La bohème (THE BOHEMIAN), one of the most beloved and commercially-successful operas, is based on the 1851 novel Scenes of Bohemian Life by Henri Murger. With a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) worked on it from 1893 to 1895. It first appeared at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 1, 1896, conducted by 28-year-old Arturo Toscanini. Weighed negatively against Turin's recent Italian premiere of the Wagner opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG, it received a lukewarm response from audience and critics. A few months later, concertgoers filled opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic to hear it. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2+1(EH).2+1(BCl).2: 4.3.3+1(BTbn).0: Timp.Perc(6-7): Hp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Banda (6Picc, 6Tpt, 6SD): Vocal soli (10 roles, SSTTBBBBBB): Chorus. Reprint edition.