La Boheme
When Stewart Laing's production of La Boheme was launched in 2004 I missed it and so have no idea if the revival, which opened on Saturday, resembles the original.
I have to say that I didn't care for the design of the piece; for the most part I just didn't get it. The hi-tech environment left me cold, and the video projection of a distant figure trawling endlessly through the snow had no significance that I could discern; was it supposed to evoke the bitter cold of Puccini's winter?
And what was the grainy black-and-white footage all about?; what was the intention of the transposition of the bustling Cafe Momus scene into what I assume was some trendy, fashionable launch in a modern art gallery? Ach, I won't waste one more word on it.
On stage was a tremendous Mimi in Celine Byrne (pictured), her strong, lustrous voice totally at odds with her fatal disease, but a splendid performance. Nadine Livingston made the most of her main stage debut with a terrific Musetta, a hellcat in killer heels; Avi Klemberg's Rodolfo will probably gain clarity and intensity through the run. The other Bohemians didn't quite cohere as a team - that's a production fault.
The real action, however, was under the stage. What fantastic Puccini conducting from Francesco Corti: supple, pacey, infinitely flexible, and super-emotional. When Mimi made her entrance and the music welled up, I just dissolved. Corti's timing was phenomenal, moulding and shaping the flow, getting every ounce of juice from the score; and the orchestral playing for the music director was top-drawer stuff and drop-dead gorgeous. Bravo Corti.