So I went to an opera put on by a local opera company just to see what the level is like and whether or not I had a good shot of getting work. What I've discovered is that it's a real hit and miss. But I've also discovered that this, the 2nd worst opera I've been to (the first was Don Giovanni at the Komische Oper in Berlin--which I definitely walked out of) still had a full house! It's dedinitely encouraging!
Seeing this opera was also an opportunitly to learn what works and doesn't. So I've included some of my notes which I wrote as quickly as I could directly after the opera to remind myself: enjoy:)
La bohème--Utrecht
Stichting Internationale opera productie
Act 1:
-Interesting staging: obvious that it was an attempt at modernizing for the sake of modernizing
- started out not bad...but started to get way bad
- entrance of Benoit (drunk and singing about woman part)--close enough to the score but not having a woman appear on stage, getting hired and flashing the audience in her lingerie!
- entrance of mimi--couldn't hear the singing
- mi chiamnano Mimi: tempo was so ridiculously slow
- way too much sliding and portamento that was inappropriate even for Puccini!!
- rodolfo's high note was completely messed up-cracking and everything!
- duet at the end when rudolfo was supposed to sing the high note he sung it down the octave and a third under Mimi instead of singing the right notes!
Act 2:
- seriously messy scene!
- childrens chorus was completely missing replaced by bad women singing mixture on and off stage
- chorus staring at the director for cues from the director and then singing out
- sparce chorus: bad voices were completely over exposed.
-musetta: entrance was awkward--the only notes heard were her highest ones which sounded like clucking: literally!!
- quando m'en vo: what is with the crazy staging and costumes?!
- musetta on the lampole, I thought she was going to pretend to strip
- costume was a horrible short red dress with slits on either side up to her waist
- when she and marcello embraced the entire Audience could see her underwear and her crotch!
- exit scene: why were they awkwardly marching in a line?!?!
Act 3
- why is there another woman dressed exactly like Mimi appearing on the scaffolding every time the real Mimi sings?!
- singing much better: someone must have mentioned it to Mimi during the intermission that she could not be heard
- marcello, best in the first half was starting to sing everything flat
- odd staging made it complicated to see what was sung and what was an aside
- Mimi and rodolfo's goodbye was well sung (in comparison to first half) but the staging was horrid: everytime Mimi sung she would turn back to sing towards rudolfo and everytime there was musical interlude she would slowly walk away...over and over again!
Act 4
- Male singers definitely much better than the women
- quartet stuff was good with rudolfo, colline, schaunard getting better but marcello getting worse
- entrance of musetta much better at least in her costume: longer black dress but her singng definitely did NOT improve!
- mimi's entrance: being carried in and set on table but mimi on scaffolding singing
- concept becomes clear: it symbolizes Mimi looking back on herself--a pretty good idea but could've been done so much better
- end was really a thousand times better but for some reason it just fell flat most likely because of what proceeded.
- curtain call had people shoutng bravo and giving standing ovations(?!) I remained sitting of course
- cast was whipped by the closing curtain ar the end of the second curtain call!!
Can't forget the old man behind us who was humming along completely out of tune!!!
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