Written by Giacomo Puccini, whose masterful Tosca and Madama Butterfly are amongst the most frequently performed works at opera houses around the world, La bohème is based on Henri Murger’s Scènes de la vie de Bohème and a libreto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Its premiere was in 1896 at Teatro Regio the legendary Arturo Toscanini conducted the opera in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

The Blu-ray disc I hold in my hands offers a production of La bohème courtesy of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at Teatro Real. Staged by Giancarlo de Monaco and conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos this specific rendition of Puccini’s masterpiece unites a cohort of terrific singers – Inva Mula (Mimi), Aquiles Machado (Rodolfo), Fabio Maria Capitanucci (Marcello), Laura Giordano (Musetta), David Menendez (Schaunard), and Felipe Bou (Coline).

This new production of La bohème follows an aesthetic route that Giancarlo de Monaco believes reflects Puccini’s genius adequately. It is impressively detailed, nuanced, and imaginative. The main protagonists are also as colorful as the environment they belong to. Above all, however, the production preserves the rebellious yet dramatic tone of La bohème intact.

What separates Giancarlo de Monaco’s rendition of the famous opera from previous takes on it is his desire to expand on the controversial cinematic strength of La bohème rather than balance it out internally (through an unorthodox methods affecting the singers for example) as other stage directors have done in the past. As a result here La bohème does indeed look like “filmed music” which I tend to believe is what precisely makes Puccini such an intriguing composer - the sense of continuity, the massive scenes where multiple singers interact simultaneously, as well as the precision with which everything is put together is astounding.

Finally, the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Maestro Jesus Lopez Cobos are absolutely fabulous. Their contribution further enhances the complex emotions channeled through La bohème while at the same time compliments the cinematic style favored by Giancarlo de Monaco perfectly. Certainly there is a type of unison between singers and musicians here that is very much imperative to staging a successful opera production.



::::::::::::FILESONIC::::::::::::


::::::::::::FILEJUNGLE::::::::::::


::::::::::::UPLOADSTATION::::::::::::


::::::::::::FILESERVE::::::::::::