The captivating emotions of "La Bohème" sparked the imagination of opera lovers
La Bohème is one of Giacomo Puccini's (1858-1924) most famous veristic operas, telling the touching love story of poet Rudolph and dressmaker Mimi in 19th-century Paris. It's a tale of impoverished artists living in the moment, combining carefree fun and youthful passion with dramatic themes of illness and death, culminating in a moving finale. Opera lovers can rejoice, as OPERA 2001 did not leave Torrevieja on its tour, presenting a beautiful production at the Municipal Theater.
The show's director, Luis Miguel Lainz, along with set designer Alfredo Troisi, have preserved the traditional and classical standards of staging an opera, without changing, modernizing or moving the plot to a less comprehensible reality. This is important from the perspective of respect for the art of great composers and their great works. For this, both artists deserve special applause.
OPERA 2001, as usual, presented a cast of a very high artistic standard. Thus, the role of Mimi-the star of the evening-was played by Yeon Joo Park, enchanting the audience with her beautiful soprano, in a high register full of brilliance and excellent projection. At the same time, the artist demonstrated exquisite musicianship and smooth phrasing, receiving applause at the open curtain. The most moving performance took place in the highly dramatic third act. Tenor Haruo Kawakami accompanied her perfectly in the role of Rodolfo. With a balanced voice, he moved with ease in the high register. He created a captivating character, both vocally and dramatically. The audience rightly applauded his performance of the aria "Che gelida manina." Marie Aubry presented herself as a Musetta in a voice of great dynamism, dramatic scale and expressiveness. The way she mocks her patron and argues with Marcello is appropriate to the situation presented. Baritone Paolo Ruggiero reprised the role of Marcello, impressing with the fullness of his voice and an interesting, transparent timbre. His voice is sonorous and precise. The role of the musician Schardaun was superbly played by Armando Piña, as was Vyacheslav Strelkov in the role of the philosopher Colline. Interesting character roles were created by Davide Maria Sabatino as Benoit, Gabriele Sandi as Alcindoro and Vincenzo Tremante as Parpignol.
Undoubtedly, the most important element of the opera is the music. Despite the far from ideal acoustics of the theater, the music director, Maestro Martin Mazik, and his orchestra created a vivid story, providing beauty of sound and dynamic and emotional variety in the performance. Maestro Mazik not only conducted beautifully, but also accompanied the soloists with sensitivity, adjusting the orchestra to every breath and pause. The Sicilian Lyric Choir, prepared by Francesco Costa, also sounded magnificent. In short, as always, an extraordinary performance.
Photos: Guardiola Molina Fernando
