About this edition
Few operas have entered the heart of the repertoire as completely as Puccini's La bohème (SC 67), premiered under Arturo Toscanini at Turin's Teatro Regio on February 1, 1896. Adapted from Henri Murger's Scènes de la vie de bohème, the score is a masterclass in dramatic economy: Puccini's interlocking motivic web, his luminous orchestration of Parisian garrets and snow-covered streets, and the seamless arioso writing of arias such as "Che gelida manina," "Sì, mi chiamano Mimì," and "Quando me'n vo" have shaped operatic style for more than a century.
This volume reproduces the full orchestral score issued by G. Ricordi & C. of Milan, the publisher with whom Puccini maintained his lifelong professional partnership and who held the work from its first appearance. Bearing plate number 115561 and dating from around 1920, this Ricordi printing belongs to the lineage of conducting scores that carried La bohème into the standard repertoire of the great opera houses. Because Ricordi worked directly with Puccini and his collaborators Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, the firm's editions remain primary references for performers and scholars studying the opera's text, orchestration, and stage directions.
About this edition:
- Format: complete full orchestral score, four acts
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from the G. Ricordi & C. edition, Milan, n.d. [c. 1920], plate 115561
- Source: a public domain historical score
- Italian text with original stage directions
- Publisher: Purple 4R Publishing
We're delighted to make this historic Ricordi printing of La bohème available again in a clean, affordable reprint, so that conductors, répétiteurs, singers, orchestral musicians, and students can study and perform Puccini's beloved score from a faithful reproduction of a public domain source. Whether for the rehearsal room, the library shelf, or quiet evenings with a piano and a friend, we hope it serves you well.