Customer Reviews

Puccini: La Boheme [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the product description it says "Alfie Boe's slightly earnest, boyish charm was through and through honest, from start to tragic finish.....the intensity and truthfulness he communicates is irresistible." This is so true. His portrayal of Rodolfo is brilliant. I don't want to give away the ending, but his final scenes are so real, so believable, and the intense emotion he is feeling pulls at your heart strings. I have never really been an opera fan before, but Alfie Boe has broadened my horizons. La Boheme is a very famous opera, and this version is special because it has Alfie Boe in it. I usually sing his praises because of his beautiful voice and his charm & wonderful personality. His performance in this play, along with his amazing performance as Jean Valjean in the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert DVD, show that he is also a gifted actor. If you're an Alfie Boe fan, you HAVE to buy this DVD!

This English National Opera Prodection of Boheme is not the best I've ever seen, but it's certainly not the worst. I purchased it mainly out of curiosity to see what Alfie Boe could do with traditional opera, and the answer is . . . "quite a bit." I still find English translations somewhat off-putting--but I can see the purpose. If making it accessible to more music lovers grows the opera audience, it can only be good. Having grown up with an Italian Boheme,I did occasionally wish for the liquid vowels. That said, I found the technical production to be very good and Mr. Boe is indeed a force to reckon with. His connection to his audience is nothing short of stunning. Would I buy the disc again? Absolutely! But the Met and Stratas/Carreras are still the benchmark production for me.

An Outstanding performance of a well known opera. Vocal performers were marvelous. I can recommend it with out reservations. ENJOY!

This is a gorgeous production, with marvelous singing, direction, sets and libretti. Alfie Boe's acting is deeply authentic and he shows a range of feelings which ring true. Despite his youth, or perhaps partly because of it, there's something which he brings to the role of Rudolfo which is quite beyond Pavarotti's version. His expressions of excitement, nervousness, pride, delight, love, tenderness, frustration and grief reveal a fine acting ability in addition to his breathtaking singing. This is a stellar performance all around.

This ENO production is sung in English. Since I have watched many Boheme's, all in Italian, it took me some time to get accustomed to the English, but then it sounded quite natural. This Blu-Ray could be used to introduce opera to a skeptic! The production is transposed to 1930 during the Big Depression in Paris. It fits the plot and essence of the plot very well. With the lighting such that all the action seems to be in almost Black & White, it is very realistic and effective. The staging and the filming are first class. The singing is very good, but not exceptional. The star of the production is Alfie Boe as Rodolfo. Is acting, demeanor and singing is pleasant and fits the role. The rest of the singers are good. Melody Moore as Mimi is not totally convincing, the pianissimos are not there. Kultur seems to make every effort to let us know as little as possible about the production, the artists or even the date the concert was taped. It is an enjoyable production, the ending will cause some tears to flow...