Customer Reviews

Puccini: La Boheme [Blu-ray]

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

 

 

Having just purchased this Blu-Ray version of La Boheme and viewed it once, I am extremely pleased. To confirm an earlier review, the format is 1.77 (16:9) and not 1.33 as given in the Amazon description. The sound formats are PCM 2.0 and PCM 5.0. Sadly, no DTS 5.1.

Mimi is sung by Inva Mula (probably best known for singing the aria in Fifth Element) who is still looking and sounding great. She is surrounded by an excellent cast. A relatively young Aquiles Machado sings Rudolpho with a fine tenor. As noted below, Machado is a bit chubby similar to Ramon Vargas. Fortunately, Rudolpho does not have to be a heartthrob. Inva Mula and the stunning Laura Giordano as Musetta (with electric red hair) more than meet the need for photogenic appeal. Nevertheless in the age of 1080p, everyone is going to have to shape up.

This version of La Boheme compares with very well with the recent HD version starring Gheorgiu and Vargas at the Met with set design and direction by Zeffirelli. Matrid has its own creative set and nimble camera work that seems to work on Blu-Ray very well.

Only the one small regret that there is no DTS 5.1.

I though that the Opus Arte productions of Die Fledermaus and Die Zauberflöte were spectacular and a tough act to follow. How wrong I was! La Boheme is even better! This production in the Madrid royal theater is unbelievable. Everything in this blueray production is fabulous, the sound is exquisite the video is fantastic and, of course, the critically acclaimed performance by the star studded cast is simply second to none. It will bring you to tears every time. If you own one blueray opera, this is the one to have!!!!!!
BTW for the reviewer that commented on Rodolfo's "corpulentness" I guess Caruso's and Pavarotti's fatness made them bad tenors too!! Aquiles Machado's Rodolfo is simply fabulous!

I am not qualified to provide a detailed analysis of the quality of the singing, but I have watched a large number of La Boheme's on DVD and seen it live at the Met in NYC at least twice. Based on my past experience I found this to be a very pleasing production. My impression of opera on blu ray (at least the opus arte series) is that it provides the ability to use very low light levels without losing image clarity -- in a slightly darkened room it comes very close to being in the opera house. The sets were splendid and the acting moving. The sound was OK, but for a little extra they could have provided a master dts track which in my opinion has the greatest clarity and provides the best "sound stage" of any of the available sound formats.

I don't know if I received a defective version of the Blu-ray, but I retruned it to Amazon for a full refund. Blu-ray supposedly has uncompressed audio, which should make it sound even better than a CD. The disc that I received was almost unlistenable in its poor audio quality. The sound seemed like it was recorded using a cell phone microphone, tinny and variable in terms of pickup. This is my absolute favorite opera, and was the first opera that I purcased on Blu ray. I would have put up with a lot just to be able to watch it in HD. Unfortunately, even the video quality was not great. It had a soap opera-like video quality rather than film-like quality.

I was too distracted by the presentation quality to even notice the performer's talent, so I will abstain from commenting on it.

Gone are the days for DVD and film that a tenor would look like a lame midget, and that precisely what the Rodolfo looks like here on this Blu-ray DVD, and an ugly Rodolfo he is 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 and 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, worn-out tone coming from a young soprano that has no charm and no real 'Joy of life' - it is just being sung from top of a table (the market scene) in the hope that the effect of jollity will stick; well, it does not.
One would hope for a superb picture Blu-ray quality.
Good quality it is but nothing to drive you to pay the extra for it.
The stage is barely lightened everything is happening in the dark.
The filming crew has probably no understanding of how light works and that quality of light is different for the theater viewers present and that it is different for the camera; in short: it is DARK and OBSCURE.
All in all; you better look somewhere else, and the Metropolitan with Angela Ghiorgiu might be your first choice.

It is hard to know where to start with this production. The casting is poor with little to differentiate the Bohemians other than weight. Rodolfo makes even Pavarotti look slim! The lighting is dreadful, mostly too dark and with serious backlighting issues. Only in the last act does it come right but by then it is all too late. I cannot recommend this production at all. Rent if you must but caveat emptor.

When I first attempted to view this opera I gave up because the audio sounded shrill but I later discovered that the fault was in my A/V setup so am pleased to report it is A1 on this disc. Just as well because the singing and acting by the principals is uniformly good as is the orchestra. Inva Mula extracts great pathos in her role as Mimi and is ably supported by the lovely Laura Giordano as Musetta, Aquiles Machado as Rodolfo and Fabio Maria Capitanucci as Marcello. Inva looked quite exhaused when taking curtain calls so was either drained by the performance or was ill. Either way it did not affect her excellent singing and acting. About the only criticism I can level at this traditionally staged production at the Teatro Real, Madrid, is the poor lighting in a couple of scenes. Admittedly the context was one of a cold and dim room but it was a little overdone with too much blue lighting.
Recommended.

This is an excellent Boheme in every respect. Originally, the "product details" incorrectly stated that it was in a fullscreen (1.33:1) rather than a widescreen (1.77:1) aspect ratio. They have since corrected that mistake, and my post, which was designed to provide the correct information became quite obsolete. Rather than delete it, however, I edited it (2-22-10), and decided to leave my five-star rating. Of the six Boheme's that I own, this is my favorite, and if you decide to purchase it, I doubt that you will be disappointed.

I would also note (in contrast to a couple of the recent one, and two, star reviews) that I found no problem whatsoever with the lighting and general video quality of this disc. These two reviewers also dissed the fine tenor, Aquiles Machado, for being too heavy for the role of Rodolfo (I wonder what they would have to say if they ever saw Pavarotti in the role). Ironically, they also failed to mention that it is unlikely that there has ever been a prettier PAIR of well-voiced sopranos in the Mimi/Musetta roles than what Inva Mula and Laura Giordano bring to Puccini's table in this production.