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Charm and Beautiful Singing Triumphant München
Nationaltheater
02/10/2024 - & February 10, 14, 16*, 20, 2025
Giacomo Puccini: La bohème
Angel Blue (Mimì), Andrea Carroll (Musetta), Pene Pati*/Long Long (Rodolfo), Mattia Olivieri (Marcello), William Thomas (Colline), Andrew Hamilton (Schaunard), Christian Rieger (Benoît), Martin Snell (Alcindoro), Samuel Stopford (Parpignol), Yosif Slavov (Customs Officer), Bruno Khouri (Sergeant)
Chor & Kinderchor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Franz Obermair (chorus master), Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Carlo Rizzi (conductor)
Otto Schenk (stage director), Rudolf Heinrich (sets & costumes)
(© Wilfried Hoesl)
Given its immense popularity, La bohème is probably the most frequently produced of all operas. I remember first seeing it in my early teens and being quite moved. Ever since, I inevitably attend one or two performances annually, not necessarily out of desire, but perhaps to please a friend, to hear a favourite singer or to discover new ones.
In this case, I couldn’t resist hearing Samoan tenor Pene Pati, whom I adored as Rodolfo in Toronto two seasons ago. Likewise, American soprano Angel Blue made an impression as Aida last August at the Lanaudière Festival. I’m thrilled to have heard these two. Moreover, the production (and most of the cast) was no less impressive.
Together with Zeffirelli’s production for the Metropolitan, Otto Schenk’s traditional take on this iconic work is also one of the most beloved. Schenk, who passed away this year, aged 95, believed above all in beauty, devising timelessly appealing sets that remain engraved in one’s memory. The Bohemians’ dwelling was simple and appealing. The sets for Café Momus were stunning yet deceptively basic, showing the Bohemians’ table on the right‑hand side of the stage, with the remaining space used for the constant animations of a busy Parisian evening. The sets for Act III barely showed the tavern by the city’s toll gate at the barrière d’Enfer. Schenk opted instead for the Act III quartet, the opera’s most moving moment, without snowfall. The feeling of cold is essential in establishing the cruelty of the lovers’ fate as well the contrasting tenderness of postponing their inevitable separation until Spring, “la stagion’ dei fiori.” Perhaps this was a deliberate choice to reduce the gloom, but it may have been dictated by the sparseness of the sets.
Samoan-born Pene Pati possesses one of the most beautiful tenor voices I’ve heard in years. In addition to a honeyed timbre, Pati is charm personified, a quality that renders Rodolfo all the more appealing. The Act I aria “Che gelida manina” was a moment of pure bliss. This was an ideal Rodolfo, with effortless high notes, charm and dashing stage presence.
Angel Blue is a glorious soprano, endowed with impressive pianissimi and clear phrasing. Both her “Si, mi chiamano Mimì” and “Quando lieta uscì” were sumptuously rendered. But it was her Act I duet with Pati, “O soave fanciulla,” that was her moment, their voices blending gorgeously. My only reservation was a weakness in her lower register, less noticeable here than in more dramatic roles such as Aida.
Heard last season as Norina in Don Pasquale in Milan, American soprano Andrea Carroll was well cast as Musetta. Her light lyric soprano made her a perfect soubrette, though her Act II “Quando m’en vo” was vocally somewhat lacklustre. To the delight of the public, she overdid Musetta’s antics: temper tantrums, breaking dishes and most of all being coy and coquettish. She was compelling in Act IV when she brought Mimi to die with Rodolfo next to her.
Heard as Dr. Malatesta in the same production of Don Pasquale in Milan and as Don Giovanni in Berlin in September, Mattia Olivieri is a much-sought-after baritone with huge charisma. His voice is ideal for the role: virile, warm and ductile. Though Marcello has no solo arias, he stood out as an equal to the opera’s two protagonists, thanks to his formidable charisma. William Thomas, the philosopher Colline, had a commanding presence and an impressive, velvety bass. His rendition of Act IV’s “Vecchia zimarra,” his farewell ode to his beloved winter coat sold in order to buy Mimì’s medicine, was emotionally enthralling.
Short operas such as this can be tedious, when three intermissions nearly equal the length of the four short acts. As is often the case in Munich, despite the change of sets between acts, there was just one intermission – an intelligent way of maintaining dramatic flow.
Much of the success of the performance must be credited to the masterful conducting of Carlo Rizzi and the splendid Bayerisches Staatsorchester. The latter is known as the world’s finest orchestra performing the operas of Richard Strauss. There’s a connection here; some liken Puccini to an Italian Strauss; both had a remarkable sense of theatre and shared a penchant for elaborate orchestration. The orchestra sounded lush, almost glamorous, especially at such pivotal moments as the end of Act I and Act II’s quartet. At no moment did Rizzi lose sight of dynamics. While the singers had remarkable presence throughout, Rizzi didn’t miss an opportunity to let the orchestra perform loudly and brilliantly when warranted. His approach was the perfect balance of voices and players, and simply stunning to behold.
It’s winter as I write, and with snow on the stage’s imaginary streets, this Bohème felt in season. Had the singing been less glorious, it would have felt gloomy to leave the theatre to confront the elements. But thanks to Pene Pati and Angel Blue, this inherently sad opera was not at all depressing; it was positively life‑affirming.
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