The Partial Observer by Will Walker

What I Learned from Summer Opera

My daughter is performing in the youth chorus of “La Bohème” this summer and seeing her in a dazzling and energetic production at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown has sparked something long dormant in me. In my high school and college years, I devoted a great deal of time to theatrical productions. After graduation I left those dreams behind, finding my way to a career as a historian and professor who writes and teaches about music and American culture. I’m content now to see my teenage daughter discover the pleasure of creating something magical on stage.

Watching “La Bohème” on opening night did more than bring back a flood of nostalgic memories. As I sat in the audience, I gave very little thought to my rather modest “glory days”; instead, I was happy to play the role of proud parent. A major source of joy was seeing my daughter be part of such an obviously enthusiastic and collegial ensemble. “La Bohème” is the ideal vehicle for this kind of collective, artistic spirit. As with many Gen Xers, my first exposure to Puccini’s masterpiece was through Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” which my girlfriend (now wife) purchased tickets for us to see on Broadway during its original run. The raw energy of that show is still ingrained in my mind. “Rent,” like “La Bohème,” tells the story of a group of starving artists in a vibrant, if unforgiving city. Both are tragedies, but there is so much joie de vivre among the players that one could be forgiven for focusing on the joy rather than the sadness. The stark contrast between light and darkness brings our fragile humanity into sharp relief and reveals the source of so much great art.

For me, seeing Larson’s “Rent” came on the heels of losing a close family member to the AIDS epidemic. Its story felt utterly true, real, and, of course, of the moment. “La Bohème’s” world was more distant—the garrets and cafes of fin-de-siècle Paris existed as oil paintings and Hollywood scene sets. They were not nearly as accessible to me, and yet when I was finally exposed to a full production of the opera during a college course, I was instantly swept up in the lives of the characters. It was Puccini’s music that made this connection possible. For all the awkwardness of operatic plots, it is the music that brings forth the humanity of the characters. Often it is not so much the arias, but the ensemble pieces that accomplish this feat. In “Rent,” it is “Seasons of Love” and “La Vie Bohème.” In “La Bohème,” it is the opening scene with four friends—Marcello, Rodolfo, Colline and Schaunard—goofing around. It is Mimi and Rodolfo singing together and falling in love at first sight. It is the whole ensemble performance of Act II, including Musetta’s flirtatious and comic tour-de-force, the heartbreaking quartet of Act III, and, finally, the death of Mimi which brings the friends together again in a desperate attempt to save her.

In our celebrity-obsessed, social media-drenched culture, everyone wants to be a star, but the true joy of artistic creation—and life—comes from being part of a cohesive and embracing ensemble. It lifts us up and makes us more than we could ever be on our own. It reminds us that humans thrive on connection and that to be vulnerable, caring, and imperfect is okay. We’re going to mess up, we’re going to fail, and we may never achieve all our individual dreams, but we can still make something beautiful together.

Will Walker is associate professor of history at the Cooperstown Graduate Pro-gram in museum studies, SUNY Oneonta.