Genre:

Opera

Release Date:

Sep 2018

Subtitles:

En, Fr, De, Jp, Ko

Sound Format:

LPCM 2.0, DTS Digital Surround

Catalog Number:

OA1272D

Puccini: La bohème (The Royal Opera)

Nicole Car (Mimì); Michael Fabiano (Rodolfo); Mariusz Kwiecień (Marcello); Simona Mihai (Musetta); Florian Sempey (Schaunard); Luca Tittoto (Colline); Jeremy White (Benoît); Wyn Pencarreg (Alcindoro);

A penniless poet, a young seamstress, and a lost key: Puccini's passionate opera tells the story of a captivating romance set against the background of 19th-century Paris. The luscious score, with its soaring melodies and rich orchestration, brings to life the relationships between Rodolfo, Mimi and their friends, the painter Marcello and fiery Musetta. Acclaimed director Richard Jones stages a fresh and intelligent new production of one of the world's most popular operas, conducted by The Royal Opera's Music Director, Antonio Pappano.

Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true Surround Sound.

Reviews

"A startlingly new production - With Antonio Pappano in the pit, and Michael Fabiano and Nicole Car as the fated lovers, the musical portents for Covent Garden’s new Bohème were excellent. The question was, could Richard Jones’s production successfully fill the gaping hole left by John Copley’s much-loved version now pensioned off after forty-one years of service?" (The Independent ★★★★★)

"The stops are pulled out for a luxurious Cafe Momus surrounded by grander vistas of the city and where Simona Mihai’s outrageously flamboyant Musetta triumphantly steals the scene. She’s brilliantly partnered by Marius Kwiecien’s forthright yet complex Marcello, while Nicole Car’s unusually strong-willed Mimi shows the young Australian soprano to have real star potential. Meanwhile, and with a little help from the orchestra and chorus, Antonio Pappano, the finest Puccini conductor of the day, ensures that the score comes over with exceptional vividness" (The Stage ★★★★)

"Car is so good at the sudden bursts of lyricism, especially affecting in the third and best of the acts here, Pappano’s febrile but authentically Puccinian/Toscaniniesque sense of movement underpinning her to perfection. Michael Fabiano’s “Che gelida manina” is also carefully paced as the first exchange of confidence." (The Arts Desk)

"Replacing John Copley’s much-loved and meticulously realistic production of Puccini’s perennial after its 41 years of sterling service was a significant challenge, but it’s one that Richard Jones has successfully met. His new staging is fresh, beautiful, and intelligent – never putting too much weight on what is essentially a romantic comedy with a sad ending and always warmly responsive to its uncomplicated charm and vivid characterisation. The American tenor Michael Fabiano justly earned the evening’s loudest applause. He sings Rodolfo with open ardour – perhaps giving out a little too much in the first act where the guy’s naivete is the key, but marvellously confident and expressive in the later acts. The reception was ecstatic, sending Covent Garden’s new season off to a flying start." (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★)