Boheme, La: Act I, Finale: Che gelida; Si. Mi chiamano Mimi; Oh soave fanciulla: Serious Opera, Orchestra Accompaniment, Conductor Score

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. The Act I finale, in which the lovers Rodolfo and Mimi meet for the first time, includes the much-loved arias "Che gelida manina," "Si. Mi chiamano Mimi," and "Oh soave fanciulla." Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.3.3+BTbn.0: Timp.Perc(2-3): Hp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Soli Sop.Ten.2Bari.Bs. Reprint edition.