La Boheme

Four Bohemians in La Boheme

Four Bohemians named Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard, and Colline are featured in the French play La Boheme, which is set in Paris. They are content despite how miserable they are. On Christmas Eve, they decide to visit a bar. Rodolfo is still working on his poem, but he promises to join them later (Richardson, 1969). The candle goes out as Mimi approaches Ridolfo’s door in quest of another source of light. As the two characters look for Mimi’s lost key, they come into contact with each other and fall in love.

Symbolism of Wotan in Die Walküre

Wotan, who serves as the ruler of the gods in Act I of Die Walküre, is a representation of omnipotent force devoid of reason. This is symbolic as it is a representation of aristocracy during the reign of Wagner. As the act comes to a conclusion, Siegmund grows fearless as he tries to protect the innocent victims on earth and gets injured as he fights his enemies in the forest (Wagner, Ernst, & Jameson, 1993). Siegmund comes across a hut built around a tree, where he meets his twin sister who he had not known. He tries to free her from her cruel husband, but then they find a one-eyed stranger who turns out to be their father.

Theme of Love and National Spirit

In both excerpts, there is a reunion or relationship between the characters as the first acts come to an end. The theme of love is evident in both Acts. However, in La Boheme, the characters have an intimate or romantic relationship but Die Walküre involves a maternal relationship (Madsen & Geringer, 2008). The two musical compositions have levered the piano as the favorite instrument showing indicating a reunion of their relationships. It is notable that Die Walküre is set in Germany while Puccini’s La Boheme is set in France, hence have a different national spirit.

References

Madsen, C. K., & Geringer, J. M. (2008). Reflections on Puccini’s La Boheme: Investigating a model for listening. Journal of Research in Music Education, 56(1), 33-42.

Richardson, J. (1969). The Bohemians: La vie de Bohème in Paris, 1830-1914. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Wagner, R., Ernst, A., & Jameson, F. (1993). Die Walküre. Eulenburg.