Daily Times

Richard Jones‘ La Boheme grips your attention well before a single note is sung at the Royal Opera House (ROH); even before the lights turn off and the conductor appears before the audience, snow starts falling from the Latin quarters of Paris where this Giacomo Puccini’s classic is set-it feels marvellous!

Even though the story line lacks smooth transitions, Puccini’s music ties everything together, beautifully. The production has an impeccable Mimi in the form of Sonya Yoncheva, a convincing Rodolfo that is played by Charles Castronovo, and a saucy Musetta as Aida Garifullina. With those three in the cast, the opera is an absolute hit.

The snowfall from the roof of ROH is a wonderful lead into the opera where Rodolfo, a poet, and his friend Marcello, a painter, which Andrez Filonczyk performs, complain about the cold night in Paris and the former offers the manuscript of his unfinished works for fire. In that, the landlord enters the house demanding rent who claims not to be shy anymore, thus he shamelessly narrates the tale of his sexual conquests, which gives the bohemians a chance to be self-righteous and push the landlord out for his immorality.

The real soulful singing comes with the entrance of a girl, Mimi, into the apartment, who knocks on the door asking for a light and find Rodolfo. She stays back and soon they both fall in love. Whilst this is not the first time we have seen love at first sight, but when the music and signing is tender, it makes it to your heart. This is where the opera embarks on becoming magical. Their voices project their love to the roof of the opera house and back. It is fantastic and exactly what I expected from the production, which I have relished once before as well and left the opera house humming.

When the singing is clear, you are able to enjoy the libretto. When Rodolfo sings that poetry’s highest calling is to show us how to love, you can feel that sentiment in his voice. Someone once asked me if I understand opera and I replied in negative, adding that it is to be felt. The end of first act leaves you wanting more as both Mimi and Rodolfo leave the stage singing love songs.

The real soulful singing comes with the entrance of a girl, Mimi, into the apartment, who knocks on the door asking for a light and find Rodolfo. She stays back and soon they both fall in love. Whilst this is not the first time we have seen love at first sight, but when the music and signing is tender, it makes it to your heart

The second act is a far departure from the first act in spirit, set and the cast is multiplied exponentially, thus not as intimate as the first act. Here, Garifullina’s Musetta who jumps up the table to seduce her ex-boyfriend Marcello and in that take off her underwear falls a tad short of stealing the show and that is just right. Her demeanour takes a U-turn in the final act when she learns that Mimi is battling for her life and meets the same fate as Violetta does in La Traviata, which is performed by a terrific cast at the ROH this season as well-definitely a good season for the opera house in Convent Garden that I have been frequenting since my college days. A question came to my mind: Why are women fated to death in these classical opera? I have yet to find an answer to that.

La Boheme is a conductor’s opera and needless to say Emmanuel Villaume has done a brilliant job in giving us a memorable night that resonates in the hearts and minds of the audience, thanks to the wonderful orchestra and terrific cast.

The writer is an educationalist and broadcaster. He can be reached on fahad@caa.columbia.edu