University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF PUCCINI’S LA BOHÈME

De Athos-Meers, Saundra

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Description

Title
CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF PUCCINI’S LA BOHÈME
Author(s)
De Athos-Meers, Saundra
Issue Date
2016
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Associate Professor Katherine Syer
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Professor Sylvia Stone
Committee Member(s)
  • Assistant Professor Aaron Johnson
  • Associate Professor Yvonne Gonzales-Redman
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Keyword(s)
  • Puccin
  • La
  • Boheme
  • Athos-Meers
  • Franco
  • Zeffirelli
  • Baz
  • Luhrmann
Language
en
Abstract
Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera La bohème remains one of the most well-‐‐known, beloved and oft-‐‐performed operas in the operatic repertoire. In this essay, I explore the various ways that revisionist directors interpret the opera by focusing on productions by Franco Zeffirelli, Baz Luhrmann, Andrea Moses, and Stefan Herheim. Revisionist stage direction and scenography are not recent developments, but reflect a probing interest in the full dramatic realization of an opera. Novelty in programming in the second half of the twentieth century often meant unearthing little known pre-‐‐existing works, or fresh approaches to well-‐‐known repertoire. Modern video and digital technologies have meanwhile brought renewed attention to the visual components of opera production. At the same time, sustained interest in the development and composition of new and sometimes highly experimental operas is correcting decades of a relatively stagnant repertoire pool. As a result, staple repertoire like La bohème and other works from the long nineteenth century no longer draw full houses unless they offer exceptional production value and articulate meaningfully their modern relevance. This study examines a cross-‐‐section of different approaches four directors have taken in order to connect Puccini’s popular opera with audiences in recent years.
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/90206

Owning Collections

Doctoral Project Theses [Option 2] - Music PRIMARY