Music

La bohème: Well-paced and rewarding night at the opera

A creative use of catwalks, with singers placed to achieve a telling depth of perspective

The singers in La bohème were a good ensemble team. Photograph: Helen Sloan

David Byers
Mon Sep 20 2021 - 08:51

LA BOHÈME

Carlisle Memorial Church, Belfast
★★★★☆

The audience was sparse for Puccini’s La bohème on Saturday evening, though not from any reservations. Far from it. This was a sell-out, but thanks to social distancing only about 90 could attend.

Bohemian Paris had come to Carlisle Memorial Church in north Belfast with an accordion player serenading the masked audience members as they arrived. Northern Ireland Opera’s site-specific production by its new artistic director Cameron Menzies is the company’s first live production after 19 months of Covid restrictions. Relief all round.

The stripped-back decayed interior of the former church was cleverly incorporated in Claire Morrissey’s set and enhanced by Kevin Treacy’s atmospheric lighting. A 1920s setting was confirmed by Diana Ennis’s costume designs.

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Gently raked audience seating allowed a clear view of the small raised “stage” area framed by the large gothic arch at the east end of the church. Left and right were alarmingly narrow catwalks extending out towards the audience and then linked together by another catwalk to create a square – effectively enclosing an orchestra pit. In that lower-level space sat the strings. Camera left, beyond the catwalk, were woodwinds and harp; similarly, camera right, were the brass and percussion.

Conductor Rebecca Lang produced a well-paced and never over-sentimentalised reading from the orchestra of around 30 players using a reduced orchestration by Gerardo Colella.

The production made creative use of all three catwalks, with singers often placed to achieve a telling depth of perspective – even when a “stand and deliver” approach was deemed best.

Cameron Menzies wanted “youthful energy” and energy was in plentiful supply throughout. Despite the Covid necessity for a reduced chorus size, Act 2’s hustle and bustle of children, toy sellers and flower sellers was a great success, thanks to choreographer Jennifer Rooney and her dancers. Two Pierrots were a notable addition, reappearing to help with the well-lit snowfall in Act 3.

The singers were a good ensemble team. Perhaps it was the resonant acoustic, and also the placing of the orchestra, which encouraged Rodolfo, American tenor Noah Stewart, to force his tone at times, disrupting the flow of the vocal line. His other half, so to speak, the Mimi of Gemma Summerfield, gave a totally convincing and very moving performance, from effortless top B flats to lovely quiet moments.

Excellent too was Belfast-born Emma Morwood as Musetta, conveying a wide range of moods with vocal clarity and dramatic conviction. Her admirer Marcello, Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, is certainly another voice to watch, as is that of Aaron O’Hare who sang the role of Schaunard.

Also consistently good were the two basses, Edmund Danon as Colline (his lament for a greatcoat in Act 4 was particularly memorable) and Graeme Danby doubling as Benoît and Alcindoro.

Without doubt, a rewarding night at the opera.

Also on Monday (20th), Thursday (23rd) and Saturday (25th)