La Bohème

This production looks familiar. Although it was filmed in 2003 it is a revival of a much older production of Zeffirelli's at La Scala. It looks good and has two wonderful stars in Marcello Alvarez as Rodolfo and Cristina Gallardo-Domas as Mimi. I have only previously seen Cristina Gallardo-Domas covered in white make-up, as Liù in Turandot and in Madama Butterfly but it came as no surprise to see how beautiful she is, like Julia Roberts but with a bigger, more natural, mouth. Gallardo-Domas's performances are always well-modulated. Whenever I see her, she starts in a very quiet way, with a little-girl voice. In this production, just as I was thinking she was not up to the part and had only been chosen for her looks she opened that huge mouth, vibrated her tonsils and rattled the rivets on the back seat of the sixth tier.

There are some nice directorial touches. I liked Alvaraz smoothing down his hair in the mirror before answering the door to a woman's voice. However the triple whammy of Che Gelida Manina, Si,Mi Chiamano Mimi and O Soave Fanciulla at the end of Act I fell somewhat flat. It sounded wonderful but I have seen it better staged. This production also has a charming Musetta in Hei-Kyuang Hong. Overall, an excellent traditional rendition of the opera. The version I saw had no sub-titles and was all the better for it.

As I have said many times, I love opera and I adore La Boheme, my second favourite Puccini opera after Tosca. For productions, my top two favourites are the ones from 1988, 1982, 1977 and 1965. After seeing this production on DVD at least four times in the past fortnight, this is another one of my favourites.

For instance, I love the garret setting, it is very big but also actually looks cold like it should do. The Cafe Momus set is massive and very inviting. The costumes are authentic and look pretty without being too fussy, Musetta in particular is striking.

From a musical point of view, this La Boheme is wonderful. Puccini's score is simply gorgeous, and the orchestra with sensitive playing especially in In Un Coupe...O Mimi Tu Piu Non Torni bring out its poignancy wonderfully. I know from the 1976 Tosca that Bruno Bartoletti is very effective at conducting Puccini, this is no exception.

Likewise with the staging. All the big arias are done very well, with special mention going to Quando M'en Vo. I also loved some of the directorial touches, with two standing out. One was Alvarez smoothing down his hair before answering the door. The other was the drunk with the umbrella which was very amusing. As for any recording or production of La Boheme, I find it impossible not to cry at the end.

I loved the performances too. I felt that Hei-Kyung Hong's Musetta stole the show. She is a stunning woman, and has a wonderful voice that is not just beautiful but used with lots of character. Even better is her acting. She is seductive and like a spitfire in act 2 and act 3, yet in act 4 she is very touching.

Cristina Gallardo-Domas has large expressive eyes, which I loved, and her soft singing is just a wonder. She does lose a little bit of power when she opens up, but overall just lovely singing. Acting-wise, she is really quite touching, such as in the last act.

Marcelo Alvarez is very good as Rodolfo. His acting is ardent, he is handsome and he sings with power and musicality, not to mention a certain degree of pathos and professionalism. Roberto Servile is dramatically powerful, and his voice is large and well-produced, though it could've done with being with being more suave.

The rest of the support cast perform well, if careful not to overshadow the four leads. Best of all is Giovanni Bastini Parodi as Colline, his Vecchio Zimmara is very communicative and is sung with beauty and good legato phrasing.

Overall, wonderful. 10/10 Bethany Cox