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An opera lost for words La bohème Grand Theatre,
Wolverhampton
*** PUCCINI'S La bohème demands proper
staging, and Ellen Kent's production delivers that. It is a
traditional show, with well choreographed crowd scenes and authentic,
realistic sets that transform from the artist's
garret to the Café Momus, and from the Barriere d'Enfer back to the
garret - the platform for music and drama is sumptuously set. Local
talent is represented by children from stage schools, a local dog and a
brass band. Spectacle abounds, snow falls and everything is a little
larger than life.
The story is inspired by Henri
Murger's novel Scenes de la Vie de Bohème
although most of the libretto is original. It tells of the love
affair between seamstress Mimi (Elena Dee) and penniless poet Rodolfo (Sorin
Lupa) beautifully introduced by their first encounter with Si, mi
chiamano Mimi in which soprano Dee excels, displaying her slight
edge and fast vibrato. Rodolfo's preceding Che Gelida Manina is
nuanced and poignant.
Baritone Petru Racovita,
meanwhile, is the handsome, appealing Marcello, opposite Ecaterina
Danu's beautifully characterised Musetta, glamorous, commanding, and
with a gleaming, lyric soprano that lifts the soul. There's a nicely uptight
Schaunard from Iurie Gisca, and an endearing Colline from Valeriu
Cojocaru. Romance, tragedy and death, the staples of a good opera, are
all present and correct, played with respect and commitment by a fine
ensemble.
La Bohème
is awash with well known glorious arias and duets, particularly Mimì and
Rodolfo’s arias and duet in Act I, culminating in O Soave Fanciulla.
T'hey set a fearsome pace and standard for the rest of the evening. In Act Two, Musetta's waltz,
Quando M'en vo, glitters as she strains for Marcello's attention
stealing time with him by means of a ruse regarding a tight shoe. The
dramatic closing quartet of the Third Act, Addio dolce svegliare alla
mattina! ,is brilliantly played out as Rodolfo and Mimi are
reconciled, and Marcello and Musetta quarrel in antithetical
counterpoint. The closing Fourth Act is stolen by Colline's Vecchia
Zimarra as he pawns his overcoat to pay for medicine for the ailing
Mimi.
Nicolae Dohotaru's
conducting oozes warm orchestral sonorities, and is at its best with the
arias which have the slow, grave beauty and cadence of symphonic
adagios. La Boheme is remarkable for being a classic opera, first
performed 117 years ago in 1896, but for which a recording exists
conducted by the original conductor. In 1946, fifty years after the
opera's premiere, Toscanini reprised his conducting performance on
radio, offering contemporary conductors, and musicians, an unique
insight into how Puccini envisioned the original score.
A temporary hitch with the
surtitles at the beginning was soon rectified with Ellen herself coming
front of house between Acts to apologise, a perfect demonstration of how
hands on she is with her productions. The company complete their
Wolverhsmpton visit with Aida with the tour, which also includes
Nabucco continuing until April 2014. http://www.ellenkent.com/how-to-book.html
Gary
Longden A severe case of the hiccoughs *** THERE was a real life
crisis within this production of Puccini's tragic opera when a technical
problem during the first two acts 'killed' the screen which should have
shown, in English, the words being sung in Italian. Without the surtitles, anyone
in the audience who didn't know the story must have felt bemused as the
Chisinau National Opera and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of
Moldova launched into the tale of love and heartbreak in Bohemian Paris. At one point celebrated
producer Ellen Kent, who happened to be at the performance, went on
stage to apologise and explain that there was a computer-based problem,
and seconds before the interval the words 'I love you' popped up on the
screen, to the amusement of the disappointed audience. After the break the screen
worked perfectly, but the beautiful words of the arias in the early
scenes had been lost. Elena Dee was a delight as
Mimi, the seamstress who falls for Rodolfo, a poor writer and poet,
played by Sorin Lupu, and there were fine performances from Petru
Racovita (the painter, Marcello) and Ecaterina Danu, the flirty singer
Musetta. Most of the action takes place
in the sparse garret studio shared by Rodolfo and Marcello, clevelry
staged with views across the Parisian skyline, with smoke regulalry
drifting from chimneys. The company completed their
visit to the Grand with a performance of Verdi's Aida Paul Marston
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