La boheme

Synopsis

Puccini's most enduring opera. The story of the love of the poor poet Rodolfo for the consumptive seamstress Mimi. Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris the course of their love is constantly threatened by Rodolfo's jealousy and Mimi's illness. The painter Marcello and the provocative Musetta are the other main characters. This is where 'your tiny hand is frozen' comes from and the last few bars, as Rodolfo realises Mimi is dead, are some of opera's most moving moments.

Our Review:

17 February 2009

Puccini’s warhorse, never out of the repertoire, can uplift and delight even the most weathered opera-lover, especially when delivered by a cast of truly great voices. We have a legacy of past recordings – Björling and de Los Angeles, Bergonzi and Tebaldi, Pavarotti and Freni – that amply fulfil that requirement. In the absence of such distinguished singing (and there are few today who can come close to filling such shoes), a rock-solid ensemble and coherent directorial line can also breathe life into the hoary old melodrama.

Jonathan Miller’s new production for ENO falls into the second camp, big on dramatic integrity and satisfying to anyone willing to take a large dose of reality with the sentiment. Its strength lies in making this fairy tale, in which people fall into everlasting love in seconds, completely believable.

The sense of detail, in a staging which successfully transposes the setting to 1930s Paris, is faultless. Chocolate box ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Gareth James - 13 March 2009:

It's a good enough production, but in the first half the orchestra drowned out the soloists, which rather defeats the point of singing it in English. It picked up in the second half, but that just isn’t good enough when you’ve paid £80....

Read more and add your own review