SF Opera ‘La Bohème’ Dazzles with Ensemble Precision
Giacomo Puccini’s limerent love story La Bohème opened the San Francisco Opera’s season with all the emotional pull we’ve come to expect from this frequently staged and deeply cherished work. Few operas draw us so swiftly into the heart of the drama. From the first note, we are transported to a wintry Paris. It is Christmas, and the artists inside an unheated garret are cold, behind on rent, and longing for food and wine.
Guest conductor Ramón Tebar and revival director Katherine M. Carter delivered an evening of drama wrapped in a gossamer web of musical delicacy. Rarely does a cast operate with such precise and agile synchronicity. Their brisk pacing and spot-on comedic moments underscored the elegance of Puccini’s writing.
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
When the poet Rodolfo (tenor Pene Pati), who has, incidentally, just finished burning his manuscripts for warmth, meets the silk flower maker Mimì (soprano Karen Chia-ling Ho), their immediate attraction and declarations of love are rendered believable by the emotional depth both singers pour into their roles.
Rodolfo’s gentle humor draws out Mimì’s reserve. But this budding love is shadowed by grim news: Mimì is dying of tuberculosis, and their time together is heartbreakingly brief. Supporting this central romance is a vibrant ensemble of Bohemians: the musician Schaunard (Samuel Kidd), the philosopher Colline (Bogdan Talos), and the delightfully tempestuous pairing of painter Marcello (baritone Lucas Meachem) and the mercurial Musetta (soprano Andrea Carroll).
Marcello and Musetta prove to have hearts as big as their problems with one another. Together, they provide comfort and friendship to their two troubled friends. Their pairing adds the humor that makes the tragedy of this piece cut all the deeper. The chemistry and artistry that this all-star cast brings is a rare piece of alchemy. Under Carter’s direction, each emotion hits as purely as the notes are sung, and all of us in the audience are guilty of shedding a tear or five.
David Farley’s scenic design evokes a convincingly frigid Latin Quarter in which the story unfolds. Members of the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choruses provide well-choreographed bustle, while the Opera Chorus reminds us why their presence remains essential, even as labor tensions continue to swirl offstage.
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
The tale of struggling artists hasn’t aged much since La Bohème first premiered, and its poignancy remains intact. Perhaps with the withdrawal of NEA funding from so many art spaces across the city this story feels a bit too familiar, yet it is definitely one that has stood up well to the test of time. With a short season this year, San Francisco Opera’s production is not to be missed.
“La Bohème”: San Francisco Opera. Through June 21. $28–$450. For Tickets and Live stream information visit www.sfopera.com
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