Puccini was only 65 when he died 100 years ago this November – but his lifetime spanned a period of astonishing change. Born before unified Italy, in what was still the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the composer died the proud owner of fast cars and speedboats. To mark the centenary of the composer’s death, English National Opera opens its season by dusting off Jonathan Miller’s (two also mark the anniversary).
The rotating cutaway set – artist’s garret upstairs on one side, bohemian drinking hole downstairs on the other – gives us 1930s Paris in numerous shades of grey. But the interwar drabness is enlivened by some exquisite lighting, overseen in this revival by Marc Rosette: the subtle glow of pendant lamps in the garret, the cold blush of dawn at the start of Act 3, the inviting glow of an interior glimpsed through windowpanes as snow falls outside. Above all, this but gritty Paris is brought to life by the antics of its inhabitants.
Here, the bohemian boys are a likable bunch. There was play-fighting with baguettes and boisterousness on tap, the physical chemistry persuasive even if the acoustic properties of the upstairs space meant that balancing their ensemble numbers was a challenge. ’s generous baritone made for a sympathetic Marcello, while ’s Colline was clear and luminous as he prepared to pawn his beloved overcoat.
Making his ENO debut as Rodolfo, British-American tenor sounded distant in his Act 1 encounter with Mimì (that garret acoustic again). Bu.
