0:00:02 > 0:00:04OPERATIC SINGING
0:00:30 > 0:00:35Tonight, snow is softly falling on the stage of the Royal Opera House,
0:00:35 > 0:00:40as we are transported to a winter's day in 19th-century Paris.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41La boheme is one of
0:00:41 > 0:00:42the world's favourite operas
0:00:42 > 0:00:44and here at the Royal Opera House we
0:00:44 > 0:00:46have a real theatrical event ahead.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48A brand-new production -
0:00:48 > 0:00:51the very first at Covent Garden in over 40 years.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52And it's directed by
0:00:52 > 0:00:55one of the stars of British theatre, Richard Jones.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57At the helm of the orchestra tonight
0:00:57 > 0:01:00is the Royal Opera's music director, Antonio Pappano.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And a brilliant young cast has assembled to play
0:01:03 > 0:01:07the bunch of bohemians who live and love in 19th-century Paris.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Boheme is just a story about friends and people who fall in love.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22It really is perfect music crafted by Puccini.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26There's a poetry, there's a beauty,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and then there's a burning passion through it all.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33The opera deals with the ordinary lives of ordinary people.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37The librettists, Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41took inspiration from a French novel, Scenes Of A Bohemian Life,
0:01:41 > 0:01:46to create an unforgettable story about a group of aspiring artists
0:01:46 > 0:01:48living in a freezing Parisian garret.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Into their world comes a beautiful young seamstress,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53battling a terrible disease.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02In the story of Boheme, the four flatmates live in poverty.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05I mean, they have nothing. It's a battle just to find
0:02:05 > 0:02:07a baguette that's a couple of days old.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10THEY SPEAK IN ITALIAN
0:02:10 > 0:02:15There are bohemian people looking for something to eat,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17for some fun, for music
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and good, crazy times.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22THEY SING IN ITALIAN
0:02:25 > 0:02:30I just think that they come up with a way of surviving, through jokes
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and having fun, in order to mask the problem that they live with.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37HE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Marcello is a guy who is full of energy -
0:02:44 > 0:02:48crazy, young man who is a painter.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52In love with another crazy person, Musetta.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And she is his muse.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58SHE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Musetta is the most mythical of all the characters, just like Venus.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13She is passionate, she loves chaos.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Very good at castrating men's egos.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Rodolfo is a poet. He knows his way around words.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27He's on the verge of maybe writing his epic next piece.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So when he hears a woman knock on the door
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and then invites her in, to him, it's a shock.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39SHE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:03:44 > 0:03:47When Mimi comes in, she is excitable
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and she wants to experience the joys of life,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and so when she meets the bohemians and sees how different they all are
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and what they have to offer, you know, it's a thrill for her.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59HE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:04:03 > 0:04:07What unfolds for the next 15 minutes is a dialogue between
0:04:07 > 0:04:11both Rodolfo and Mimi, telling each of their stories.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's that first beautiful love, it's that innocent love,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23where at the beginning nothing can go wrong.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27They don't believe that anything is going to happen down the track.
0:04:29 > 0:04:36They're strong characters, each one carved out of marble.
0:04:36 > 0:04:42And the cast are all very rich in detail in their characterisations.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Then strings. Can I have just one, please?
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- And one... - STRINGS PLAY
0:04:49 > 0:04:54It's when you go from pizz to arco, there, the singing...
0:04:54 > 0:04:56HE SINGS
0:04:56 > 0:04:58..that the culture of that. It's just, "Da-duh!"
0:04:58 > 0:05:00And you get that, OK? Once again.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05We've all performed in La boheme in before.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07And at the beginning of the rehearsal,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10we decided we were going to start afresh.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Exactly. And that'll help the musicality of the whole thing.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19And look into each word and try to find the true character.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21OPERATIC SINGING
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Puccini is one of the most intelligent composers
0:05:29 > 0:05:32when it comes to writing emotion.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The tunes are just sublime.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The arias reveal the essence of each character.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41This is unique.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46He is a master at reincarnating themes
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and sometimes they're even hidden.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51They're hidden with different instruments
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and layered-in to other music.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And you don't realise it until you see emerge
0:05:56 > 0:05:59a character that's relevant to that theme.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The emotion that Puccini manages to put into the scores
0:06:04 > 0:06:06just speaks to my heart.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09You can put so much of yourself into it,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13so it's an exhausting night in the theatre, but such a satisfying one.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16THEY DUET IN ITALIAN
0:06:26 > 0:06:28APPLAUSE
0:06:40 > 0:06:42MUSIC STARTS
0:21:10 > 0:21:12THEY LAUGH
0:21:53 > 0:21:54THUD
0:22:06 > 0:22:08HE LAUGHS
0:23:32 > 0:23:34LAUGHTER
0:30:43 > 0:30:44- Bravo!- Bravo!
0:30:44 > 0:30:46CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:35:46 > 0:35:48APPLAUSE
0:40:19 > 0:40:21APPLAUSE
0:40:59 > 0:41:01THEY CHATTER
0:41:01 > 0:41:03MUSIC STARTS
0:55:22 > 0:55:24SHE SCREAMS
0:58:52 > 0:58:54APPLAUSE
0:59:11 > 0:59:13MUSIC STARTS
1:03:28 > 1:03:31SHE COUGHS
1:03:53 > 1:03:55SHE COUGHS
1:04:06 > 1:04:09BELL PEALS
1:13:53 > 1:13:56SHE SOBS
1:22:55 > 1:22:57APPLAUSE
1:23:19 > 1:23:22MUSIC STARTS
1:30:12 > 1:30:14HE LAUGHS
1:30:33 > 1:30:36HE CALLS
1:45:06 > 1:45:08SHE COUGHS
1:46:59 > 1:47:02HE SOBS
1:49:41 > 1:49:46# Mimi
1:49:51 > 1:49:56# Mimi. #
1:49:56 > 1:49:58HE SOBS
1:50:38 > 1:50:40APPLAUSE
1:51:44 > 1:51:46CHEERING
1:52:00 > 1:52:02CHEERING
1:52:16 > 1:52:18CHEERING
1:52:34 > 1:52:36CHEERING
1:53:03 > 1:53:05CHEERING