Catch up TV

Episode 19 February 2023

Puccini’s operatic masterpiece, La Bohème, performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.\n\nEver since its premiere in Turin in 1896, La bohème has been a huge hit with audiences across the world. Within two years, it had been seen in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Prague, Berlin, Manchester and beyond. With over 500 performances chalked up at Covent Garden alone, this opera is one of the most popular and enduring in the repertoire. \n\nIn this performance from 2020, Sonya Yoncheva stars as the doomed seamstress Mimì, with Charles Castronovo as Rodolfo, who falls in love with her at first sight. Simona Mihai and Andrzej Filonczyk perform the roles of the on-off lovers, Musetta and Marcello. \n\nRichard Jones’s period production brings to life the garret flats and shopping arcades of 19th-century Paris, with designs by Stewart Laing, pitting the rags of the bohemians against the riches of the swanky shopping arcades and restaurants of the French capital.\n\nPoverty and passion collide in a story of friendship and fellowship, love and loss. Featuring some of Puccini’s best-loved music, this performance is conducted by Emmanuel Villaume.

Source: BBC 4