Upon entering the grand hall of the Nice Opera House, the tone was set for this premiere of Puccini’s “La Bohème”: as the musicians finished tuning their instruments, the audience discovered a television set on stage broadcasting images of the May 1968 events! Unfortunately for the audience, and unlike the actual “events” of that time, the baton this time was wielded by the director: no cliché was spared except at the end, when the dramatic intensity of “Scenes de la vie de bohème,” written by Henri Murger, reclaimed its rights. Otherwise, the auditorium was literally drowned, buried, engulfed under a deluge of heavily hammered symbols. To the point that in a second scene, meant to take place in the Latin Quarter but intentionally transformed by director Daniel Benoin into a “party at Mutualité or at École Normale Supérieure”, one regretted the singers who were made inaudible and invisible — the conductor Marco Guidarini’s sweating was understandable — by a noisy, confusing atmosphere not so distant from the term “chienlit”. Under an impulse that seemed more doctrinaire than artistic, Puccini’s Parisian life in this second act dwindled into a crazy band of “green smokers,” shaking, passing around “joints” and welcoming a grotesque parade of Maoist militants. All resulting in crude effects and somewhat outdated messages that overshadowed the brilliant scenic transition from the first to the second scene: as Rodolfo and Mimi walked away more in love than ever, a clever play of lights suddenly revealed the space of the second scene, capturing the audience with admiration.
Indeed, one cannot fault Daniel Bernoin for his desire for coherence: he turns the attic from the first act into a squat, transforms the Latin Quarter into a lively student party in the second, and changes the “barrière d’enfer” of the third tableau into a slum of the Parisian suburbs. However, his ideological determination does not fully prevail: despite the attic being plastered with revolutionary posters, the landlord dressed as a “fascist” in a “bomber” jacket, and the third tableau inviting police officers to enter through the orchestra and “frame” the scene as if it were a protest — eliciting a few ironic jeers from a surprisingly nostalgic Nice audience, which was aware of Christian Estrosi’s presence in the box of honor — the overall effect struggles to convince. The second tableau’s excessive zeal covers the story, dilutes the narrative, and ultimately introduces a destabilizing break between the first and the last two tableaux. Perhaps it was some remorse that led Daniel Benoin, in this compulsively ’68-obsessed approach, to quaintly punctuate two particular moments of his staging with an ultra-classical touch: the snow at the end of the first act and colored petals at the end of the third, both in extreme abundance. Zeffirelli couldn’t have done it better.
Nevertheless, the voices and the music saved the essence of this production. From the first tableau, the voices of the four friends — the painter Marcello (Marc Barrard), the poet Rodolfo (Carlos Cosias), the philosopher Colline (Nicolas Courjal), and the musician Schaunard (Paolo Bordogna) — brought immediate satisfaction with the quality of their lyrical performances. The very Mediterranean, warm voice with almost Pavarottian overtones of tenor Carlos Cosias, as he “wrenched” notes in agony, and the bass of Nicolas Courjal, magnificent in his grave aria “vecchia zimarra” from the last act, deserve mentioning. Their voices were brilliantly showcased by an exceptionally cooperative acting ensemble. Unfortunately, the lead female role of Mimi, played by soprano Susanna Branchini, did not manage to elicit the same excitement. Her great aria “mi chiamano Mimi” was marred by shrill high notes. Generally, her voice seemed obsessed with power to the detriment of emotion. It is always understandable for a lyrical artist to try to compensate for the paucity of stage action reserved for her title role, which could have equally drawn from the depth of her emotions. This impression is all the more strange for this artist, originally known for her excellent repertoire of deeply internalized sacred music by Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel. Her vocal range, however, found a more touching tone in the finale. The performance of Donata d’Annunzio Lombardi in the role of Musetta balanced her voice and physical presence on the stage more evenly. Under all these conditions, the musical direction of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra by conductor Marco Guidarini is all the more praiseworthy.
If this contrasting rendition of “La Bohème” brings the season to a close, it also ends the Puccini year celebrating the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth, launched by the remarkable “Tosca.” This conclusion does not in any way erase the long series of particularly successful productions at the Opéra de Nice under the direction of Paul-Emile Fourny (“Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Manon,” and especially the brilliant “Midsummer Night’s Dream”).
As we await the press conference by the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, which should unveil the program for the new 2008/2009 season, we can only thank the entire team of the establishment on rue Saint-François-de-Paule for enchanting the Nice audience throughout the year.
“La Bohème,” a lyrical scene in 4 tableaux by Giacomo Puccini.
Next performances: Sunday, May 25 at 2:30 pm, Tuesday, May 27 at 8:00 pm, and Thursday, May 29 at 8:00 pm.
Opéra de Nice: 4&6 rue Saint-François-de-Paule, 06300 Nice. Tickets and information at 04 92 17 40 79.
