La boheme - Pafos Aphrodite Festival 2010

"Pafos Aphrodite Festival" opens its gate for the twelfth consecutive year aspiring to offer all music aficionados a unique experience leading them through the magic paths of lyric drama.

On 3rd, 4th and 5th September 2010 the Slovak National Opera is going to present the popular opera of Giacomo Puccini La Boheme at the square in front of the Medieval Castle in Pafos.

La Boheme is the 4th in line opera of G. Puccini following Le Villi (1884), Edgar (1889) and Manon Lescaut (1890). The libretto is in Italian and consists of four acts, full of tragic but also comic moments just like real life. It is based on the literary work Scenes de la vie de Boheme by the French author Henry Murger but with characteristic differences in the plot from the original work of Murger. This text was processed by the librettists Luigi Illica (1859-1919) and Giuseppe Giacosa (1847-1906).

La Boheme premiered on 1st February 1896 at the Teatro Regio in Torino. It is a masterpiece which even though doesn't follow a definite form, combines realism with pure Italian melodywith great success. In the context of La Boheme the urban, emotional perception of the artists is portrayed through the description of places, slightly typified description of characters and impressive scenes while the lyric quality of the music valorises the opera of the time.

For further information and reservations the public can contact the Company's office in Pafos at 26822218 or at the all Cyprus toll-free number 8000 8005 as well as visit the company's web page www.pafc.com.cy .

There will be a simultaneous overtitle translation in Greek and English.

La Boheme : the story
Paris, Christmas Eve, 1830.
A group of young artists live, have fun, create and fall in love enjoying every moment of their lives. They are carefree bohemians, urban artists, who project a different, romantic certainly more unconventional perception of every day life, simply not caring about anything else but life, love and art. These are Rodolfo the poet, Marcello the painter, the frail Mimμ, Schaunard the musician, Colline the philosopher and the capricious Mussetta. The poet Rodolfo, the musician Schaunard, the philosopher Colline and the painter Marcello live untroubled in a poor garret. Rodolfo develops a relationship with his frail young neighbour Mimμ, whose melancholic love is the only sadness in their otherwise cheerful life. Meanwhile, Marcello's friend, the cheerful and attractive Musetta forms a relationship with a rich man who buys her nice dresses and jewels hence she abandons Marcello breaking his heart. Mimμ also separates with Rodolfoin the end; however, because of her emotionality she can't bare their separation. So, during a random meeting between Musetta and Marcello they help the old lovers to be reunited again. Finally, they all meet again in the poor garret where the frail Mimμ comes to die in the arms of her beloved Rodolfo.