Everyone has dreamt of leading the bohemian life of a young, free and happy artist, despite being poor. Poverty, however, leads to exclusion and death. With the adaptation of Henry Murger’s Scenes of a Bohemian Life – which depicted the condition of artists in 19th-century Paris – Puccini succeeded brilliantly in depicting ‘ordinary’ men and women in a realistic manner in the fabulous atmosphere of the Latin Quarter. Following an uncertain start when it premiered, La Bohème enjoyed international success and remains one of the most widely loved works in the repertoire. Andreas Homoki brings us a contemporary and thrilling staging in which he seeks contrast between the light and jocular scenes and the deeply gripping or even merciless moments in the story with, of course, the tragic and poignant end of the young Mimi.