The chief distinction of Àlex Ollé's 2016 Turin staging of Puccini's ever-popular opera—commemorating its premiere 120 years earlier in the city under the baton of Toscanini—is its updating from 1830s Paris to what appears to be one of the more rundown areas of the present-day City of Light. Otherwise, the production is rather traditional, which is somewhat surprising given that Ollé is a director of the Catalan group La Fura dels Baus, whose earlier opera mountings have been grandiose affairs crammed with special effects. Fortunately, the relative simplicity of his approach here allows the pathos of the doomed romance between penurious painter Rodolfo and pretty Mimì to come through affectingly. While neither Irina Lungu as Mimì nor Giorgio Berrugi as Rodolfo will efface memories of better-known exponents of the roles, they sing well and make a touching couple (especially when she reveals the baldness that her wasting disease has caused). The other soloists are also fine, as is the work of the company orchestra and chorus under the sensitive baton of Gianandrea Noseda, who takes pains to reveal niceties in the score that most other conductors miss. It would be hard to favor this La Bohème over starrier stagings from more prestigious venues, but this one is an effective rendering of a tearjerker that, even after more than a century, understandably remains an audience favorite. Presented in DTS 5.1 on DVD (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)
La Bohème
(2016) 112 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $34.99. C Major/Unitel (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 33, Issue 1
La Bohème
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