Programs · Episode
PUCCINI: La Bohème, LEONCAVALLO: La Bohème
Program: At the Opera
Aired: Saturday, September 26, 2026 @ 6:00 pm
Hosted by Lisa Simeone
Every opera lover knows La Bohème, right? Well, maybe. If we’re talking about the opera by Giacomo Puccini, that’s surely true – it’s among the most popular operas ever composed. But there’s another La Bohème, by Ruggiero Leoncavallo – a composer best-known for his one-act hit Pagliacci. His take on the Bohème story also makes for a beautiful and compelling opera, long overshadowed by Puccini’s drama. At the Opera explores both versions of La Bohème in one episode. The recordings feature singers including Lucia Popp, Barbara Hendricks, and José Carreras.
MORE ABOUT THE OPERA
In the first act of La Bohème, there’s a famous “meet cute” scene for the characters Mimi and Rodolfo. It’s a chance encounter in his shabby, Paris apartment. Mimi is there to ask a favor, and drops something on the floor. As they both fumble for it in the dark, their hands touch. Rodolfo, a tenor, comments on how cold Mimi’s hand is, — “Che gelida manina” — in one La Bohéme’s many famous arias. Opera lovers everywhere recognize it instantly.
But there’s another great tenor aria in La Bohème – called “Testa adorata.” Ever heard of that one? No? If not, there’s a good reason. “Testa adorate” is not from the opera you’re likely thinking about – the blockbuster by Giacomo Puccini. It’s from another version of La Bohème – by composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo, best-known for his one-act potboiler Pagliacci.
The two versions of La Bohéme, by Puccini and Leoncavallo, got their premieres about one year apart. Puccini’s appeared first, in 1896, with Leoncavallo’s opera to follow. Both dramas had been in the works for a few years. There’s some indication that Leoncavallo even offered his outline for Bohéme to Puccini along the way. In any case, Leoncavallo suffered from either extraordinarily bad luck, or bad judgement – or both. Leoncavallo’s opera has a lot to offer. Yet it’s long flown under the radar. And while both operas tell the same story, there are some fascinating differences. For example, Leoncavallo’s big tenor aria, “Testa adorate,” is not sung by Rodolfo. That’s because, in Leoncavallo’s La Bohéme, Rodolfo is a baritone!
Here on At the Opera, we’ll make our way through the familiar La Bohéme story with samples from both operas, in recordings led by conductors Heinz Wallberg and James Conlon, and featuring singers including tenor José Carreras, and sopranos Barbara Hendricks and Lucia Popp.
FEATURED RECORDINGS:
PUCCINI: James Conlon, conductor; National Orchestra of France
Cast: Barbara Hendricks (Mimi); José Carreras (Rodolfo); Gino Quilico (Marcello); Angela Maria Blast (Musetta); Richard Cowan (Schaunard); Francesco Ellero D’Artegna (Colline)
ERATO ECD 75450
LEONCAVALLO: Heinz Wallberg, conductor; Munich Radio Orchestra
Cast: Lucia Popp (Mimi); Bernd Weikl (Rodolfo); Franco Bonisolli (Marcello); Alexandrina Milcheva (Musetta); Alan Titue (Schaunard); Raimond Grumbach (Colline) ORFEO 023 822