Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 28, 2008

Act I

Christmas Eve, 1830. Somewhere in the Latin Quarter of Paris. A cold, rundown garret. Rodolfo, a poet, and Marcello, a painter, are struggling with the cold Parisian weather. Colline arrives after having tried to sell books in order to raise money for his friends. Schaunard, the musician, also appears with plenty of food and logs he’s bought after having performed at the locales. The friends decide to go out and have a round of drinks.

On the way out the men are stopped by Benoit, the proprietor, who has come to collect the rent. After a few quick glasses of wine he tells everyone about his extramarital affairs. Rodolfo, Marcello, Colline, and Schaunard threaten to reveal Benoit’s immoral deeds and throw him out without paying the rent. Everyone but Rodolfo heads to Café Momus. Mimi, a neighbor appears. She begins a conversation with Rodolfo. Feverish and weak Mimi could barely stand on her feet. Rodolfo offers her a glass of wine. Before she leaves Mimi drops her key. Rodolfo immediately spots the key but keeps "searching" for it until his hand touches Mimi's. Love is in the air. Shortly after Rodolfo and Mimi head to Café Momus.

Act II

The terrace of Café Momus. Rodolfo buys a bonnet for Mimi. Soon everyone gathers around a table full of food and drinks and begins to eat. Musetta, Marcello’s former lover, appears. She sings a beautiful song and provokes Marcello by announcing in front of everyone that she still loves him. Marcello is moved and slightly confused.

Act III

Somewhere on the frozen outskirts of Paris. In a rundown locale Marcello is playing cards while Musetta is giving music lessons. Mimi appears. She tells Marcello that she could hardly tolerate Rodolfo’s jealousy. Suddenly, Rodolfo appears but not before Mimi hides from him. Rodolfo admits that he still loves Mimi but he cannot pay for her medical expenses. He is heartbroken. Devastated by Rodolfo’s confession Mimi appears. The two burst in tears and vow to remain together forever.

Act IV

Spring time, back in the old garret. Rodolfo and Marcello are trying to work but their minds are consumed by thoughts for their loved ones. Musetta appears announcing that Mimi is accompanying her but is too weak to climb the stairs. Rodolfo helps her in. Mimi is quickly placed in a bed, she is barely breathing. Shortly after she dies in Rodolfo’s hands.

The garret

Written by Giacomo Puccini, whose masterful Tosca and Madama Butterfly are amongst the most frequently performed works at opera houses around the world, La bohème is based on Henri Murger’s Scènes de la vie de Bohème and a libreto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Its premiere was in 1896 at Teatro Regio the legendary Arturo Toscanini conducted the opera in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

The Blu-ray disc I hold in my hands offers a production of La bohème courtesy of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at Teatro Real. Staged by Giancarlo de Monaco and conducted by Jesús López Cobos, this specific rendition of Puccini’s masterpiece unites a cohort of terrific singers – Inva Mula (Mimi), Aquiles Machado (Rodolfo), Fabio Maria Capitanucci (Marcello), Laura Giordano (Musetta), David Menéndez (Schaunard), and Felipe Bou (Coline).

This new production of La bohème follows an aesthetic route that Giancarlo de Monaco believes reflects Puccini’s genius adequately. It is impressively detailed, nuanced, and imaginative. The main protagonists are also as colorful as the environment they belong to. Above all, however, the production preserves the rebellious yet dramatic tone of La bohème intact.

What separates Giancarlo de Monaco’s rendition of the famous opera from previous takes on it is his desire to expand on the controversial cinematic strength of La bohème rather than balance it out internally (through an unorthodox methods affecting the singers for example) as other stage directors have done in the past. As a result here La bohème does indeed look like “filmed music” which I tend to believe is what precisely makes Puccini such an intriguing composer - the sense of continuity, the massive scenes where multiple singers interact simultaneously, as well as the precision with which everything is put together is astounding.

Finally, the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Maestro Jesús López Cobos are absolutely fabulous. Their contribution further enhances the complex emotions channeled through La bohème while at the same time compliments the cinematic style favored by Giancarlo de Monaco perfectly. Certainly there is a type of unison between singers and musicians here that is very much imperative to staging a successful opera production.

Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080i transfer, La Bohème is yet another marvelous presentation by Opus Arte that will definitely impress opera aficionados. Recorded live at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Puccini's masterpiece looks stunning. I am trying very hard to think what did not impress me so I could begin my technical evaluation noting what could have been improved but, frankly, I cannot recall anything that would prevent me from stating that this disc looks fantastic. First of all, the color-scheme is utterly impressive. The rich dark colors from the opening scenes (the stage decors here are of paramount importance as they set the mood for the story immediately) are captured by the camera in a manner that allows one to sit at home, look at this 1080i transfer, and feel as if one is in the opera house, having the best seat to view La Bohème from. Second, while I've noticed some mild motion judder on previous Opus Arte releases, here, aside from two tiny spots that I was able to detect, there is practically nothing that one could be upset with. BD producer Ferenc van Damme and BD executive producer Hans Petri must have demanded utmost concentration from their tech staff as most everything looks to have been handled expertly. Finally, all of the basics for a "live" transfer (detail, focus, balanced reproduction of image, etc) are convincing. Indeed, even if this is your first exposure to classical music on BD (ballet, opera, etc) I am convinced that you will immediately be able to tell how strong the actual transfer is.

Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Opus Arte continue to offer an audio treatment those of you who have already experimented with their excellent catalog will find familiar – there are two tracks on this disc a PCM 2.0 and PCM 5.0 (in Italian). Also not surprisingly both of those are very well done. Obviously the PCM 2.0 mix is a bit more contained and compact while the PCM 5.0 is slightly more active. The manner in which the orchestra is treated here really serves as a litmus test as to how much more superior the PCM 5.0 mix is. Which depending on your set-up could range from substantially more to just slightly. I personally prefer the PCM 5.0 mix here as there are notable advantages in the duets for example and some of the mass scenes (the scene at the inn is a good example). This being said, however, do not discard the PCM 2.0 mix completely. It is still well done, effective, and capturing the "live" vibe very well. Obviously, as I noted earlier, it somewhat lacks in its treatment of the orchestral music but it is far and away from being average. Finally, the disc offers optional (white) English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian subtitles.

Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Every single BD I have received from Opus Arte so far has offered an excellent, stylishly done, booklet. La Bohème is not an exception. This time around what I have in my hands is a 28- page booklet with excellent photos from the opera in addition to a lovely essay by Giancarlo del Monaco (the stage director for the opera) titled "Puccini – composer and cinematographer". The piece talks about the controversial figure Puccini was as well as the polarized emotions his work spurred. The essay is offered in English, French, German, and Spanish. On the actual disc you will find an interesting piece titled "Reflections" where stage director Giancarlo del Monaco, musical director Jesús López Cobos, Inva Mula (Mimi), and Aquiles Machabo (Rodolfo) share their thoughts on the production values of this project. It is quite interesting to hear that Giancarlo del Monaco actually required the cast to perform as if they were shooting a film. In addition, the disc also offers a synopsis for La Bohème as well as a gallery with information about the cast.

Puccini: La Bohème Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those of you who are yet to experience the terrific releases Opus Arte have been offering should not wait any longer. Very soon I am probably going to run out of superlatives to describe how terrific these Blu-ray releases are. Everything a classical music aficionado desired DVD to deliver is now on these Blu-ray releases courtesy of Opus Arte – terrific video quality, top-notch audio quality, and great supplements. La bohème comes very, very highly recommended.