\n This revival of Phyllida Lloyd\u2019s classic 1993 Opera North production is directed by James Hurley who refreshes the appeal of \u2018The Bohemians\u2019 for first time audiences and seasoned regulars alike.\n<\/p>\n
\n The heart rending love story of the seamstress Mimi and poet Rodolfo feels just as vital to today\u2019s audiences. Added to these crucial elements, what is arguably Puccini\u2019s greatest dramatic score performed by a world class orchestra of seventy musicians in the pit and sixty singers on stage.\n<\/p>\n
\n Lloyd\u2019s legendary production is set in the 1950s \u2013 the decade of those enduring idols of the silver screen, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. Anthony Ward\u2019s picture frame setting has a recurring back drop of the faces and pouting red lips of two young lovers: Images redolent of a Hollywood film poster from that golden era. The Bohemians dilapidated and freezing room in the Latin Quarter of Paris is sparsely furnished with a wood burning stove, battered leather armchair, Marcello\u2019s gleaming motorcycle and a thin mattress on which Mimi will tragically succumb to her tuberculosis.\n<\/p>\n
\n Act II at the Caf\u00e9 Momus on Christmas Eve is a feast of festive joy: Fast, vibrant and crowded with revellers, street artists, shoppers, sailors, dancing nuns, and a marching band.\n<\/p>\n
\n Florida born tenor Anthony Ciaramitaro as Rodolfo, has a rich Italianate timbre with clarion high notes and the power to cut through Puccini\u2019s big tuttis; \u201cChe gelida manina\u201d was beautifully phrased with a climatic, sustained, ringing high C. The chemistry between Ciaramitaro\u2019s Rodolfo and American soprano Olivia Boen as Mimi is palpable. Boen has a lovely creamy quality, the tone is steady, and her high notes beautifully floated in \u201cSi, mi chiamano Mimi\u201d. Mimi\u2019s Act lll farewell \u201cDonde lieta usci\u201d was tender and poignant; her death scene deeply moving.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, as the volatile Marcello, sang with elegance and ignited the flames of jealousy in his Act lll bust-up with Elin Pritchard\u2019s skittish, heart-of-gold Musetta. The four voices deliciously blended in their sublime Quartet. South Korean bass, Han Kim, subtly coloured Colline\u2019s melancholy Act lV \u2018Coat Aria\u2019 while Se\u00e1n Boylan created a sympathetic cross-dressing Schaunard.\n<\/p>\n
\n Garry Walker conducts the Chorus & Orchestra of Opera North and ON Children\u2019s Chorus with an unerring sense of pace. Instrumental textures are luminous and dynamic shading is superbly controlled – from the softest pianissimos to devastating double fortes.\n<\/p>\n
\n Performances at Leeds Grand until Saturday 1st November and then touring to Newcastle, Salford and Nottingham.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This revival of Phyllida Lloyd\u2019s classic 1993 Opera North production is directed by James Hurley who refreshes the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8814],"tags":[748,393,4884,1860,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-519348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leeds","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-leeds","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115417279602128425","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}