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| Tama Iveri as Mimi. Photo: Opéra National de Paris/Ch. Leiber |
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| Tama Iveri as Mimi. Photo: Opéra National de Paris/Ch. Leiber |
As predictions go, few can be as wayward as that of the Italian music critic who, after the first performance of Puccini’s La Bohème, wrote that “this is an opera that won’t have a long life.” Over a century later, the opera is still packing in the crowds, not least in the city in which it is set.
Director Jonathan Miller made his name in opera with a famous Mafioso version of Rigoletto and a brutally satirical Mikado. This production at the Opéra National de Paris at Bastille, updated to 1930s Paris and inspired by the great photographers of the time, might not be as memorable as his most famous productions, but it has the great merit of being simple, clear and unpretentious. The Bohemians’ garret in Act I, for example, looks more like a messy student room than a romantically inspired space for angst-ridden geniuses.
Dante Ferretti’s designs beautifully replicate recognizable Parisian settings: in Act II, Café Momus (outside which Miller brings together a large chorus of children and street vendors) is a typical Parisian brasserie complete with etched-glass windows and distinctive railings; and the street setting in Act III, together with gently falling snow, is a familiar sight to all flâneurs, with atmospheric Parisian lamps and architecture, artfully arranged Dubonnet ads and even an old-fashioned pissotière.
The star attraction of this production is soprano Natalie Dessay, who provides enough vocal thrills (or should that be trills?) as coquette Musetta to keep her adoring Parisian public satisfied. But the opera stands or falls on the two central characters. On the night I saw the opera, Rodolfo was played by Massimo Giordano (who doubles the part with Stefano Secco) and Mimi by Inva Mula (alternating with Tamar Iveri). Although Giordano does not possess the honeyed tones of a Pavarotti, he more than makes up for it with affecting acting and ardent singing. Unlike most well-fed Mimis, Mula is one of those rare sopranos who actually looks suitably waif-like in the role. Yet vocally she is far from slight, and the justly celebrated aria “Mi Chiamano Mimi” was performed with passion and power. All the other roles are impeccably sung, with Ludovic Tézier (who alternates with Dalibor Jenis) particularly convincing as Musetta’s foil, Marcello. The Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, under the lively baton of Daniel Oren, sounds in particularly fine fettle.
Although on the night I was there the audience seemed engaged in a competition to out-cough the tubercular Mimi, this authentically Parisian production is well worth making a trip to see.
Opéra National de Paris: Place de la Bastille, 75012 Paris. Métro: Bastille. Tel.: 0 892 89 90 90 or + 33 (0)1 71 25 24 23 (from abroad). Remaining performances: November 6, 9, 12, 18, 21, 24 and 27 at 7:30pm; November 15 and 29 at 2:30pm. Tickets: €5-€172. www.operadeparis.fr
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© 2009 Paris Update
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