We are exploring timeless arias from Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme.
“Quando m’en vo” (“Musetta’s waltz”)
Here’s some context for this aria: It takes place at the bustling Café Momus on Christmas Eve. The bohemians (the main characters) are celebrating with Mimì when Musetta enters with her elderly, wealthy “patron,” Alcindoro. She spots her former lover Marcello (who is still in love with her) and decides to win him back. She stages this entire aria as a performance – ostensibly singing to Alcindoro while really aiming every word at Marcello.
I love this scene, especially in this performance:
Opera is a complete art form – it is music, singing, but it is also acting. In this scene you can see how Musetta and Marcello are deeply in love with each other, not just through the singing but through the acting as well.
