When SCO presented Puccini’s La Boheme in 2009, it turned out to be a very special experience for audiences and company alike. Young soloists of shining talent brought a freshness and poignancy to this well-known story. SCO’s chorus meanwhile, put the sparkle into Christmas in the seasonal Paris street scene.
La Boheme, a heart-rending tale of doomed love, is a source of some of the most supremely beautiful music in opera. Two young people fall in love at first sight in a duet famous the world over – Rodolfo sings ‘Your tiny hand is frozen’ and she replies ‘They call me Mimi’. They could not be happier – until fate deals its hand.
Nick Sales (Don Jose in SCO’s 2008 production of ‘Carrnen’), was a consummate Rodolfo; Andrea Tweedale (Adina in SCO’s 2010 production of ‘Elixir of Love’) sang exquisitely as Mimi; John Savournin, meanwhile brought an impressive baritone to the role of Marcello. An exuberant cast also included Gavin Magenty, Elizabeth Menezes and Matthew Palmer together with the SCO chorus. La Boheme was conducted under the masterly baton of Terry Hobson, whilst Director Ed Bancroft blew his own special warmth into what turned out to be a very special production.