A shared flat in Paris’s bohemian world of artists and students: The lives of the poet Rodolfo and his friends are filled with talk of freedom, independence, art, as well as financial hardship. When Rodolfo falls in love with his neighbour Mimì, everything seems to have taken a turn for the better, but poverty and Mimì’s illness overshadow the relationship. The young couple become closely attached. Later they separate, only rediscovering their love when it is already too late. At the time of its premiere in 1896, Puccini’s best-known work broke new ground in Italian opera through its prosaic scenery and everyday subject matter. This staging by Christine Mielitz of Puccini’s fourth opera is one of the most popular productions at the Semperoper.

La bohème

Semperoper Dresden

»La traviata«–directly translated as »the one who has lost her way«–is, of course, the Parisian courtesan Violetta Valéry. Already dying from an incurable lung disease, she falls in love with Alfredo Germont. Yet her feelings are in conflict with her way of life and all sense of reason; ultimately, her quest for freedom and happiness is defeated by the moral strictures of bourgeois society. When first performed in Venice in 1853, this story was considered scandalous: an opera about a courtesan who dies of tuberculosis and is also modelled on a real-life woman in Parisian society was an outrageous inno-vation for the time. Focusing on the complex relationship between Violetta, her lover Alfredo and his father Giorgio, Giuseppe Verdi created a captivating and fully-rounded character, expressed through music that shifts between lyrical bel canto passages and powerful musico-dramatic outbursts. Director Barbora Horáková Joly places »La traviata« in the dazzling world of 19th-century vaudeville.

La traviata

A bohemian flat share in Parisian artist and student circles: the poet Rodolfo and his friends struggle through life between freedom, independence, art and financial hardship. When Rodolfo falls in love with the neighbor Mimì everything seems to be going for the better at first, but poverty and Mimì's illness overshadow the relationship. The two grow closer, separate again and finally only find each other when it is already too late. At the time of its premiere in 1896, what is probably Puccini's best-known opera offered a novelty in Italian opera thanks to its intimate scenery and everyday subject. In the production by director Christine Mielitz, Puccini's fourth opera is one of the most popular repertoire classics at the Semperoper Dresden.

Holger Steinert

Events

Past events

Aug 31 - Dec 12, 2025

La bohème · Semperoper Dresden

Dec 19, 2024 - Jun 27, 2025

La bohème · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Sergeant der Zollwache in La Bohème by Puccini

Semperoper Dresden

Sergeant der Zollwache in La bohème by Puccini

Semperoper Dresden

Dienstbote in La traviata by Verdi

Semperoper Dresden

Sergente dei doganieri in La Bohème by Puccini

Semperoper Dresden

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