La Bohème

In Richard Jones’s 2017 staging at London’s Covent Garden of Puccini’s ever-popular opera about the doomed love of Mimi and Rodolfo, the strongest element is orchestral. Royal Opera House artistic director Antonio Pappano has the full measure of the score and elicits superb, impassioned playing from the company orchestra, but the vocalism is variable. Nicole Car, exhibiting a pure, vibrant soprano, makes Mimi a touchingly fragile figure, but Michael Fabiano comes across as a preening Rodolfo while failing to add much shading to singing that is almost unrelievedly forte. The standout among the supporting vocalists, who are generally little more than adequate, is Simona Mihai, a delectable Musetta. And the best that can be said of the physical production is that it does not try to be radically different in a Eurotrash mode. The sets are not unattractive, but neither are they eye-catching, although aside from a few miscalculations (an ugly pink bonnet for Mimi) the costumes are fine. But the stage movement is simply prosaic and the performers’ gestures are unimaginative. In sum, this is at best an average La Bohème in a very crowded field. Presented in DTS 5.1 on DVD (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include an introduction, an interview with Pappano, and a cast gallery. Optional. (F. Swietek)