As the summer sun beat down on the rolling grounds of Longborough, this highly enjoyable new production of La bohème opened in a somewhat unconventional manner: a Christmas carol. Instead of the familiar burst of an energetic orchestra, plunging the listener directly into the chilly world of the Parisian bohemians, it began with the melodic strains of a group of seamstresses humming a festive favourite as they toiled away.
In Puccini’s much-loved opera, Mimi’s personal life is alluded to but rarely seen; we know she makes artificial flowers for a living and has a room in the same building as the impoverished poet she falls in love with, but only because she tells us so. In the original libretto, we don’t get to see that side of her existence. Director Sarah Fahie addresses this from the very beginning in a bold move that adds a new introduction in which Mimi enters the stage as part of a group of female workers grafting hard to create artificial blue flowers on Christmas Eve.
That isn’t the only change in Mimi’s role, who spends much more time on stage than might usually be expected. Designer Sarah Beaton crafted a set where Mimi’s room can be seen alongside the apartment of the four male friends, and as they laugh and lament through the good times and bad, the young needlewoman is visible next door, wracked with a cough that will, inevitably, prove to be fatal.
These changes seem to serve two purposes. Firstly, they firmly establish Mimi as the central figure of the opera, elevating her above the object of Rodolfo’s desire to a more rounded character. Secondly, with La bohème being this year’s platform to spotlight Longborough’s Emerging Artists and Longborough Youth Chorus, they offer more opportunities to the aspiring stars of the future. While it succeeds admirably in the latter, the former yields mixed results.
Except for the central trio of Rodolfo, Marcello and Mimi, the cast consists entirely of emerging artists. Sofia Kirwan-Baez (Musetta), Edward Jowle (Schaunard) and Duncan Stenhouse (Colline) rose to the occasion not only in their singing but notably in their acting, as did Matthew Siveter, who doubles up – and raises a few laughs – as Benoît and Alcindoro. They were led by tenor Jung Soo Yun, a tender Rodolfo veteran who previously shone in the role with Welsh National Opera, and a powerful Darwin Prakash, who commanded the stage as Marcello. This was a very physical performance from the leading cast, with much movement and facial gestures that rewarded closer viewing.
As for Mimi, the wonderful Welsh soprano and fellow WNO veteran Elin Pritchard delivered a sublime performance that brought her frailty to the forefront. While the new introduction worked well in establishing her character much sooner, the drama was somewhat diminished by the scene change that followed just minutes into the opera. And while the inclusion of her room on stage was a novel idea, it suffered from competing with the main narrative. With eyes naturally following the singers around the stage and the surtitles on high also vying for attention, Mimi in her home became something of an afterthought.
As radical as these additions might sound, the opera was, overall, a remarkably faithful and warm interpretation of a classic of the repertoire. Under the baton of Alice Farnham, the orchestra did a phenomenal job of creating a sound worthy of an ensemble twice their size, engaging the roughly 500-capacity crowd. The young chorus and cast members also had their time to shine; La bohème is ideally suited for a youthful cast who can flood the stage as excited children and, in this case, dejected factory workers.
In a festival opera setting such as Longborough, it can be difficult to separate the production from the overall visitor experience, and that was very much the case during my visit. Having been fortunate enough to attend on an evening when the British weather was remarkably kind, I was able to bask in the sunshine beforehand, and take in the spectacular views during the extended break, corks popping around me as operagoers indulged in some rather extravagant-looking picnics. Just as the strong vocal performances warmed up the icy Parisian streets inside, the glorious sunshine did much the same outside.
Main image Elin Pritchard and Jung Soo Yun
photo credit: Matthew Williams-Ellis