La Bohème Transmission Transcript
Item 5 a) READ: Polenzani Show Intro
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Hello. I'm tenor Matthew Polenzani, and I'm sitting on the set of the Cafe Momus, watering hole for the Bohemians of 19th century Paris. The cafe was immortalized in Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece La Bohème and brought to life on the stage of the Met in Franco Zeffirelli's timeless production.
This is where Mimì and Rodolfo, the opera's tragic young love, go on their first date on Christmas Eve in the Parisian Latin Quarter, teeming with life.
There's a reason La Bohème is the Met's most performed opera. It's a classic love story accompanied by some of Puccini's greatest arias and duets. And with today's brilliant cast of rising young stars, the soaring score seems as fresh and spontaneous as ever.
Armenian soprano Juliana Grigoryan, who just two seasons ago was in the Met's Young Artist Program, today stars as the frail seamstress Mimì. The ardent British Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso is the struggling poet Rodolfo, who falls instantly in love with Mimì when she appears at his doorstep.
The on again, off again sweethearts Musetta and Marcello are sung by opera favorites soprano Heidi Stober and baritone Lucas Meachem. La Bohème calls on the company's full forces, including a vast chorus and children's chorus, the incomparable stage crew, that incredible orchestra, and even a donkey named Wanda.
Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson is ready to go to the pit. Here is La Bohème.
STAGE MANAGER: Maestro to the pit, please. Maestro to the pit. [APPLAUSE]
[INTERMISSION]
Item 9 c) INTERVIEW: Polenzani w/ Heidi Stober & Lucas Meachem
HEIDI STOBER: That's amazing.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Hey.
HEIDI STOBER: Oh, thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Hey.
LUCAS MEACHEM: I brought you a fry.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, no thanks. Thanks. {LAUGHTER]
HEIDI STOBER: A cold fry. Do you like cold fries?
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, my gosh, you guys. I do like fries, but cold fries, not so much.
HEIDI STOBER: Cold, yeah, no.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Man, you know, I don’t know how many times I've sung this opera over the years, and I'm standing here on the side, and I'm listening, and I just have a smile on my face. I mean, there's not a note in it that you could change. There's not a moment that you would want to modify.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: It's like utter perfection, right?
LUCAS MEACHEM: That's Puccini, man. That's Puccini.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. It's so good. I mean, how does it feel to be a part of this, like, extravaganza as imagined by director Franco Zeffirelli? Heidi?
HEIDI STOBER: This production is unbelievable, iconic. I mean, I hope it never, never, never goes away. It's such a pleasure and honor to be a part of it. Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah. I loved it too. You?
LUCAS MEACHEM: Che gazzino. That's all you can say about this. Che gazzino. It's—it's such an amazing mess that is somehow amazingly put together beautifully and it all makes sense. I mean, you've got hundreds of people on the stage. There's a dancing bear. Did you see the dancing bear? I hope my son did out there. I'm sure he loved it.
HEIDI STOBER: [LAUGHTER]
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, this opera and this famous production veers from the intimacy of the garret in Act 1 to one of the biggest crowd scenes in all of opera. So Lucas —
HEIDI STOBER: Oh.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: What's it like sharing the stage with Wanda, the donkey and Lora, the horse?
LUCAS MEACHEM: Well, it's — it's selfie-rific because all you do is want to take pictures with the donkey and the horse. I mean, I love taking pictures with Heidi too.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
LUCAS MEACHEM: And, uh, but—but—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: That's being a good colleague.
LUCAS MEACHEM: That's being a good colleague.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Nicely done.
LUCAS MEACHEM: But no, but actually you really have to watch out. When they're coming through, they are coming through. You just must move. It is just part of the scene. You have to get out of the way.
HEIDI STOBER: Yeah. That's right.
LUCAS MEACHEM: I mean, you—you ride in on it.
HEIDI STOBER: I do.
LUCAS MEACHEM: What's it feel like in the carriage?
HEIDI STOBER: You know, you hope that the horse will stop so that you can get off the carriage and— [LAUGHTER]
LUCAS MEACHEM: The horse has trouble sometimes hitting its mark.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, really?
HEIDI STOBER: Yeah.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Yeah, really.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, man. It's so funny. Like, I never noticed it all these times. It always seemed to work perfectly. I guess they know what they're doing.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Oh, yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: Yes, yes.
LUCAS MEACHEM: No, we—we got it today.
HEIDI STOBER: Yes.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Well, let's talk a little bit about your relationship, which is certainly tempestuous, let's say. What do you think Puccini had in mind when he created you two?
HEIDI STOBER: Oh, I think this is the truest love between the two of them.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Really?
HEIDI STOBER: Yes.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: More true than, uh, than Mimì and Rodolfo?
HEIDI STOBER: I'm not saying that that isn't — doesn't have weight as well. But I think they have all the layers and, uh, they can't live without each other.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah?
LUCAS MEACHEM: Well, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're really the yin to each other's yangs and it's true youthful romance. Because, I mean, I remember back in the day, there was tempestuousness in some of my previous romantic endeavors.
HEIDI STOBER: [LAUGHTER]
LUCAS MEACHEM: But like that's what it is, though. It's like, it's not—it's so honest in that way that we really do kind of love and hate each other at the same time, and that just goes back and forth and that leads to the attraction between us.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
LUCAS MEACHEM: It's just part of it.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: And I think it's also solidified in the fourth act. But I won't anything about that.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, no.
LUCAS MEACHEM: No spoilers.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, we can't talk about that.
LUCAS MEACHEM: No spoilers.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Exactly. So we just had Quando me'n vo', Musetta's waltz, one of the most famous, time-stopping arias in all of opera. How do you prepare for that little moment, Heidi?
HEIDI STOBER: Oh, my goodness. I mean, I feel like I've been studying this aria for as long as I can remember. And for me, the thing that I always, um, think about any time I get to sing Musetta now is—is singing it with Henry in my tummy back in 2012 in Houston.
MATTHE POLENZANI: Oh, that's a great memory.
HEIDI STOBER: So, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So that's very special, and he was here and saw two of the performances in this run. And so that's — I don’t know. I think about other amazing moments of preparing and singing this role, so.
LUCAS MEACHEM: That's beautiful.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I mean, the worry — the worry, of course, I mean, we chatted a little before the show about it. It's your one chance.
HEIDI STOBER: That's the moment.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Right? So like, you have to nail it.
HEIDI STOBER: But as we also talked about, I won't say anything about the fourth act, for me, that's—that's really Musetta—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah, yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: —is Act 4.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: So—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You nailed it anyway, so yeah.
HEIDI STOBER: Thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Lucas, in the first act, we saw the camaraderie of the four young Bohemians. In a short rehearsal period, how hard is it to create the chemistry that makes it look like you've been friends for years?
LUCAS MEACHEM: Well, Puccini really wrote it into the part, you know? I mean, you have — you have an author. You have a poet. You have an artist, and you have a—a—a musician. So it's like you've got every level of art sort of maintained in one small garret in Paris. And, you know, they're roommates. You know, they're going to get on each other's nerves. But they wouldn't have become roommates if they didn't have something in common.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Sure.
LUCAS MEACHEM: And it's all that love for art, that love for what it is that we just did out here, what you're watching at home, you know?
HEIDI STOBER: Creating.
LUCAS MEACHEM: It's creative. Creative. Yeah. So that's what—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Hey, guys. Thank you so much for speaking with me.
HEIDI STOBER: It's so nice to see you, Matthew.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Looking forward to seeing — good to seeing you too.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Look forward to seeing the next stage — the next act on stage.
LUCAS MEACHEM: Yeah. Shout out to my son who's watching from the movie theater. Love you, Cash.
HEIDI STOBER: Hey, Cash.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: And Irina, come on. You can't—
LUCAS MEACHEM: And Irina. Can't miss the wife either. Hey, mom.
HEIDI STOBER: And hey, Johann.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: There you go.
Item 9 d) READ: Throw to Met Chorus in La Bohème feature
MATTHEW POLENZANI: So we just saw Act 2 has all the Met's choral force on stage, from children to adults. Overseeing their vocal output is the Met's renowned chorus director, Tilman Michael. He recently shared his thoughts about preparing for this spectacular moment.
Item 10 ROLL-IN B: Tilman Michael on the met Chorus in La Bohème
TILMAN MICHAEL: This scene, Second Act of La Bohème, is one of the most exciting and wonderful scenes in the whole operatic repertoire. We start with the curtain closed, and we have the trumpets at the beginning, and it sounds very festive. And during the music the curtain goes up, and normally we get a big applause there and it's a wonderful moment.
At the Christmas market, and in our production, it feels like it is– the stage is crowded of people and it's so exciting and everybody is looking and buying some things for Christmas. The chorus is shouting here and there.
[ITALIAN SINGING]
So this is how it starts, It’s very rhythmic and very energetic. [ITALIAN] It's almost like yom bom bom bom bom bom bom, so lots of text and lots of rhythm.
[ITALIAN SPEAKING]
Working on the chorus, in the musical rehearsals, we focus first just the normal things like rhythms and text and dynamics, and having everything in in the right place.
So, it shouldn’t be too long, the first one because [ITALIAN]...
Maybe some tempo transitions, but this is all, in a way, just the starting place. At the end it is always about having lots of colors, lots of surprising moments. So having a big variety of sound…
We are just too forte [ITALIAN SINGING]. We need a little less.
…and of musical expressions.
[ITALIAN SINGING]
And then we have also these little gossip moments there. They are talking about Musetta.
One, two, three…
[ITALIAN CHANTING]
And so this is, again, some totally different color there, talking to each other and saying, “Look, there she again, what's her dress today?”
“Oh my god, who is with her today? Oh my god, yes. Let’s do it once again…”
And so it is very funny and very, very different colors there [ITALIAN SINGING].
And then, later, there's this marching music [ITALIAN SINGING], so it's full of different little moments [ITALIAN SINGING].
In a way it's always about organizing all things very well, and structure, but at the end, being able to be free and to have great, wonderful music. Every performance at the end is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. You can't repeat it.
This is part of the big joy of being an artist and making music together, and this is really wonderful.
Item 11: Polenzani Neubauer … / Johnson / Throw to break
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I've sung Rodolfo here at the met more than 20 times, and it's always a thrill to be surrounded by the Met's magnificent chorus.
I'll soon be singing Carmen and can't wait to be on stage with them as they sing Bizet's beautiful melodies.
The Met's Live in HD series is made possible thanks to its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met Live in HD series is in partnership with Rolex.
La Bohème will also be heard later this season over the Robert K. Johnson Foundation Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. We'll be back after a break.
[MUSIC]
Item 13 READ: Throw to Franco Zeffirelli: Directing La Bohème
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Welcome back. The legendary Franco Zeffirelli was one of opera's greatest directors. His sumptuous productions have been synonymous with grand opera at the Met, and a plaque on the side of the stage commemorates his incredible contributions.
Zeffirelli's production of La Bohème had its premier in 1981 with Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras as Mimì and Rodolfo.
At the time, Zeffirelli reflected on his approach to staging Puccini's masterpiece.
Item 14 ROLL-IN C: Franco Zeffirelli: Directing La Bohème
FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI: In many ways, it reminds me of Roméo et Juliette. It's the Roméo et Juliette of Puccini. It's the story of young people, story of a tragic love. A tragic love alternating with great moments of hope and passion and beauty. I never seen a bad Bohème. Might sound incredible, but nevertheless, there is something, this work that you cannot destroy.
As I often do when I'm offered a new production of some works that I really care for, I like to design my own sets. Stems out of my uncertainties in a way, in my early years, where I didn't know if I wanted to be a director or a designer. It's always a big dilemma. Do you do what the author wanted or do you try another experiment, which is what I always tried. To come up, today, with that piece we wrote, we composed about a hundred years ago, and how would he conceive it today? How would Puccini, how would he like to see his piece stage today? So my sets for Bohème are, at the same, time a dream or a past civilization, a past culture, but perfectly understandable. The audience of today…
For instance, the idea of the small garret where four hungry kids live in the Paris of the early 19th-century was never fully achieved on a large opera stage. Became like a warehouse, became a cathedral. And so all the gestures, all the things that happened in that garret had to be larger than life. But the story basically has to be acted very simply in a small space. You know, the Met is this miraculous great theater where you have, first of all, four, five stages that can come in and go out... sink, come up.
And the human element in this stage is quite remarkable, apart from the technical skill they have and the experience. It's an extraordinary atmosphere to work here because there is really the feeling of being in the best place at the right moment. I wonder if anybody could do anything with this. It'll be wonderful. [ITALIAN] La-la-la la la la…
What we have to do is to keep in mind the only essential guiding element that we have at our disposal, which is the music, the musical texture, and try to illustrate it, to visualize it with all the possibilities that modern technique, stage technique, offers.
OK!
My main attention has been to reduce the acting area, make this garret really a little nest where these poor starving kids are living. And that has had a tremendous effect on the whole handling of the acting. Now these people really live, in a believable way, their own little story. It's a little story. Small and beautiful, but small.
Singers make you believe in everything they do and everything they say through the music.
O mio Rodolfo…
I believe in these dramas. I believe in these characters. I love them. In every great creator's life there is a Roméo et Juliette; there is a Bohème. There is a magic moment where everything works. All the good, good memories of the happy years of your youth, your creativeness at its best, comes out miraculously.
And this is the feeling one has through Bohème. There is not a dull moment. Everything works, everything brings you away from the planet of dullness and uninspired, everyday life and makes you dream, makes you feel a better man.
Item 15 a) READ: Polenzani intro to Andrea Chénier rehearsal
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Words of wisdom from an opera immortal. Now I'm three levels below the stage where just behind this door, acclaimed tenor Piotr Beczała and beloved soprano Sonya Yoncheva are rehearsing for the Met's revival of Giordano's Andrea Chénier, set during the French Revolution.
Like La Bohème, it was composed during the verismo period of opera, which combined gritty realism with passionate vocal fireworks. The opera will be seen live in cinemas on December 13th.
Piotr and Sonya are working just now on their Act 4 duet, Vicino a te, having both been sentenced to the guillotine.
[ITALIAN SINGING]
Item 15 c) INTERVIEW Polenzani w/ Piotr Beczala & Sonya Yoncheva
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Rock and roll, you two, right here, you guys.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Hi, Matthew.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Hi, Matthew. It's so nice to see you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You guys, oh, really awesome to hear you both. You sound, you look amazing. I'm really excited for this music with your two voices. And thank you also to Dimitri and, uh, John Keenan for your beautiful help with this beautiful scene. Oh, thank you so much, guys.
Piotr, in Andrea Chénier, you sing the title role of the virtuous poet facing the terrors of the French Revolution and, Sonya, your aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny. What was going on in this scene right here?
SONYA YONCHEVA: That's actually a very important scene —
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: — because, uh, we swear our love together and we're going to die actually together. Yes. I choose the death because he was already condemned, so I choose to die with him.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: It's the best ending of opera, I think.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yes, absolutely.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Of every opera.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Happy end to the death. [LAUGHTER]
MATTHEW POLENZANI: So, Piotr, this is yet another great role you're adding to your extensive Met repertory. What made you decide to take this on?
PIOTR BECZAŁA: It was always a dream for me. Uh, I came to this kind of repertoire pretty late, but, you know, after my experience a couple of years ago with Tosca and, uh, you know, so I decided to do this, to do Chénier because it's just brilliant opera.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: It's not only because it's the title, you know —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, of course.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: It's called Andrea Chénier. It's just brilliant opera. I have— every scene is so well written and it fits to the voice and, uh, it's a lot of fun. And when you have an opportunity to sing with Sonya, this angel, it's just brilliant.
SONYA YONCHEVA: And it's our second Giordano opera together.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yes, it's true.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yes.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: We did Fedora
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah. That's right.
SONYA YONCHEVA: We did Fedora right here.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Of course. Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah, yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: What do you think makes it so easy for you two to be together on stage? Like, you have a terrific rapport. You have a beautiful interaction and chemistry. Like, what makes it possible for you?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Chemistry. Chemistry. It's having blood.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah, and—and we know each other so many years.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, well, it doesn't always go, you know.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah. It is—it is—
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: We create this kind of relationship on the stage and we are good friends after. Uh, no, also this is really works fine. And, uh —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: We did all this big travel from Roméo et Juliette, you know—
SONYA YONCHEVA: Oh, yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Through Bohèmes. And, you know, now we are singing this kind of verismo repertoire. It's really a lot of fun.
SONYA YONCHEVA: We've been singing, yeah, a lot. A lot of—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: But listen, I can just say, as a singer, anyways, you've done it really well, because waiting to add these huge parts means that you've grown into them and your voices are grown into them, your bodies.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: It's a really great thing to hear this standing right next to you especially.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Timing is everything.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: That's right. That's right. Sonya, let's see. I have to say, I mean, like, you and I have sung together a lot, and—
SONYA YONCHEVA: I made my debut with you here.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Wow, is that right?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yes.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Your debut? What was that?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Rigoletto.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah, that was—
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yes, exactly? You see?
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I didn't realize that was your debut.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah. That was my debut.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: So listen, one of the hallmarks of your singing, you have, like, such a great way of marrying the drama and the words and the music making to these characters that touch us so deeply. I mean, talk to me a little bit about your process of bringing that forward.
SONYA YONCHEVA: You know, I just love the stage. I love to be here. I love to—to transport people with not only singing, but also acting. I understand that in opera, acting is as important as singing. And so I like to think that people just go back in their homes and they—they are just transported into another world—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: And with another story, maybe inspiring for their own lives. Who knows?
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You both sing a lot of Puccini, obviously. That's another verismo composer. What do you each find so compelling about verismo repertory?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Well, it's intense.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah. Its — it's —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Well, that's not necessarily —
PIOTR BECZAŁA: It's intensity. Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Intensity.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: And the intensity is already written in the music. You can't sing it, just sing it.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: You have to live it and really transport the emotions through the music, through the voice to the public. This is the biggest difference between also dramatic Verdi, I don't know—
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah, exactly.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Because Verdi is very — it's written very concrete, you know, like, like very, I don’t know —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Slightly more classical in nature.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Yeah. It's— it's— yes—
SONYA YONCHEVA: Structured. Yeah. Exactly.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: And Puccini, Giordano, Leoncavallo and Mascagni, they are all—everything happens, you know, in—
SONYA YONCHEVA: In the gut.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: In the center of gravity.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Sonya, Piotr, thank you so much for this beautiful gift you've just given us. Looking forward to seeing you on stage December 13th for Andrea Chénier.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Oh, yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: In bocca al lupo for that. I'll see you again sometime soon.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Crepi.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Crepi, crepi.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Take care, guys.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you, Matthew.
PIOTR BECZAŁA: Thank you, Matthew.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you.
Item 15 d) READ: Throw to Act 3
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Now let's return to the world of La Bohème and Mimì and Rodolfo. Some time has passed, and so has the first bloom of their love. Here now is Act 3 of La Bohème.
[INTERMISSION]
Item 18 b) INTERVIEW: Polenzani w/ Juliana Grogoryan
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Hey, Juliana.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Hi.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Fabulous. Fabulous.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Thank you. Thank you so much.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Fabulous. You held the end of that senza rancor forever. Beautiful. Fabulous. So great. Thank you for that gift.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Thank you so much. Thank you for such compliments and such a kind words. Right now I'm literally leaving my Cinderella era because, like, everything in here feels like a fairy tale.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. You mean this whole experience or you mean Mimì?
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Yeah. The whole experience with—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: —with such a great team, such a great, uh, cast in—in this wonderful historical building and actually, uh, one, like, one of those, like, highlights that I want to mention. Like, this costume —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Once we were, like, dressing up with my dresser, Leila, and we found, like, one label. You know, that the costumes are —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah, of course. Sure.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: —like, with tons of labels.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: and we found one label which says, like, this costume was worn in '96-'97 season, which means, like, that it's older than me.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. Which is pretty—that's really cool.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I mean, for somebody so young, it's pretty awesome for you to be standing on—like is this, like, a pinch me moment or—
JULIANA GROGORYAN: It's a—it's a huge honor.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: It's a huge honor. Yes. That's pinch me moment. And right now I'm, like, feeling so special because I'm not wearing just a costume.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: I'm wearing the history of the Met, and it's—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: It's unbelievable.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Well, tell me a little bit about Don Dileta. What are you feeling in this moment? What are you trying to convey? What's your emotional state while you're singing this?
JULIANA GROGORYAN: My emotions in here are—you know, I'm singing like a breakup aria, but in deep in my soul, of course I don't want to break up.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: But she understands that she can't, uh, go like that anymore. Uh, she's enough. But actually, she doesn't know the real reason why Rodolfo acting like that. She thinks that he's just, like, jealous and blah, blah, but actually, she's—she's sick and she doesn't realize it. So, um, it's very heartbreaking. But still, it's wonderful that they decide to stay together.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Yeah. And, uh, that's incredible. And the music. I mean, you know, music helps. It's such a — it's written so fantastically —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: —that it just helps. And you—you don't need to do much, like—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Here in this opera, less is more.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, he shows everything. His whole heart. I mean, Puccini's heart is on his — is right out there for everyone to see. You — you guys are bringing that so well to life. So let me ask you now —
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Yeah, sure.
MATTTHEW POLENZANI: We get to get to the hard stuff. Act 4.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Oh, yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: The heartbreak. Talk to me about — talk to me about Sono andati? and, uh, that last aria.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: The last aria. Actually, last aria is my favorite one because she sings what she wants to tell. She sings what she feels inside of her.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: The first aria was like—she was—it was introducing herself. But the fourth act, and, you know, I don't try. As I said, less is more. I don't try to overplay —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Sure.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: —because there is no need.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Because the real heartbreak comes from, uh, Rodolfo's reaction.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: And especially from Freddie's reaction.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: I'm like this. I'm laying like that. And I'm like, oh, no, what are you doing to me? And I wanted, like, literally to cry.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You're right. Simpler is always better. Juliana, thank you so much.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Thank you so much.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You sound amazing.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Can't wait to hear the end of the show.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Good luck, and in bocca al lupo for the rest of it.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Crepi.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I'll see you again.
JULIANA GROGORYAN: Thank you.
Item 18 c) READ: Polenzani throw to musical moods of La Bohème feature
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Puccini's score for La Bohème offers an extraordinary emotional and dynamic range. We recently sat down with maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson to take us through the musical landscape of Puccini's extraordinary score.
Item 19 ROLL-IN D: Mo. Keri-Lynn Wilson on the musical moods of La Bohème
KERI-LYNN WILSON: I just love conducting La Bohème. It's an opera that is filled of extremes–of joy, of laughter, of humor, of joie de vivre, contrasted with anger, jealousy, heartbreak, and of course suffering and pain.
Puccini was a genius orchestrator. He has a palette of orchestral color that always reflect the mood and the atmosphere.
In the first bar it’s one big, bombastic, in-unison motif of the orchestra. He's created this joy and this energy, this rhythm, the pulsating in the orchestra. And then he has the men almost feeling like they're just spontaneously saying something on stage. These characters are so realistic and just enjoying life in this first scene. So it sets the tone for Paris in the 1830s. That is the optimistic view of life–the romantic, bohemian life.
So after this buoyant first scene, suddenly it comes to absolute silence and we hear [knocks] the famous knock of Mimì behind the door. And just softly, the violins play this pedal of an A.
So we're suddenly switched into a whole different mood of suspense, of innocence, of eventual love. And the music couldn't be more romantic and expressive. Very simple melodies, but lush orchestration. He uses every instrument that highlight the words, the poetry. It is a symphonic poem that leaves us all in this euphoric state of romance and love.
Then we come to the pièce de résistance in Puccini’s opera, the Act II scene, which Zeffirelli makes into a world of grandeur. We not only have orchestra, we have a double chorus, children's chorus, we have actors, we have dancers on stage. It's Christmas Eve, so we feel the joy on stage. It's the most over-the-top, fantastic, grand celebration of life right in front of our eyes.
The Third Act is perhaps the most heart-wrenching. We're transported to a mood of much more internal suffering, of vulnerability. He goes into a very slow passage of just atmospheric music. It's the flutes, the harp. They're playing these staccato pianissimo notes, which reflect the snow, which this production is famous for. We feel the chill on stage of the winter atmosphere. It’s slow, it’s brooding orchestral string accompaniment at the beginning. We may feel that the mood has really turned. It's faded from joy into something much more disturbing, that Mimì is genuinely dying, but she's dying in her heart as well, from Rodolfo's jealousy, and it's too difficult to live with him.
So we're seeing relationships now, and the reality of what sometimes is inevitable, from euphoric love to pain and heartbreak.
So as we head into Act IV, we are so emotionally attached to these characters. We see their suffering. We see their joy. And we really feel like this story is no longer a story. We feel like we are experiencing life with them, and that is the beauty of it.
Item 22 READ: PSA / Fundraising / Throw to tape
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Welcome back. Today's iconic production of La Bohème was first seen on television in 1982. Today marks the fourth time it has been presented in cinemas as part of the Live in HD series.
The Zeffirelli staging of this timeless masterpiece is truly extraordinary on screen. But it must be said that it's even better here at the Met. The poignant story of these young bohemians and that glorious music are even more powerful when you witness La Bohème live in person. So please, come to the Met or visit your local opera house to get the full effect.
Today is the second Live in HD transmission of the Met season, and as you can imagine, sharing classic productions like this with audiences around the world is very expensive. Ticket sales cover just a fraction of the costs, and we need opera lovers like you to help make up the difference.
So if you love this art form and you're moved by today's performance, we ask to you please consider making a contribution to the Met. To make a donation, you can visit us at metopera.org/donate. You can also text HDLIVE to 44321 to make a contribution or call us at 212.362.0068. Thank you for your support.
We have seven more cinema transmissions coming up. Let's take a look at what's ahead.
Item 24 READ: Throw to Arabella Clip
MATTHEW POLENZANI: As we just saw, the next live cinema transmission will be Strauss's Arabella, starring soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen in the title role, the young noblewoman searching for love.
The final dress rehearsal was just yesterday, and we have a clip of Rachel singing an excerpt from Arabella's Act I duet with her sister, Zdenka.
Item 26 a) INTERVIEW: Polenzani w/ Rachel Willis-Sørensen
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Rachel Willis-Sørensen with me now. Hi, Rachel.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Hi, Matthew.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Okay, wait. Before we start, I just said it to you, I just have to talk about your Donna Anna for a second because I sang it a lot, and the Anna was one of the easiest, most brilliant things I ever heard. So thanks for that.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: That's so kind. Thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. No, I've heard—I've heard many over the years and lots of great ones, but it was unbelievable. That was my real introduction to you, so I'm happy that I've gotten that —
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Thank you, Matthew. That means a lot. Thank you so much.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah, I've gotten that shot to hear it. So let's talk about Arabella. It's one of Strauss's most gorgeous operas, but it's not as well known, say, as Salome or Elektra. Give us a little background about the opera. What's the story?
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: So Arabella is a 19th century Viennese noblewoman who wants to marry for love, but her family needs her to marry for money because her dad has lost their fortune to a gambling addiction.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Uh, she has a little sister. To save money, they force the little sister to present as male so she can be a chaperone and they can save on gowns. I know. And then the little sister falls in love with one of the suitors. Arabella basically has one more night to choose who she's going to marry to save the family.
But she really wants to marry for love. In Act 1, before we meet her, she sees someone on the street, a stranger, and she falls in love at first sight.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, I love that.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: And then, beautifully she gets to actually be with him. But the opera ends up being much more complex than that. And it shows that a fairy tale is only sustainable with mutual respect and, uh, forgiveness.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: That's pretty cool. What do you love? What do you love most about the opera? What — is there a moment that you've got that you love, or —
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Oh, well, there's sumptuous music. This is a glorious maximalist production and a lot of—
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah, Otto Schenk. Yeah.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Yeah, a lot of philosophy. And certainly, I don't know, the waltzing. I love it all. It's great.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah. So this production by Otto Schenk, uh, dates back to 1983. It's been a showcase for lots of great sopranos, namely, say, Kiri Te Kanawa and Renee Fleming. Perhaps you've heard of them. What would you say? How is it to be following in their, uh, illustrious footsteps?
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Well, it's hard not to be a little intimidated by that very short list of fabulous singers. I have to say, I admire those singers so much, and they'll never be replicated, they'll never be replaced, and I'm so grateful to them for their art that they've left.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Which is fine because we have you now. So, I mean, like —
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: — that's a fine thing to not replicate because you're bringing something glorious, too.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Exactly. I won't be replicated either. That's the beautiful thing about opera.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. Right.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: It's so highly individualized.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. So the cinema transmission of Strauss's Arabella is on November 22nd, two weeks from today. Rachel, thank you for coming in to speak with me.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Thank you, Matthew.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Have fun with it. Enjoy.
RACHEL WILLIS-SØRENSEN: Thank you.
Item 26 b) INTERVIEW: Polenzani w/ Freddie de Tommaso
MATTHEW POLENZANI: And now time for a little more tenor talk. I'm with Freddie Di Tommaso. And Freddie, dude. Hi. Bravo.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Hello.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You sound amazing.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: It's great to hear you singing it.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: I'm having a nice time.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: All right. Talk to me about Rodolfo a little bit. How is it feeling the first time you're singing this on this stage?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Oh, it's amazing, honestly. Obviously, because it's such an iconic production, basically every, everybody has done it. And so getting to, you know, step into those shoes, as it were, it's really, really exciting.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: The Met is one of the — is maybe the world's largest opera house. Do you have to make any sort of vocal adjustments when you're singing here?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: I try not to, but obviously, when you stand out there and you look and see however many thousands of seats, you kind of think, oh, okay, big space, let's go. But no, try to sing just normally.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, you have it completely right, man —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Thank you.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Because the acoustic here is perfect.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: It is. It's good.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: It's surprisingly good for such a big, big space.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. The last time the Met's HD audiences saw you, it was last season as the young, revolutionary Cavaradossi Puccini's Tosca —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah. Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: — which was also your Met debut.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: How would you compare the vocal demands of Rodolfo versus Cavaradossi?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Uh, Rodolfo is kind of a lighter part, generally. I would say. It's — uh, it's a lot more chatty. I would say a lot of the singing is kind of, yes, it has that chatty quality. Uh, there's more scope for playfulness as well I would say with the Rodolfo, which I really like. Uh, you know, it gives me the feeling of, uh, of being back in my, uh, back in my school days and kind of, you know, kind of —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: You know, It's got that bantery feeling.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: No, it's something I missed out on.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Like, when I left college, I didn't get to live with my roommates, my college buddies.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah, yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: All right, so let's talk about Bohème. It's arguably the world's most popular opera.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: What are your thoughts on why it still hits home for so many people?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Uh, I mean, you know, there's the — there's the whole aspect of it being a verismo opera, so veristic operas touching on stories which are more relatable to the everyday person.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Sure.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: And I think so it really speaks to them. Ultimately, it's love story, and everyone can — can relate to that in — in some way, shape or form.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah. Plus the music. Come on.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah, the music. Exactly. He was a master. He was a master. And he — he really knew how to tug on the heartstrings.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: And, uh, and it speaks to people.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You think you're going to keep this part around for a little while?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah, yeah. Definitely.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Is this something you want to keep going with?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah. I mean, so beautiful, isn't it? It's —
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: It's — I don't think I'll ever let it go completely.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, I mean, it's hard to imagine actually even have to — it's hasn't been that — it's been maybe 10 years for me, but I — I mean, I said it earlier. I can't believe how much I was smiling watching the end of Act 2. Anyway —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: So let's talk about some of the other things you've got coming up in the future.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: You have good, good ideas for roles in future years?
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah, you know, I'm just kind of going step by step through into the more dramatic or kind of lirico spinto parts of in Verdi and of Puccini and the other verismo composers.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Sure.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: So, yeah, just, you know, step by step. Kind of one or two debuts per year.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: And, uh, yeah, just enjoying the — enjoying the journey.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Enjoying the ride. Yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Exactly. Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Exactly. Okay, we're going to talk about the end now. Like, I always struggle with the end. Like, the first time, walking out for a bow at the end —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: I'm like — I'm kind of not ready. I mean, do you ever have trouble not getting choked up, like, while you're on the stage because she's —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Oh, completely.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Every time, I'm — I'm more crying than singing at the end.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Oh, yeah.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: I find it very, very hard to deal with, so.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Well —
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Yeah.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Good luck out there.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Thanks very much.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: Enjoy it. Freddie, thanks — thanks for talking to me. In bocca al lupo, the rest.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Thank you. Crepi.
MATTHEW POLENZANI: And I'll see you again. Take care. Ciao.
FREDDIE DE TOMMASO: Cheers. Thank you.
Item 26 c) READ: Throw to Act IV
MATTHEW POLENZANI: We've all witnessed Mimì's declining health and the impact it's had on her love for Rodolfo. Here now is the tragic final act of La Bohème.