LA BOH�ME (THE BOHEMIAN), one of the most beloved and commercially-successful operas, is based on the 1851 novel Scenes of Bohemian Life by Henri Murger.  With a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) worked on it from 1893 to 1895. It first appeared at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 1, 1896, conducted by 28-year-old Arturo Toscanini. Weighed negatively against Turin�s recent Italian premiere of the Wagner opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG, it received a lukewarm response from audience and critics. A few months later, concertgoers filled opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic to hear it. "O soave fanciulla" (O gentle maiden) is a sung at the end of Act I where Rodolfo and Mimi realize they have fallen in love with each other. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.3.3+BTbn.0: Timp.Perc (1): Hp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Soli ST.