Puccini's ``La Bohème'' has long been loved as one of the greatest operas. The youthful days of young artists who are passionate about their creations while living a barely-there life in Paris. This masterpiece, which dramatizes their vacillating emotions, has captivated opera fans around the world since its premiere in Turin in 1896. Its influence is wide-ranging, and it is widely known for being the basis for the hugely popular Broadway musical ``RENT.'' The other day, I saw the movie version of ``La Bohème: New York Love Song''.
The producer of ``La Bohème New York'' is Rumiko Hasegawa, the founder of Asia's first opera company, ``More Than Musical,'' whose concept is to present opera in a new format that is relevant to modern times. She worked for Goldman Sachs, a major US securities company, for 19 years, becoming the first Japanese woman to co-manage the company, before retiring in 2012. After serving as a director of Opera Hong Kong, she started her own opera company. He has a unique background in starting a business. This work has been reborn as a completely new musical film, with bold changes such as changing the setting of ``La Bohème'' from 1830s Paris to modern New York, and placing an Asian person as the main character. Overwhelming singing and originality by up-and-coming opera singers depicts young artists trying to enjoy their youth with dreams and passion despite facing various hardships such as inequality, poverty, and minorities. Beautiful visuals and a rich sense of emotion.
We are creating a new opera experience where the younger generation, who were previously unfamiliar with opera, can enjoy music along with the modern New York lifestyle. The show is full of emotion with overwhelming singing by up-and-coming opera singers and unique visual beauty. I was surprised to see that Rodolfo and Mimi are an Asian couple, and the other cast members also have a sense of diversity, making me realize once again that opera is an art without borders.
This is a must-see for both classical music fans and those who are new to opera. It will be shown nationwide at TOHO Cinemas Chante and other theaters starting October 10th (Friday).
◆“La Bohème New York Love Song”
Director: Layne Letmar Composer: Giacomo Puccini / Music Director: Sean Kelly Producer: More Than a Musical (Rumiko Hasegawa)
Starring: Bijou Zhang, Xiang Zwen, Larisa Martinez, Luis Alejandro Orozco, Hidenori Inoue, Anthony Ross Costanzo, Yi Yang
2022 / Hong Kong / America / Scope size / 96 minutes / Color / Italian / 5.1ch / Original title "La bohème: A New York Love Song" / Japanese subtitle translation: Yukiko Furuta / Distribution: Franny & Co. Cinemedia Lumiere/Eirin classification
© 2022 More Than Musical.All Rights Reserved.
Mio Shimamura
Since 2017, as the representative and editor-in-chief of Premium Japan,
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