If my search requests are any guide, I should have written this earlier.
I only really booked this for the sake of Marcelo Alvarez. If the cast had been of routiniers, I would have skipped it. There's nothing to dislike about Bohème, but there is precious little to rave about. It is often recommended as an ideal 'first' opera, but I don't think I would agree.
I have seen it live at ROH before and have also reviewed a DVD. I can't add much to those thoughts. Nothing happens for twenty minutes, then the first act ends with a gorgeous aria and duet. The second act is a great spectacular but apart from Musetta's Waltz, not a lot going on musically. I am warming to the third act, especially the ensemble that closes it, but nothing in that ensemble is fit to be mentioned in the same breath as the ensemble pieces in eg Mozart's Marriage of Figaro or Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. I retain my view that the fourth act is dire and I just wish Mimi would die earlier. I will confess that the final very few minutes, silence followed by a splendid blast from the brass, struck me as it never has previously. And I dare say I shall continue going to performances in order to catch star tenors and star sopranos.
I attended with Faye and Helen and caught up with Lucia in the intervals, so that was nice, although as I commented later in the week, when attending with people who are knowledgeable and opinionated it is sometimes difficult to filter out one's unique experience and opinion from that which has emerged as consensus in the conversation.
Overall it was a pleasant rather than great performance. I resolved that I would pay special attention to the orchestration, on the basis that save for Che gelida manina and O soave fanciulla there is nothing memorable in the singing bit. But I found nothing memorable in the orchestra, either. Perfectly nice, bland, unchallenging, and enjoyable - up to a point.
Highlight of the evening was Marcelo Alvarez, of course. As soon as he launched into Che gelida, I swooned at his gorgeous voice. Bright ringing tone. Not a perfect rendition, but full-blooded and with balls. Sitting in seat A 40-something in the Amphi was acoustically superb, one of the best seats I've had in that house, a real white spot. Marcelo is not the greatest actor in the opera world, but there has been some debate on newsgroups this week about Stage Presence, which is something he has in spades. An involved and committed performance, reaching out beyond the spotlights. So the fact this acting tends to wooden is easily forgiven, because of the whole-hearted way in which he throws himself into the role. I especially liked the bits he played for laughs, not least the ballet scene in the Final Act. He's a chubby man, not especially elegant, but he carried off his ballet moves with grace, stopping short of being ridiculous.
Katie van Kooten - aka Angela's Understudy - was an insipid Mimi whose performance left me unmoved. A small voice, she failed to convey anything much, and left an impression of a thumbprint in shifting sand. I'm sure we'll see and hear much more of her, but I can't say I'm motivated to rush out and by tickets. Not a great top by any means, almost unintelligible Italian, and I feel she went through the motions rather than acted the role.
Despite the wonderfulness of Marcelo Alvarez, the star of the evening was Anna Leese. A name much talked about in positive reports from minor venues, she was the official cover for the secondary role of Musetta, and was called in to replace the injured Nuccia Focile. What a fantastic voice, stage presence in abundance, and acting skills. She grabbed the audience and demanded we paid attention, her character was the only one that was really three-dimensional. Her big moment comes in Act 2, 'Musetta's waltz' and she made it a Big Moment. Part of the action involved a game of snooker. As it happened , she potted the cue ball, to the amusement of the audience who watched it role to the far pocket with baited breath and let out a murmur of amusement. That was the only flaw in her performance, and she received the biggest cheer of the evening. Admittedly, some of that was the customary acknowledgement of the 'cover' but most of it was surely due to appreciation of her performance. Marcelo also received a big cheer, of course.
The rest of the cast were serviceable but far from outstanding. I should mention that veteran Robert Tear made a cameo appearance as Alcindoro, which delighted old-timers.
So overall a pleasant and enjoyable evening with a competent performance of an opera that I regard as second rate, at best...well, apart Che Gelida/O soave fanciulla, third rate. I suppose that it might grow on me in time, but it's not as if I haven't been exposed to it enough. Perhaps a new production? This current one has been going since 1974 and replaced an 1896 production. So perhaps I might live long enough to see the new one in my seventies..
Rodolfo: Marcelo Álvarez
Mimì: Katie Van Kooten
Marcello: William Dazeley
Schaunard: Jared Holt
Colline: Alexander Vinogradov
Musetta: Anna Leese
Benoit: Jeremy White
Alcindoro: Robert Tear
Conductor: Philippe Jordan
