LA BOHEME (Opera de Monte Carlo on OperaVision)****

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2NF4r7qFMM

Available until: 28^th March 2021

This opera is just so relatable. It was composed 100 years ago and I think it was set even earlier but starts with four guys sharing a flat which still happens all the time. They go out clubbing, they go out with their girlfriends, they have a bit of banter but they obviously like each other a lot and have a good friendship which is really lovely.

That friendship is actually less relatable because mostly nowadays, everyone’s stabbing each other in the back, either because they’re horrible or because they think the other person stabbed them in the back first. Everyone is so suspicious. You can’t even be nice to someone without being accused of being fake. But ideally we all want a friendship like Rodolfo, Marcello, Colline and Schaunard have. They don’t have much money but they look out for each other and they try not to let it get them down. It is a very good philosophy for life, I think.

The way Rodolfo and Mimi meet is classic romcom but what I really love is the way Rodolfo’s friends totally accept her. She’s immediately welcome to go clubbing with them, they worry about her even when she’s hurt Rodolfo and they sell their possessions at the end so she can see a doctor. There’s a lovely scene where Mimi tells Marcello about her problems and he’s sympathetic and there’s just nothing between them except really good friendship. It’s so nice to see that. Musetta helps Mimi too. There can sometimes be a bit of bitchiness between girls in the same group, even if they’re not competing for the same guy but Musetta turns out to be really generous. This was actually her problem all along, she was too generous with her kisses! But she and Marcello are good together so I hope they can work it out.

The ending of La boheme is so sad! But opera is often like that. I wonder why it’s nearly always the women who die though. It probably isn’t really but it seems that way.

I really like the music too. It has lots of really nice tunes in and it’s very romantic. Daniele Callegari was the conductor and the orchestra was the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. I know I should say something about how he conducts it differently from the other conductors but all I really know is that I like it. But I suppose that means he can’t have done anything wrong. Jean-Louis Grinda is the director and it might have been him who decided the guys would be quite tactile with each other. I really liked that. It’s especially nice to see them hugging when there are so many people we can’t hug, though they’d be able to hug anyway because they’re in the same household. Rudy Sabounghi was the set designer and I think the flat the guys live in is absolutely gorgeous with really big windows but I was a little bit surprised the flat was so nice when they don’t have much money. But I’d rather look at a pretty flat than some complete dump.

Rodolfo was played by Andeka Gorrotxategi and he was so lovely. The way he looked at Mimi, he was just smitten. I liked his voice too but it’s lovely to see a guy showing his feelings like that. I liked Davide Luciano as Marcello too, he had my favourite voice out of everyone and he was so kind. You know how most guys aren’t really listening? Marcello really listens. Colline and Schaunard were Nicolas Courjal and Boris Pinkhassovitch and they were good too.

I thought Irina Lungu’s voice was a bit big for Mimi at first but her acting made her seem very innocent and shy. She and Rodolfo were a cute couple. Mariam Battistelli was a beautiful Musetta. She had unusual clothes but she looked great. Especially the hat. I bet Aashiq loves that hat! Musetta was very flirty but she showed at the end that she did have a heart.

This is a good opera. It’s not too overdramatic and it’s not that long either. If you haven’t seen an opera before it’s a good one to start with. There’s a musical called Rent which is the same story.