Four young, self-proclaimed artists – Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard and Colline - enjoy a carefree life in their Parisian garret. Although none of them are getting anywhere with their art, their creativity knows no bounds when it comes to mastering everyday life. Until one day when the neighbour Mimì knocks on their door and brings something completely new into their lives: love, honesty, responsibility. Rodolfo falls in love with Mimì; however, they do not stay together for long, as life moves on. Yet Mimì is terminally ill and cannot simply slip out of Rodolfo’s life again. “La Bohème” captures the entire fullness of life, comedy as well as tragedy, and is a declaration of love to the vibrant city of Paris.
“When you see the curtain rise on the first act of ‘La Bohème’, you witness the poor music student Giacomo Puccini at the Milan Conservatory. When I chose Henri Murger’s novel ‘La vie de Bohème’ as the basis for an opera text, I requested Illica, the author of the libretto, to design the scenery exactly according to my description of the sparse room I had lived in as a student”, Giacomo Puccini said in 1904.

Michael Hampe’s production from the 2015/16 season brings old Paris back to life with masterful projections and is one of the great gems in Oper Köln’s repertoire.