La Bohème Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Fifth Met Opera Production

Summary: Puccini’s La Bohème was Franco Zeffirelli’s fifth Met Opera production, which debuted during the 1981-1982 Met Opera season.

Italian director Franco Zeffirelli with José Carreras as Rodolfo and Teresa Stratas as Mimì in his new production of Puccini's La Bohème, which debuted in Met Opera's 1981-1982 season; Zeffirelli appreciated the unique combination of talents ("combinazione unica di talenti") that Carreras and Stratas brought to their roles; he concluded: "dove avrei potuto trovare una coppia più perfetta di quella per far rivivere la meravigliosa storia di Mimì e di Rodolfo?" ("where could I find a more perfect match than that to bring to life the wonderful story of Mimì and Rodolfo?"): Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus, via Facebook March 3, 2019

Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème was Franco Zeffirelli’s fourth Met Opera production, which debuted in the 1981-1982 Met Opera season and which has remained in the opera house’s regularly performed repertory for almost four decades.

The Metropolitan Opera debuted Franco Zeffirelli’s new production of La Bohème on Monday, Dec. 14, 1981, in the opera house’s 823rd performance of the poignant Parisian opera by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). The new production received 20 performances in the 1981-1982 Met Opera season.

Involvement by Franco Zeffirelli (Feb. 12, 1923-June 15, 2019) in La Bohème marked his first production of a Puccini opera at the Metropolitan Opera. His next two collaborations with the opera house added two more popular Puccini operas to his Met Opera portfolio. Zeffirelli produced Tosca in the 1984-1985 season and Turandot in the 1986-1987 season.

Zeffirelli designed the sets for his new staging of La Bohème. His production team comprised Peter J. Hall as costume designer and Gil Wechsler as lighting designer. Hall had made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the 1971-1972 season premiere of Zeffirelli’s new production of Otello by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). Wechsler had made his Metropolitan Opera debut Jan. 18, 1977, in the opera company’s 74th performance of Le Prophète by 19th-century Prussian-Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

James Levine (born June 23, 1943) conducted the new production’s season premiere and 16 of the season’s 20 performances. The Metropolitan Opera’s second music director had made his Metropolitan Opera debut June 5, 1971, in the opera company’s 539 performance of Puccini’s Tosca.

Jeffrey Tate conducted three of the opera’s eight performances in February 1982. The English conductor had made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 26, 1980, in the opera company’s 11th performance of Lulu by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

Teresa Stratas (born May 26, 1938) sang Mimì opposite José Carreras (born Dec. 5, 1946) as Rodolfo for the production’s season premiere. The Canadian operatic soprano had made her Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 28, 1959, as Poussette in the opera company’s 187th performance of Manon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912). The Catalan operatic lyric tenor had made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 18, 1974, as Cavaradossi in the opera company’s 576th performance of Puccini’s Tosca.

The Metropolitan Opera has staged 35 revivals in the 38 seasons since Franco Zeffirelli debuted his new production of Puccini’s La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 22, 2019

The Metropolitan Opera has staged revivals in 35 of the 38 seasons since the 1981-1982 season’s debut of Zeffirelli’s La Bohème. The production has skipped only three seasons in the interim.

The first three revivals were staged successively after the production's Dec. 14, 1981, debut, in seasons 1982-1983 through 1984-1985. No revival was offered in the 1985-1986 season.

The fourth through 14th revivals took place, for 11 successive seasons, in seasons 1986-1987 through 1996-1997. No revival was offered in the 1997-1998 season.

The 15th through 28th revivals were staged, over 14 successive seasons, in seasons 1998-1999 through 2011-2012. No revival was offered in the 2012-2013 season.

The Metropolitan Opera launched the current, fourth set of successive revivals in the 2013-2014 season. The 2019-2020 season’s revival marks the seventh successive revival since the 2013-2014 season and the 35th revival since the production’s 1981-1982 season debut.

La Bohème’s closing night in the 2019-2020 Met Opera season occurred Thursday, May 7. Closing night numbered as the season’s 16th performance and as the 525th performance of Zeffirelli’s production.

Puccini’s La Bohème received its Metropolitan Opera premiere on Nov. 9, 1900. The opera received 15 performances in the 1900-1901 season. From its premiere in 1900 through the 2019-2020 season’s closing night, La Bohème has tallied 1,347 performances. Thus far, Zeffirelli’s production accounts for 39 percent of the opera house’s performances of La Bohème.

The takeaways for La Bohème as Franco Zeffirelli’s fifth Met Opera production are that the Italian designer and director’s staging marks his first involvement in a Puccini opera at the Metropolitan Opera and that Zeffirelli’s La Bohème has tallied 525 performances and experienced 35 revivals in the 38 years since its 1981-1982 season debut.

Rosalind Elias sang in the Met Opera debuts of Zeffirelli’s stagings of Falstaff and Antony and Cleopatra; Paul Plishka sang in debuts of Zeffirelli’s productions of Otello, Turandot and Aida; Angela Gheorghiu sang in the debut of Zeffirelli's Carmen production; Justino Díaz sang in the debut of Zeffirelli’s staging of Antony and Cleopatra: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 15, 2019

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Italian director Franco Zeffirelli with José Carreras as Rodolfo and Teresa Stratas as Mimì in his new production of Puccini's La Bohème, which debuted in Met Opera's 1981-1982 season; Zeffirelli appreciated the unique combination of talents ("combinazione unica di talenti") that Carreras and Stratas brought to their roles; he concluded: "dove avrei potuto trovare una coppia più perfetta di quella per far rivivere la meravigliosa storia di Mimì e di Rodolfo?" ("where could I find a more perfect match than that to bring to life the wonderful story of Mimì and Rodolfo?"): Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus, via Facebook March 3, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/825411367794343/

The Metropolitan Opera has staged 35 revivals in the 38 seasons since Franco Zeffirelli debuted his new production of Puccini’s La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 22, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10162094339225533/

Rosalind Elias sang in the Met Opera debuts of Zeffirelli’s stagings of Falstaff and Antony and Cleopatra; Paul Plishka sang in debuts of Zeffirelli’s productions of Otello, Turandot and Aida; Angela Gheorgiu sang in the debut of Zeffirelli's Carmen production; Justino Díaz sang in the debut of Zeffirelli’s staging of Antony and Cleopatra: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 15, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10162064567055533/

For further information:

“Debut: Jeffrey Tate.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 263130 Lulu {11) Metropolitan Opera House: 12/26/1980.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=263130

“Debut: José Carreras.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 239630 Tosca {576) Metropolitan Opera House: 11/18/1974.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=239630

“Debut: Peter J. Hall.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 228890 New Production Otello {184) Metropolitan Opera House: 03/25/1972.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=228890

“Debut: Raimund Herincx, Gil Wechsler, Stuart Sebastian.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 248030 Le Prophète {74) Metropolitan Opera House: 01/18/1977.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=248030

“Debuts: Luigi Alva, Leonard Bernstein, Franco Zeffirelli.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 197440 New Production Falstaff {67} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/6/1964.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=197440

“Debuts: Peter Glossop, James Levine.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 225710 Tosca {539} Metropolitan Opera House: 06/05/1971.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=225710

“Debuts: Teresa Stratas, Joan Wall.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 183010 Manon {187} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/28/1959.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=183010

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus. "New York, Metropolitan Opera House, 1981. A quasi 20 anni dal successo scaligero, va in scena la Bohème diretta da Zeffirelli con Teresa Stratas e José Carreras. 'Soltanto la graziosa, minuta e vibrante Teresa Stratas, poteva affrontare e vincere questa difficile battaglia. E solo José Carreras poteva offrire un aspetto così forte e giovanile da saperle dare sicurezza e speranza. Era una combinazione unica di talenti: dove avrei potuto trovare una coppia più perfetta di quella per far rivivere la meravigliosa storia di Mimì e di Rodolfo?' FZ. Giovedì 7 marzo, L'Archivio Mai Visto: la Bohème di Zeffirelli a cura di Caterina d'Amico https://bit.ly/2XjNq1l." Facebook. March 3, 2019.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/photos/pb.100063789780327.-2207520000./825411367794343/
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/825411367794343/

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli. “New York, Metropolitan Opera House, 1981. A quasi 20 anni dal successo scaligero, va in scena la Bohème diretta da Zeffirelli con Teresa Stratas e José Carreras. 'Soltanto la graziosa, minuta e vibrante Teresa Stratas, poteva affrontare e vincere questa difficile battaglia. E solo José Carreras poteva offrire un aspetto così forte e giovanile da saperle dare sicurezza e speranza. Era una combinazione unica di talenti: dove avrei potuto trovare una coppia più perfetta di quella per far rivivere la meravigliosa storia di Mimì e di Rodolfo?' FZ Giovedì 7 marzo, L'Archivio Mai Visto: la Bohème di Zeffirelli a cura di Caterina d'Amico ➡ https://bit.ly/2XjNq1l.” Facebook. March 3, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/photos/a.521465231522293/825411367794343/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Andrea Velis Made Beppe Role Debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag." Earth and Space News. Monday, July 6, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/07/andrea-velis-made-beppe-role-debut-at.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Antony and Cleopatra Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Second Met Opera Production." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 15, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/antony-and-cleopatra-was-franco.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Cav Pag Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Third Met Opera Production.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 22, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/cav-pag-was-franco-zeffirellis-third.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Franco Zeffirelli Made His Met Opera Debut in Staging Verdi’s Falstaff." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 1, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/franco-zeffirelli-made-his-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Grace Bumbry Made Santuzza Role Debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 29, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/grace-bumbry-made-santuzza-role-debut.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “La Bohème Is Feb. 24, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/02/la-boheme-is-feb-24-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “La Bohème Is the Jan. 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 20, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/01/la-boheme-is-jan-25-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Luigi Alva Made Met Opera Debut in Zeffirelli’s Falstaff Production." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 8, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/luigi-alva-made-met-opera-debut-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Only Two of 11 Zeffirelli Productions Are Still Revived at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 25, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/05/only-two-of-11-zeffirelli-productions.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Otello Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Fourth Met Opera Production.” Earth and Space News. Monday, July 13, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/07/otello-was-franco-zeffirellis-fourth.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Legendary director Franco Zeffirelli (1923–2019), who created 11 Met productions between 1964 and 1998, worked with many of opera’s greatest artists, from Leontyne Price to Leonard Bernstein to Plácido Domingo. Look back on his unparalleled career with this collection of snapshots of him at work. Photo: In rehearsal with Teresa Stratas and José Carreras for the now-legendary 1981 staging of Puccini's La Bohème Photo courtesy of Met Archives.” Facebook. June 22, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10162094339225533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “The Met mourns the loss of director Franco Zeffirelli, one of the great visionaries in our company's history. From Falstaff in 1964 to La Traviata in 1998, he created 11 Met productions in all, and his classic La Bohème, which premiered in 1981, remains the most-performed staging in the company's history. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. Photo: A tribute to Zeffirelli, center, on the Met stage between acts of a 2008 performance of his beloved production of La Bohème. With him, from left to right, are Rosalind Elias, Paul Plishka, Angela Gheorghiu, Justino Díaz, and Peter Gelb. Photo by Marty Sohl / Met Opera.” Facebook. June 15, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10162064567055533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: La Bohème.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 25000 Metropolitan Opera Premiere La Bohème {1} Lucia di Lammermoor: Mad Scene. Los Angeles, California: 11/9/1900.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=25000

“New Production: La Bohème.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 266920 New Production La Bohème {823} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/14/1981.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=266920

“Opening Night {106}.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 302010 La Bohème {953} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/24/1990.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=302010

Plotkin, Fred. “Remembering Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019).” WQXR > Operavore. June 17, 2019.
Available @ https://www.wqxr.org/story/remembering-franco-zeffirelli-19232019/