(Your hand is so cold…Yes. They call me Mimì…Oh sweet girl)
Act I
More than a mere meet-cute, this sequence of three numbers is the most moving depiction of love-at-first-sight in operatic history. Grasping Mimì’s frigid hand, Rodolfo introduces himself in a soaring, dreamy aria that encapsulates his poetic soul. Mimì responds bashfully, her gentle line swelling in confidence as she describes the small joys of her simple life. Smitten with one another, they intertwine their voices in an ecstatic duet that ends with offstage sighs of “Amor!”
(When I go walking)
Act II
Musetta sings this coquettish siren song to attract her old flame, Marcello. Among the thoroughly Italianate melodies in Puccini’s score, this is one of the few numbers that feels like it truly belongs in the French setting. The tune is indebted to Parisian street songs, with Puccini’s reedy orchestration mimicking a busker’s accordion.
(Goodbye, sweet awakening)
Act III
Set against a snowy backdrop, this dramatic quartet is really more of a double breakup duet. Rodolfo and Mimì, agreeing to stay together through the end of winter, anticipate their springtime separation in aching, bittersweet phrases. Meanwhile, Marcello and Musetta—enflamed with jealousy—hurl insults at one another.
(Old coat, listen)
Act IV
Hoping to raise some funds for Mimì’s medical expenses, Colline decides to pawn his overcoat. This ode to his trusty old garment takes the form of a tragic funeral dirge. It symbolically reprises in the orchestra as the final curtain falls.
(Have they gone?)
Act IV
Mimì sings this miniature farewell aria to Rodolfo while lying on her deathbed. Lacking the right words, she expresses the depth of her love—as well as her fading flicker of life—in one long, sinking phrase. This descending line poignantly returns in the orchestra to accompany Rodolfo’s heartbreaking cries of “Mimì!” when he discovers she has died.