Welsh National Opera's La BohΦme, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast for performances on Tuesday and Thursday, has a well-worn look to it. G÷ran JΣrvefelt's 1984 production, directed in its current revival by Caroline Chaney, has sets by Michael Yeargan, that have a grey, weathered look, imposing the impoverishment of the young bohemians on the world outside. In all but the second act, it works effectively. There, the empty back of the stage - a blank backdrop, greyly lit -- presents the Christmas bustle outside the CafΘ Momus as if in an artificial cocoon, disconnected from the world that surrounds it.
In general, however, this is a BohΦme which attempts to pick up on all the illustrative and suggestive cues in Puccini's music, from the flickerings of flame as Rodolfo's play goes into the stove, to the quickenings of heartbeats, or the falling flakes of snow.
The four struggling artists - Gwyn Hughes-Jones as Rodolfo, Richard Whitehouse as Marcello, Panajotis Iconomou as Colline, and Gareth Rhys-Davies as Schaunard - are a lively lot. Their banter and tom-foolery is well caught save for the abuse of food: throwing bread around the room is an unlikely indulgence for anyone who's truly impoverished.
The strength of the characterisation is an achievement of ensemble. These young men care about each other, and use their high spirits to distract themselves from the realities of their situation. The large musical set pieces don't stand out as they would with bigger, starrier voices. The strain shows when Hughes-Jones has to deliver at the top of his range, and Iconomou's farewell to his coat (a properly ragged garment) shows signs of forcing. Juanita Lascarro is a touching Mim∅, and Deborah Norman a coarse-grained Musetta with a plausible heart of gold. The abused older men, James Miller-Coburn's fur-collared Benoit, and Peter Massocchi's put-upon Alcindoro, are very finely drawn.
The chorus, young and old, sing with lively commitment, and Tugan Sokhiev conducts a performance where the musical values are as nicely observed as the dramatic ones.
