In the cold of winter, an exuberant poet lives in poverty with his three bohemian flatmates. His heart is warmed when he falls in love with his fragile neighbour, but then her illness takes a turn for the worse. In Opéra de Monte Carlo's production of Puccini’s beloved opera, set in Paris to the interwar period, the artists’ misery looks more like a chosen lifestyle than a suffered fate. Jean-Louis Grinda’s sumptuous staging reflects on Puccini’s romantic glorification of the precariousness of the human condition.

Following her performances in recent seasons in Verdi’s La travita on the world’s major opera stages – the Metropolitan, New York, La Scala, Milan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Paris Opera – Diana Damrau has become the primary interpreter of Violetta, arguably opera’s most iconic character. This DVD release is from Paris Opera production of June 2014, when the German soprano appeared in a new production – inspired by the paintings of Manet – by the film director Benoit Jacquot. This critically acclaimed production was conducted by Francesco Ivan Ciampa, with a cast including Francesco Demuro and Ludovic Tezier.

Final performance of the 1974 John Copley production. Live from ROH June 10 2015.

Puccini’s heartbreaking story of young love in the garrets of Belle Epoque Paris has attracted many famous singers through the years. But with James Levine at the helm and the starry duo of Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto as Rodolfo and Mimi, every bit of emotion in the score pours across the footlights and seduces the audience. In this case, the audience was in the millions since this was the very first in the “Live from the Met” series of telecasts. The evocative production is by Fabrizio Melano, designed by Pier Luigi Pizzi.

The classic opera about falling into and out of love, friendship, and loss. Mimi and the poet Rudolfo, the painter Marcello and Musetta are the lovers; the musician Schaunard and philosopher Colline round out the set of friends living life rather close to the edge in Paris' Left Bank.

In the 50's, in Paris, the neighbors Rodolfo and Mimi meet each other when Mimi's candle blows out in a cold and dark night. They immediately fall in love for each other, in times of financial difficulties in the post-war. Rodolfo introduces Mimi to his close friends Marcello and his beloved Musetta; Colline; and Schaunard and together they have a good-time in Café Momus. Some time later, Mimi tells Marcello that she can not support the jealousy of Rodolfo any longer and when Marcello discuss with Rodolfo, Mimi overhears the real reason for the behavior of her beloved Rodolfo.

1982 revival of 1974 John Copley production.

Paris, 1910. On Christmas Eve, a young woman knocks on her neighbor's door to borrow some lamp oil. A touching romance is ignited even as the young woman becomes very sick.

The musical notes of this Puccini masterpiece provide the starting point and foundation for a new, highly successful collaboration between Riccardo Chailly and Davide Livermore. In their interpretation, there is “no moment, no movement, that goes against the musical meaning” (R. Chailly). The result is an energetic, authentic, and atmospherically strong Bohème, “in which every sacred phrase receives its own orchestral colour, its own dynamic and its own expression.” (Corriere della Sera)

The burning lyricism, the minute painting of details, the fresh liveliness of the conversation scenes and the sophistication of orchestration, all contribute to making La Bohème one of the most original creations in the history of opera.