La Bohème

by Giacomo Puccini
Lyric Opera of Chicago

It's only March, but I'm going to take a risk and say that this was the best thing I'll see this year. It was absolutely stunning with a very big-deal cast.

I have not seen Bohème in awhile. It's not one of my favorite operas. I definitely don't dislike it, I just don't love it. However, I had a fresh appreciation for the opera on Saturday night. 

In terms of plot, it is very different from other operas. It is intimate, not a costume drama, straightforward, there are no mixed identities, it is not over-the-top and there isn't even undying love which can conquer anything. When I initially saw Bohème many years ago I was attracted to the camaraderie of the men and the joviality of the first act. Now, I see it more as a coming-of-age drama, a work with fantastic symmetry, a clear plot and in some ways a great example of the triumph and failure (at the same time) of a great love. 

For modern takes on the story of the opera, you can always watch Rent (scene for scene!) or Moulin Rouge.

This production was wonderful. I am fairly certain they said it came from San Francisco, which meant it was likely it was going to be hip. The sets were beautiful. The apartment setting was perfect, the room was framed by this beautiful, painted backdrop of the rooftops of the apartments of Paris, sort of a stage within a stage. It looked cold outside, but wonderfully emotionally warm inside. The restaurant scene was appropriately luxurious. The snow scene outside of the tavern was magic. I was just going to say that the lighting was perfect for the snow scene, but I just realized that the lighting was perfect throughout the entire night, subtle but it definitely added to the production.

What made it the best thing I'll see this year, though, was the cast. Simply put, Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja. Calleja is a tenor with a beautiful voice and he delivered a solid, outstanding performance. And, then Netrebko, well,...it was simply exquisite. She didn't deliver, she was a miracle of the opera world, this rare person who has it all.

I have never heard her sing before and I feared there was too much hype surrounding her singing. The hype was not too much. I was expecting a solid soprano who was pretty and young. Ah, but no - she has this magnificent voice with rich, rich timber. She has the lung power. She has the technique. And, then she has that rarest of all things, she has artistry. She keeps making music where others are just happy to hit and hold the notes. My favorite examples were the the high, loud notes. Instead of attacking them and sort of powering through and wowing the audience that way, she sort of eased off them and played with them and made them even more beautiful. She had the power, proven again and again, but she didn't use it and say it was music. Her approach and her question of "what is music?" were somehow different. It was simply stunning. I'm not at a loss for words, but I feel like I am. 

It was bittersweet, having her here in Chicago. I am afraid we won't be able to lure her here again, especially in winter. It would have to be a role she really, really wanted to play and even there we would have to be at just the right point in her calendar. So, I have to satisfy myself that we were very, very lucky for one extraordinary night.

Thanks again, Lyric for the best thing I'll see all year.