Evening star., 1940-11-10
|Boheme' Music Is Moyino
Opera, Newest in Stor's Series,
Is, Perhaps, PuccinIs Best

genius, he never again knew hnan-
clal want nor any great failures.
Each opera that he wrote added to
his renown so that by the time La
Boheme' was produced he was a
famous man.
Music Became a Sensation.
The opera, rather lukewarmly re-
ceived at its premier, grew in pop
ularity until it became the sensa-
ton of the time In Palermo. the
audience, in a frenzy of delight
refused TO 60 home even though all
possible encores had been given and
to appease them the conductor had
to call back the departed orchestra
men, gather the cast, in their
street clothes, together and repeat
the final act. Never again was an
indifferent reception to be given
La Boheme."
Great artists have been aSsoci-
ated with the performances of the
work from the Gay it was first pro-
duced under the direction Of ToS-
canini. This sreaat conductor re-
mained the lifelong friend Of Puc-
cini and was associated with the
first performances Of many of his
operas. Only once was this friend
ship threatened when Puccini be-
lived Toscanini had spoken slight
ingly of his operas and had tried
to set the press against him. His
anger was so great that he refused
to have anything to do with Tos-
canini. forgetting that he had once
said of his conducting "Toscanini
has composed this opera a second
time" and calling him in disdain
this pig and this god"
The quarrel was soon settled
however, and il was Toscanini
whom Puccini called in to give in
structions regarding the interpre-
tstion of his last work, "Turandot,"
before he left for the hospital to
undergo an operation for cancer of
the throat that was to prove fatal
1t was Toscanini, who, directing the
premier of "Turandot," for which
Francesca Alfano wrote the con-
cluding passages. turned to the au-
dience at the point where Puccini
left off writing and, with tears
streaming down his face, said
"Here-here the master died"
Wrote Many Great Operas.
Puccini has enriched the world
with many beautiful operas but none
that carries the general appeal in
its lovely melodies as does "Boheme. -
The loves of frail, gentle Mimi and
the poet Rodolfo. and of gay, gen.
rous-hearted Musetta and the
painter, Marcel, evoke the tenderest
music from Puccinis pen while the
carefree life of that quartet of
friends, Rodolfo. Marcel. Schaunard,
the musician and Colline, the philos-
opher, and of that coterie of bohe-
mians of Paris, immortalized many
times over in song and story, finds
a perfect counterpart in the in
fectuous tonal setting of the sympa-
thetic composer.
The opera is full of the little
things" in which Puccini delighted,
the simple dialogue in which Mimi
and Rodolfo tell their little histories.
the little cap which Rodolfo pres
ented to Mimi the pathetic little
shawl that Mimi wears, the little
jokes of Musetta, that moving little
phrase "Addio, senza rancor" before
the famous Farewell duet, Minis
simple pleasure in the muff she
asks for on her death-bed, Col
lines pathetic farewell to his old
coat, all such homely things, yet
glorified by the beauty of music
that steals into the heart and brings
tears to the eyes.
The composer cherished every in
stance of the impression La
Boheme" made upon people. He
never forgot the soldier who,
stricken with dumbness, regained
his voice while playing the third act,
the Englishman who waited "a hours
in the bitter cold to hear the opera
at Covent Garden or those people
in the Polar regions who, he was
told, kept themselves warm by
humming the melodies of La
Boheme" and referred to them often
in his letters. Surely Puccini felt
the truth when he wrote a friend
Almighty God touched me with
His little finger and said write for
the theater-mind, only for the
theater'."