Composer – Giacomo Puccini
Born in Lucca, Tuscany on 22 December 1858 and died in Brussels on 29 November 1924, Giacomo Puccini was hailed as “one of the greatest exponents of operatic realism, who virtually brought the history of Italian opera to an end”. He was the son of a choirmaster and organist. Upon the death of his father when he was only five-years-old, Puccini was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as organist and choirmaster at San Martino. In 1872 he did begin his career as a local church organist. However, a performance of Verdi’s Aida at Pisa in 1876 made such a great impact that it inspired him to pursue his passion in operatic composition. In 1880, Puccini was enrolled into the Milan Conservatory of Music. Throughout his life, Puccini penned numerous memorable and enchanting arias for his operas, which are still widely enjoyed by audiences worldwide.
La Bohème was one of Pucinni’s three collaborations with librettists Luigi IlIica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Based on the novel Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger, Puccini’s La bohème was widely considered a masterpiece with its mixture of lighthearted and sentimental scenes.
Highlights of the Opera
"I put all my soul in Boheme, and I love it boundlessly. I love its creatures more than I can say"
"La Bohème is the opera I love most. It is a very real and contemporary story. Rodolfo and Mimi are very much human - they are not symbols or heroes - they are simple people; they love, they work and they fight. Like most of us do. Undoubtedly, Puccini's music is ‘la musica dei sentimenti’, the music of feelings, passion and tears"
Check out the enchanting arias in La Bohème:
Che gelida manina from Act 1
Rodolfo and Mimi are in the darkness together. Mimi has come to relight her candle. Rodolfo is struck by Mimi’s fragile beauty and falls in love with her. Mimi has lost her key, and Rodolfo pretends to look for it. In the darkness their hands touch. Rodolfo tells her about himself and his life.
Mi chiamano Mimi, from Act 1
Rodolfo confesses his love for Mimi, and asks her to tell him more about herself. Mimi explains that she does embroidery to make a living and likes the simple things in life. She tells Rodolfo her name is Lucia, although others call her Mimi.
Quando m’en vo’, from Act 2
Musetta notices her former boyfriend Marcello. In an attempt to get his attention, she sings of how her beauty always gets noticed by others.
Donde lieta usci, from Act 3
Rodolfo and Mimi have had an argument. Rodolfo blames Mimi for flirting with other men and wants to separate from Mimi, but in fact Rodolfo knows that Mimi is very sick and he cannot bear to watch her die. He confides in Marcello, but Mimi overhears him and, after Marcello leaves, she comes out to him and asks him to return all of her possessions to her former room.
Vecchia zimarra from Act 4
At the height of merry-making, Musetta bursts in with Mimi, who is seriously ill. She says that her hands are cold. In order to buy her something to keep her hands warm, Musetta sells her earrings for medicine and Colline decides to pawn his overcoat, to which he sings farewell.
Cast
Mimi
Nancy Yuen
Soprano / Singapore
One of the most outstanding and exciting singers from Asia, Nancy Yuen made her debut with the Welsh National Opera, singing the title role of Madama Butterfly upon graduation from Royal Academy of Music, London, to great critical acclaim and has since repeated the role all over the world, notably with the English National Opera, West Australian Opera, Opera Queensland, Opera Northern Ireland, Singapore Lyric Opera, Bangkok Opera, Hong Kong Opera, the New Zealand International Festival of Arts, the Barbados Opera Festival and the Royal Albert Hall for Raymond Gubbay Limited in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
Other starring operatic roles include Romilda (Xerxes), Violetta (La Traviata), Aida, Gilda (Rigoletto), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Leonora (Il Trovatore), Tosca, Liza (The Queen of Spades), Mimi (La Boheme), Jenny (Mahagony Songspiel), Micaela (Carmen), Pamina (Die Zauberflute), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Liu (Turandot) and Countessa (Le Nozze di Figaro)
A celebrated recitalist and versatile concert artist, she performs regularly with major orchestras and choral societies. New works including the leading roles of operas, Mae Naak and Ayudhya and cantata Zheng He have been written for her golden, angelic voice. Highlights in 2008 included Violetta and Liu with SLO, more Cio-cio-sans in the U.K., concerts in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Rodolfo (29 Jan, 1 & 3 Feb)
Kota Murakami
Tenor / Japan
Kota Murakami studied at the Tokyo College of Music and was trained at the New National Theatre Young Artists Programme. His musical training took him to R. Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna. He has sung many roles as primo uomo in the youngest generation that includes Rodolfo in La Boheme, Don Jose in Carmen, Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and a young sailor in Tristan und Isolde. In 2008 and 2009, he sang in La Folle Journee au Japon in Tokyo.
He is a member of Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation and his next engagement with the Foundation is an Italian tenor in Capriccio.
Rodolfo (30 Jan & 2 Feb)
Simon Kyung Lee
Tenor / US, South Korea
This former child actor Simon Kyung Lee appeared in two major motion pictures in his native Korea (as "Kyung Jae Lee") before the idea of singing opera ever entered his mind. He began his musical training in his hometown of Busan, Korea. He spent the summer of 2003 studying in Italy, where it was discovered that he had a natural affinity for the verismo style. In 2004 Mr. Lee performed in recitals at the first annual Festival Notte Musicali Modenesi in Modena.
His recent engagements include Tenor Solo for Haydn’s Paukenmesse with New England Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Giles Corey (Crucible) with Chamber Opera Chicago, Cavaradossi (Tosca) with Kansas Puccini Festival, 3rd Jew (Salome) with Opera Company of North Carolina and Luigi (Il Tabarro), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) with Kansas City Puccini Festival. He had rave reviews from critics as Calaf (Turandot) with Kansas City Puccini Festival and Utah Festival Opera in 2005.
Additional roles in this versatile Tenor's repertoire include Alfredo (La Traviata), Radames (Aida), Manrico (Il Trovatore), Riccardo (Un Ballo in Maschera), Rodolfo (La Boheme) and even rarely heard Verdi works of I Lombardi (Chicago Premiere with da Corneto Opera as Arvino). A two time recipient of awards from the National Bel Canto Foundation (in 1999 and 2000), He has utilized his flair with Italian music to his advantage in scores of solo concerts and recitals throughout the Midwest, including a 1996 gala concert in which the musical artists of North and South Korea performed together on the same Chicago stage for the first time in History. In addition to his stage and concert work, this rare performer has been a frequent guest on many Chicago radio and TV programs.
Marcello
Song Kee Chang
Baritone / South Korea
Kee Chang Song studied at the Kyong Won University, where he obtained a diploma and Masters degree in Singing at the Korean National University. He studied at the Marseille National Opera Centre (CNIPAL-full scholarship) and Ecole Noramal de Paris in France. He studied at the Parma Orfeo Academia in Italy.
From January 2000 to 2002, he gave recitals at the Marseille and Avignon Operas (Foyers), as well as in Aix-en-Provence. In May 2000, he performed in The Young Voice of Opera at the National Opera Theatre of Besancon in France. In July 2001, he sang Mozart's Messe in C Minor with the Orchestra Regional of Cannes Provence-Alpes-d'Azur, under the direction of Philippe Bender. In 2002, Song appeared in Radio France's France Music program. In 2003, he played the Count in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro performing in France, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Cuba.
Song has achieved several awards throughout his career, including the 1st prize in the UFAM International Competition, Paris and the Giuseppe di Stefano Competition in Italy.
Song's notable roles include Germont in La Traviata, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Papageno in The Magic flute, Marcello in La Bohème, title role in Don Giovanni and Gianni Schichi, Falke in Die Fledermaus, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore, to name a few.
Musetta
Kristin Symes
Soprano / US, Singapore
American coloratura soprano Kristin Symes is a rising star in the firmament. She possesses a remarkable coloratura soprano voice with a beautiful tone quality. She is a graduate of Luther College, USA where she graduated cum laude in voice and studied with Dr. David Judisch and Dr Jessica Paul. In Singapore, she has continued her studies with Ms Alexandra Novicova and Mr Phillip Green.
Her unusual versatility enables her to render moving performances of both operatic and oratorio repertoire. She was a soloist in Singapore Lyric Opera's Opera in the Park. Kristin Symes was a prize winner in the International Delphic Games in Russia. Other engagements have included solo recitals at Singapore American School for an invited audience. Equally successful as a concert singer, Symes was the soprano soloist in Hadyn's Nelson Mass and Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Confessore. Kristin Symes was invited to perform with Opera Viva in their Baroque Pearls and Broadway Gems Gala Concert.
Kristin Symes makes her operatic debut in the role of Musetta with the Singapore Lyric Opera's production of La Bohème.
Colline
Martin Ng Hon Wai
Bass / Singapore
Born in Singapore in 1977, Martin studied at the State Conservatory of Verona "Dall'Abaco". He commenced his musical studies under Joy Chen and subsequently under Rudolf Knoll and Sergio di Bari. Martin is presently studying under Maestra Chu Tai-Li.
He won the International Singer of the Year Award in 2002 organised by the Singapore Lyric Opera and thereafter made his debut in 2005 with the company as Prince Yamadori in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. His other operatic roles include Timur in Puccini's Turandot (SLO 2008), King Balthazar in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors (SLO 2005), Ferrando Verdi's Il Trovatore (Opus One Opera 2006-2007), Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca (Opus One Opera 2006-2007), Colline in Puccini's La Boheme (Opus One Opera 2006- 2007).
Future engagements include Uberto in Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona and bass soloist for Mozart’s Requiem.
Schaunard
Brent Allcock
Baritone / New Zealand
Brent is a native New Zealander recently moved to Singapore from Australia. Over the most recent years he has performed with Opera Australia, Opera New Zealand, Canterbury Opera, many regional Australian Opera companies and Singapore Lyric Opera.
Roles performed include: Ping (Turandot), Silvio (Pagliacci), Valentin (Faust), Bartolo (Barber of Seville), Dandini (Cenerentola), Dancairo (Carmen), Falke (Die Fledermaus), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Mercutio (Romeo & Juliette), Schaunard (La Boheme), Sailor (Dido & Aneus), Spalanzani & Crespel (Tales of Hoffmann), Sir Joseph Porter (HMS Pinafore), King Hildebrand (Princess Ida), Robin Oakapple (Ruddigore), Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance) and numerous operetta musicals including over 85 performances as Billy Bigelow in Carousel.
Brent was the recipient of numerous vocal scholarships and awards with over 50 national competition prizes including Australian National Aria; Governor General of Australia's Shield; New Zealand Herald Aria, Fletcher Jones Aria, Lockwood Aria (NZ), Patricia Fagan Scholarship, Championship Royal South Street, Arnold Matters Scholarship.
He was awarded a scholarship by the New Zealand Arts Council to study in Italy and attend master classes with Luciano Pavarotti and Lorin Mazzel. In 1996 he with invited to sing with Kiri Te Kanawa for "Opera in the Park" (NZ) before a live audience of 350,000. He was awarded the Governor-Generals Shield for Opera in 1997 by the Governor General of Australia. In 1998 Brent was awarded an Opera Australia Foundation scholarship by Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge.
Brent was a regular performer with Opera Australia during the past 10 years. Performing in Cosi fan Tutte, Billy Budd, Lohengrin, IL Trittico, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, Mastersingers of Nuremburg, Otello, Don Giovanni, Lady Macbeth of Mitensk, Faust, Lucia di Lammermoor, Dido & Aneus, Iolanthe, Der Freishutz and Turandot.
In Australia & New Zealand he was a regular performer in Oratorio & on the concert platform and hopes to continue his craft in Singapore.
Benoit / Alcindoro
William Lim
Baritone / Singapore
Born in Singapore, William Lim studied under Michael Rippon in The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong, Rudolf Pierney in The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and Patrick McGuigan in The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. He was awarded the Silver Rose Award at the Rosa Ponselle International Voice Competition, New York.
William has sung in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, Bizet’s Carmen, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, The Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Verdi’s La Traviata, Ernani, Rigoletto, Leoncavallo’s Pagliaccii, Die Fledermaus, Suchraritkul’s Mae Naak, Weill’s Street Scenes, Beethoven’s “9th Symphony”, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah”, “St. Pauls”, Mozart’s “Requiem”, Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion”, “B Minor Mass”, “Haydn’s “Nelson Mass”, “The Creation”, etc - all these in collaboration with The Singapore Lyric Opera, The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Hong Kong Oratorio Society, The Hong Kong Singers, The Bangkok Opera, The Penang Art’s Council, Friends of the Scottish Opera, Choral Trust Chamber Ensemble in Nottingham (England), Lleisiau Gwent Choral Society (Wales) and Orpheus Choir (England).
In recent years, William sang My Dream for the National Day Parade (2001) as well as the Olympic Anthem for the 2005 IOC Opening.
For 2006, William has sung Dottore Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Bass solos in Bach’s “Mass in B minor”and Poulenc’s Le Bal Masque. Silver Screen Concert for Singapore Lyric Opera.
For 2007, William has sung in SLO’s “Viva Verdi” and Basilio in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. And SSO’s “Seven Last Words from the Cross” by MacMillan.
For 2008, William will take part in The Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s “Mass in B minor by Bach”, “Te Deum” by Charpentier, Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” and Donizetti’s “Il Campanello di Notte”. And Weill’s “Three Penny Opera” for Bangkok’s NUNI production.
