Product Description

Giancarlo del Monaco's cinematic production of Puccini's popular masterpiece takes its place among the great interpretations of modern times. Jesús López Cobos directs an outstanding cast, led by Inva Mula and Aquiles Machado as Mimi and Rodolfo, in a landmark recording filmed with High Definition cameras and in true surround sound.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32459 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-06-30
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Colour, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 149 minutes

Synopsis
A cinematic production of Puccini's masterpiece from acclaimed stage director Giancarlo del Monaco. Recorded live in March 2006 at the Teatro Real, Madrid, with the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real.

Review
This Bohème is a glorious vindication of traditional staging at its imaginative, re-creative best. ...a hum dinger of a production, beautifully set by Michael Scott in period, fast-moving and full of pertinent detail ...eloquent and lively playing from the Madrid Symphony, ...Centre-stage is Inva Mula's appealing, vulnerable and intensely sung Mimì...She sings with finely shaped and expressive phrasing. --Gramophone

Customer Reviews

Stunning singing in a great production.
Puccini - La Boheme (Cobos, Chorus/Orch. of the Teatro Real) [Blu-ray] [2006]

With singers, director and conductor all totally absorbed with Boheme this is superb case of synergy producing something really great.

Stage director Giancarlo del Monaco has a cinematic approach to opera, treating the singers as actors and bringing film levels of detail to the staging, this has a profound effect on the result, coupled with the belief stated by tenor Aquiles Machado (Rodolfo) that the secret of singing Boheme is to make it sound like dialogue, this really pays dividends in ensembles in Acts 1 and 4, each of the four friends become individuals and not part of a jolly sing-along.

Conductor Jesus Lopez Cobos has a long history of Boheme performances and admits to being a little obsessed, whilst Venezuelan tenor Machado admits to being totally obsessed with the role of Rodolfo.

Finally Albanian soprano Inva Mula learned the role of Mimi as a child listening to her mother perform the opera.

Laura Giordano is a lovely Musetta rather emphasising the operetta aspects of Boheme in a most refreshing way.

The result is a moving and intense but not melodramatic performance with fine chemistry between the principals totally involved in their roles.
Machado and Mula emerge at the end of the final act in tears, and are soon hugging each other for support, I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like this before.

Excellent documentary, good sound and workmanlike 1080i Blu Ray transfer make this a very desirable disc.

Big Boheme disappointment and of Blu-Ray...!
Contrary to the other two opinion - mine is a negative one and in a big way !
Gone are the times (for DVD and film) that a tenor would look like a lame midget - and that precisely what the Rodolfo looks like here on this DVD, and an ugly one too. OK, if his voice was in class with Gigli, Caruso, Stefano, Jussy Bejorling... but it is not! It is a forced voice very uncertain, and at time ugly...
The Soprano (Mini) does not come close to her pears, say, Angela Ghiorghiu, (not to mention Tebaldi, Callas, De los Angeles ans so forth...) and there are not many emotions reflected in her sentencing, she produces a 'flat' character of Mini, though her soft high notes that she loves to through in from time to time, whether asked for by the partitura or not - these notes are exquisite, but not enough to build a character.
The Musetta is sung by a wobbly-toned, worn-out tone (young) soprano that has no charm and no real 'Joy of life' it is just sung from top of a table in the hope that the effect of jollity will stick; well, it does not.
One would hope for a superb picture quality.
Well it is a good quality but nothing to drive you to pay the extra for the Blu-Ray version.
All in all; You better look somewhere else, say, the Metropolitan with Ghiorgiu as A FIRST CHOICE.
The stage is barely lightened everything is happening in the dark.
The filming crew has no understanding of how light works: It is different for the theater viewers present there and it is different for the cameras; in short: it is DARK and OBSCURE.
This Teatro-Real-Madrid DVD Blu-ray is TO BE AVOIDED.
If a good one you search, go for the Metropolitan Opera with Angela Ghiorgiu.

Wonderful performance enhanced by Blu-ray quality
Superb singing in a fabulous production. It is hard to fault this disc and at just under £18 the Blue-ray version represents excellent value for money. The performance begins with an internal view of the opera house and its audience and these views alternate with the opening credits. This introduction nicely settles you into the right mood to enjoy the performance.

Both sound and picture quality matched my expectations. The only mild criticism would be the overly yellow lighting in Act 3. However, this observation is a perhaps a little subjective and probably will not bother other viewers. Similarly, Aquiles Machado's stature appeared slightly incongruous to me, but glorious singing provided more than adequate compensation.

Despite these very minor issues I can thoroughly recommend this DVD with a 5 star rating.