acts One and Four follow the beginning and ending of the book completely, Acts Two and Three are taken liberty with by Giacosa and Illica and they follow the slice-of-life format that was prevalent in the 1980’s.

About MET Live in HD

 Tradition is crucial to the opera, which is why there is a certain dress code that individuals follow when attending it. It is also the reason why for the longest while operas were not recorded; due to the exceptional deterioration is sound quality. However, with advances in modern audio-video capturing equipment, the operatic experience cannot just be recorded but also heightened, it seems.

In comes the MET. The MET or Metropolitan Museum of Art is a respected institution in New York City and around the world, which upholds and memorializes contributions to art and culture. In 2006, the MET took up the initiative to record live performances of various theatrical productions and make them available through screenings to different cities across the globe. This program quickly became called “MET Live in HD” and won an Emmy and Peabody Award. Over the years, it has recorded great works such as Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Tan Dun’s “The First Emperor”.

MET Live 2017

In 2017, MET Live is bringing a screening of Puccini’s La Bohème to the Bardavon Opera House in Kingston and the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Poughkeepsie. Normally, screenings of theatrical pieces take place in darkened cinema halls, or are released on television or the internet. However, MET Live has arranged for these screenings to take place in venues where operas are actually performed to enhance the experience for an audience. For an opera piece, ambience is everything, and this program places high value in it. Therefore, you can dress like you’re ready for a grand night at the opera, because that is exactly what you will be doing. Puccini’s La Boheme tickets for Kingston and Poughkeepsie are on sale now.