The world premiere of La bohème was in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Since then, La bohème has become part of the standard Italian opera repertoire and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide.
Before Giacomo Puccini sat down to write La bohème, which turned out to be one of the world’s most popular operas, the same topic caught the interest of another composer who had risen out of poverty and wanted to showcase ‘real life’ in opera. Ruggero Leoncavallo, the author of the brilliant Palgliaci, began to work on his La bohème around the same time as Puccini. The two composers clashed in the press, but it was Puccini who had the final say: ‘Let him compose, and I will compose. The public will judge,’ he wrote. And that is what happened, to the disadvantage of Leoncavallo.
Creative
Staging and Direction:
Maciej Prus
Music Director:
Andrzej Knap
Set Designer:
Paweł Wodziński
Costume Designer:
Jagna Janicka
Music cooperation:
Jerzy Wołosiuk
Chorus Master:
Henryk Wierzchoń