Giacomo Puccini

La Boheme: Act I, Aria: Si. Mi chiamano (Mimi)

LA BOHÈME (The Bohemian), one of the most beloved and commercially-successful operas, is based on the 1851 novel Scenes of Bohemian Life by Henri Murger. With a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) worked on it from 1893 to 1895. It first appeared at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 1, 1896, conducted by 28-year-old Arturo Toscanini. Weighed negatively against Turin's recent Italian premiere of the Wagner opera Gotterdammerung, it received a lukewarm response from audience and critics. A few months later, concertgoers filled opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic to hear it.

In Act I, Rodolfo the painter has just met Mimi in the darkness of his garret while trying to look for a key she has lost. He introduces himself with an aria, then Mimi responds with her own, Sì, Mi chiamano Mimì (Yes, they call me Mimi). She describes a simple life, woven, like the embroidered flowers of her craft, with spring hopes and dreams. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.2.0: Timp.Perc(2): Hp: Str(4-4-3-3-3 in set): Solo Soprano. Reprint edition.