Review: LA BOHÈME at Torre del Lago, with Piotr Beczala and Karine Babajanyan, directed by Maurizio Scaparro.
By Antonio Manneschi –
July 21, 2017.
I have to be honest, I decided to go and see this Bohème again due to the presence of the only real prestigious name present at the 2017 Puccini Festival: Piotr Beczala.
It's obvious: except in rare cases, when an artist has made an international name like him, there is a reason. Despite the crack in his voice “hope” and in the finale of the first act, Beczala's performance was of the highest level.
For some critics, to be good at Puccini it is enough to have a good conversational song. In my opinion, to be good at Puccini you have to be complete. Singers, actors and, above all, performers. Beczala was. The phrasing was fluid and clear, the high areas soaring and confident, the stage presence absolutely natural. Of course it wasn't perfect and, in the first act, the two most dangerous notes played a cruel joke on him. Nothing that could compromise, however, the performance that he carried out with extraordinary professionalism.
Karine Babajanyan (in her debut in Italy) has a decidedly ugly tone and far from what is commonly attributed to Mimì. However, the entire performance was approached with the right pathos and her voice was held in the most painful moments with excellent diction, except for a few too many doubles. Like many Eastern singers, there was a broad vibrato and a little closing of the high notes’ shrill, was not always precise. Overall, she still portrayed a credible and poignant Mimì and her good stage presence helped her in the performance.
Zizzo's Musetta seemed like a character from another opera: scenically too static and vocally immature. Then, in the finale of the Waltz, the “…..senti” with staked it was totally out of place.
Raffio's Marcello, except for a little third act’ waning, it had interesting moments.
Conductor James Meena conducted with attitude and authority, bringing out the best in the Puccini orchestra.
For Folon's scene (because it was only one scene, which changed only due to the addition of tables and chairs or little more), one certainly does not have to be an art expert to understand the reference to painting and, consequently, to bohemian life. It was made up of an enormous painter's palette of colors and an empty canvas where the paintings of the Belgian artist and photos and paintings by Modigliani were projected. Who knows if Puccini would have liked it…Despite everything, however, the play of colors was pleasant.
Maurizio Scaparro's direction made the representation fluid and the attention to detail made the difference. The stage movements have almost always been at the service of the music.
Large audience and some’ cold.
Antonio Manneschi
PHOTOS Festival Puccini Torre del Lago