February 1, 1896: "La Bohème" Premieres

Giacomo Puccini

February 1, 1896: Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème premieres at Teatro Regio (the Royal Theater) in Turin, Italy. Only 28 years old, Arturo Toscanini is the conductor.

The libretto was written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. They would also collaborate to write the libretti for Puccini's operas Tosca in 1900 and Madama Butterfly in 1904. As credited on its title page, the libretto for La Bohème is based on Henri Murger's 1851 novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème (Scenes of the Bohemian Life), a collection of vignettes portraying young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s, in the latter years of the July Monarchy.

The opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into the single character of Mimì. Evangelista "Evan" Gorga played Rodolfo in the premiere, and Cesira Ferrani played Mimi. Ferranira had previously played the title role in Puccini's 1893 opera Manon Lescault.

Cesira Ferrani

In 1946, 50 years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a commemorative performance of it on radio with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. A recording of the performance was later released by RCA Victor on vinyl record, tape and compact disc. It is the only recording ever made of a Puccini opera by its original conductor.

In 1959, one of the songs from the opera, "Musetta's Waltz," was adapted by songwriter Bobby Worth for the pop song "Don't You Know?" It became the biggest hit for singer Della Reese.

Giuseppe Giocosa in 1906, Luigi Illica in 1919, Giacomo Puccini in 1924, Cesira Ferrani in 1943, and Arturo Toscanini and Evan Gorga in 1957.

The original Teatro Regio was built in 1740, and was destroyed by fire in 1936. A new Teatro Regio opened on the site of the original in 1973.

In 1965, Franco Zeffirelli staged it for Italian television. In 1990, Australian producer Baz Luhrmann staged it in his own country, moving the story up to 1957 but keeping it in Paris. In 2002, he staged this version on Broadway. But it had already been adapted for Broadway in 1996, by Jonathan Larson, as the musical Rent, with the deadly disease of tuberculosis being replaced by AIDS.

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February 1, 1896 was a Saturday. Baseball and football were out of season. Basketball barely existed. Hockey season was in progress. The Ottawa Hockey Club, forerunners of the original Ottawa Senators, beat the Montreal Victorias, 3-2 at the Rideau Rink in Ottawa. And the Quebec Hockey Club, forerunners of the Quebec Bulldogs, beat the Montreal Hockey Club, 3-1 at the Quebec Skating Rink.

In English soccer, Woolwich Arsenal, which would evolve into the North London team I would one day support, lost to Burnley F.C., 6-1 at Turf Moor in Burnley, Lancashire.