Puccini and Popcorn

(Title stolen from Carole Horowitz)
La Bohème – Puccini
A magnificent cast comes together for Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production of the Puccini Opera

Photo Copyright © Beth Bergman 2003

The exciting young conductor Nicola Luisotti presides over a glorious vocal ensemble led by the mesmerizing Angela Gheorghiu, who sings Mimì at the Met for the first time in twelve years, opposite golden-toned tenor Ramón Vargas as her lover, Rodolfo.

Conductor Nicola Luisotti; Production Franco Zeffirelli; Angela Gheorghiu, Ainhoa Arteta, Ramón Vargas, Ludovic Tézier, Quinn Kelsey, Oren Gradus, Paul Plishka

The Met Web site has the above on it to tell about today's Opera in HD at the movie theater. I am sure everybody knows the story and probably the music. The story is kind of thin. Boy meets girl. (Boy is starving writer - girl is starving seamstress) They fall in love (instantly) Party with friends, Girl is ill and Boy wants her to get care so he pretends not to love her so she will get help elsewhere. Girl continues to become sicker and eventually returns to boy where she dies.

Puccini has placed some of the most beautiful and dramatic music you wll ever hear on this story. I have it in my head and have listend to parts of it over and over again. It never fails to affect me. In the interview with Franco Zeffirelli during one of the intermissions he stated that " the singers were crying, the orchestra was crying and the conductor was crying" during this Opera. "Puccini wants you to cry." And we did, at least there were tears in my eyes. Especially at the last somber note just before the curtain fell. Then we were taken back stage and we could see the singers wiping their eyes. It was that beautiful. Once again the Med outdid itself.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Zefirelli's staging of this Opera. It was the 349th performance and that is more than any other production that the Met has done. He was honored by the placing of two plaques backstage. The sets are magnificent and to be able to see them being changed backstage was marvelous. They said there were about 80 stage hands who worked to make the change and they brought in sets with singers and actors all in place and the stage was filled with a multitude of people. We also saw an interview with the Children's Chorus and their teacher. These kids start as young as 6 years of age to learn to sing their parts. It takes them two years of study before they are ready to perform. Wonderful afternoon.

Addendum. I heard the phraise Toi Toi Toi repeated a couple of times during the interviews and I wondered what it meant. Thanks to Wikepedia I found this:
The statement toi, toi, toi, which today mostly as congratulations for the purposes of "It may succeed" understood, based on a magic defense against evil spirits envy.